THEY CAN CUT ALL THE FLOWERS BUT THEY CANNOT STOP SPRING
In doing research for the project I Went on a Holiday to the Country You Fled From—on view at Melkweg Expo from 15 July to 21 August 2022—Dutch documentary photographer Iris Haverkamp Begemann discovered that there are few, if any, hard facts showing that Mexico is unsafe for transgender individuals. This is partly due to the fact that as much as 98% of murders in Mexico remain unsolved and unpunished, and the authorities often show little inclination to investigate the killings of transgender people. Many transgender victims are misgendered (and deadnamed) in local police statements and media reports.
The facts show that by law, Mexico actually seems to be quite safe for transgender people, and queer people in general. They introduced same sex marriage, and transgender people can carry out the administrative process for gender recognition. However, there’s a gap between law and the lived reality. Cis-heteronormativity, machismo and the enforcement of the genderbinary continue to pathologise transgender people.
In fact, Mexico became even more dangerous for transgender people after the introduction of same-sex marriage. A lot of people fail to acknowledge the distinction between gender identity and sexual orientation. Transgender and queer people have been targeted by people who believe that gay marriage is an affront to Christian family norms and values. LGBTQ+ phobia remains prevalent and Mexico has fallen short of its obligation to respect and ensure these human rights. This complicates their access to dignified health service, influences their mental state and their ability to take part in society, as well as limiting their professional options.
So, while on a holiday to the country Alejandra Ortiz fled from, Iris decided to meet up with transgender people who live in Mexico City, to let themselves elaborate on their experience of safety in Mexico—to focus on the lived reality of individuals, instead of only looking at the (missing) facts. This epilogue of the exhibition tells the story of transgender people of various ages, still living in Mexico City, and how they perceive their own safety in Mexico.
The project was realised together with Alexandra Rodriguez, a trans woman who is a freelance consultant in gender and sexuality and of migrant’s experience living in Mexico City. While in Mexico City, Iris went to a shelter for transgender people, called Casa Hogar Paola Buen Rostro, founded by Casa de las Muñecas Tiresias, to meet up with transgender people staying there. Most of their residents are transgender individuals from nearby countries that flee to Mexico to escape violence and persecution, only to end up in this shelter. She also met young trans kids, who felt very empowered, but only because of having supportive parents. Iris conducted interviews beforehand with the participants and took their pictures. Afterwards, Iris sent photos back to the portrayed individuals and asked them to evaluate their portrait. We can only speculate how they will fare once they fly out into the world.
Anne. 6 years old. From Iztacalco, Mexico City
Pronouns: she/her
“In kindergarten I felt I was Anne, only the people around me called me by a male name. I didn't say anything because I felt that people would tell me that I was wrong and that there was something wrong with me. I had that feeling because once when I said I liked dresses, my grandmother told me it was wrong because I was a boy.”
“My ideal future is to be able to live without violence. I want to have an important place in society so that I can teach other people to respect transgender people and not to discriminate and kill them.”
“I really enjoyed being photographed. It made me feel confident and self-assured. I felt like a supermodel and I will never forget the experience.”
Elián Yañez. 14 years old. From Iztapalapa, Mexico City
Activist
Pronouns: he/him
“I often feel like I don't fit in with the people around me, many people don't know I'm trans, and often ask strange questions, maybe stupid things, like sexual preferences, because I don't have the same genitalia as cis men. My ideal future would be where the world is easier for transgender people, without having to explain myself, without obstacles, where I can live in peace without insults, murders or discrimination.”
“When I saw this photograph, I was able to reflect upon so many things. For many people it’s a ‘simple’ photo, but not for me. It is to see the courage in a photograph, the capacity, and the desire, the sadness, the happiness. All emotions in a single photo and in one person. That made me reflect that no matter where I am or where I started, the important thing is to do it.”
Dulce Tadeo Díaz. 33 years old. From Valle de Chalco, Mexico City
Pronouns: she/her
“I like cooking and nature very much. I am a social person and I like meeting people and going to new places. When I lost my partner, it was terrible because I was alone and homeless. I felt very insecure then. My identity as a trans woman clashes with the prevailing culture because I try to integrate and want to work, but I am discriminated against everywhere. My ideal future is to have a stable inheritance and to be in a solid and peaceful relationship.”
César Zoe Tapia Álvarez. 13 years old. From Mexico City
Pronouns: he/him
“When children ask why I have painted my nails, followed by "Are you a woman?", I realise that many children are still being raised with prejudices that prevent them from being free. I have a YouTube channel 'trans froggys', where I educate and support other trans teens. I like to think that this helps future generations to live with more information and less prejudice.”
“Until a few months ago, I did karate. When I joined, my mother spoke to the sensei about me being transgender. He said there was no problem, in his words: "Nobody is discriminated against here." After a few months, another karate teacher didn't allow me to wear a shirt anymore (which I wore to cover my binder), because according to him I had chosen to do so. At the end of the lesson I approached him to make it clear that I had not chosen to be trans, but he started saying that I was not a special unicorn and that he was not homophobic, but that what I was was not right. I was alone at the time and I did not have enough words to explain to him that what he was saying was homophobic, transphobic and narrow-minded.”
Karina. 48 years old. From Lima, Honduras
Karina left home in Lima, Honduras because of the violence and discrimination of her relatives and that was how she followed the migratory route until she reached Mexico City 24 years ago, where she began working in the market of the Guerrero neighborhood as an assistant. She explained, however, that her most profitable trade was always sex work. On the sidewalks and in their dresses, the lives of some of her friends have been endangered by insults and even bullets. Transphobic violence and impunity for these crimes in Mexico City is one of the main debts of the authorities to this community. As a sex worker, she’s not at all safe on the streets. The persecution and discrimination of sex workers has led to a violent climate in the streets. Although this is decreasing due to the struggle of activists and organisations, there are still serious human rights violations that occur on a daily basis in this profession. At the time of the portrait, she was living in a safe house. Currently she is back on the streets of Mexico, doing sex work.
Sam Astrid. 24 years old. From Coyoacán, Mexico City
Pronouns: they/them
“When my father died, I was given the role of ‘man of the house’. Between the grief of the funeral and the condoleances, my relatives came to me and said: ‘Don't leave your mother alone, now you are the man of the house’. I was given the responsibility to take care of my mother, to be ‘the breadwinner’, ‘the strong one’, ‘the dominant one’, just because I was perceived as male. I think Mexico is a country where patriarchy is ingrained to the marrow. Trans people are confronted with a very closed idea of what it means to be male or female, and no other option is even considered.”
Yuno Gsai. 26 years old. From Aguascalientes
Pronouns: she/her
“I feel insecure to be in society and with the people I’m surrounded by. The same goes for my family and I. On the street, at school, at home, everywhere, sometimes just by being out in the world at all.”
“Not only because of my trans-ness do I feel I clash with the prevailing culture in Mexico, but also because I am the way I am—anarchic, nihilistic—so it always clashes with society. We live in a society where what is different is treated like shit because it is not in sync with others.”
“I don't have an ideal future, or at least I won't see or experience it.”