‘I want him to understand that what he did is a crime’

Since he was farewell at the end of March by the owner of the Maria Vitória theater -where he had started working as a dressing room assistant -for being a 26 -year -old Trans Redi woman, she was wondering whether or not to file a complaint against Helder Costa. “What was making me stand behind is that I don’t want to hurt anyone who works there: dancers, actors, technicians, etc. It is already a precarious job and I did not want to be taking people’s livelihoods. Even when they talked to defend me last week, he always worried that he could go wrong to their side. No one there has done me anything wrong beyond Mr. Costa, ”he says to the sunrise.

But then he thought,  » He has the opinions he has, did what he did, and still will be laughing? ‘ I don’t want. At least I want he understands that what he did is a crime and now being changing the speech, does not change to anything that happened, ”he says. On social networks have multiplied the positions in defense of also director, actor and playwright.

«I liked to do justice. Because if we do nothing, we seem to leave the door open for people to continue to have this kind of behaviors, ”continues the young woman who reveals to have therapy. “This has affected me in a way that many people don’t understand. I am more discouraged, I am very bad with myself, I feel very undervalued. And what is happening on social networks doesn’t help. I try not to read, but it is impossible. There have been many people from the artistic environment to protect the Lord, but it seems that they did not read last week’s play, or if they read, do not believe, ”he laments. It is recalled that gender dysphoria is defined as a condition in which there is mental suffering associated with the incongruity between the genre experienced by the person and the sex attributed to the birth.

Therefore, he turned to Opus Diversity that has already begun to help with the process. Opus Diversity (previously known as Opus Gay, and officially registered as Gay Association) is a Private Social Solidarity Institution (IPSS) and non-profit organization (NGO), recognized as a legal person of public utility. Its mission is to defend human rights with special incidence in sexual and ethnic minorities and eradicate the LGBTQia+ stigma with particular focus on the senior population.

On Tuesday he had his first meeting with the president of the board, Hélder Bértolo. « They made available a social worker to help me get work and a lawyer to accompany me in this process, » he said. According to the president of the institution, Iris will have all the support at the psychological, social and legal level. «I’ve had a meeting with a work lawyer to analyze this situation. This is all very recent. We met with the iris and talked to the lawyer this week. Now we need to analyze all the evidence that exists, all the testimonies, there are several people who have witnessed things, ”he details, ensuring that they will clearly advance with a complaint to the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality (CIG) and the Authority for Working Conditions (ACT). Then legal procedures will follow the strategy that the lawyer thinks is more convenient. “There may be several strategies… The most immediate is a complaint to the authorities who are competent to judge and instruct investigation processes regarding discrimination for CIG and ACT. This one will follow, ”he reinforces.

«Regarding a complaint against those who discriminated, it will possibly be made with the prosecutor. This is an analysis that is being done, ”he reveals.

According to Helder Bértolo, every day comes to the institution stories like this. “For a long time sexual orientation and gender identity were considered a crime. Being homosexual in Portugal was a crime until 1982 and there are still about 70 countries around the world that criminalize it, ”he laments. “In addition, for many people, sexual guidelines and gender identity -which are not right or cis -are still considered diseases, although the World Health Organization has ceased to consider it in 1990. In populations that have a great religious influence -whether Catholic, Islamic and Jewish -there is also the idea of ​​sin. This stigma is very complicated. Although there are people who say things are different and we already have all the rights, this is not true, ”he says.

The president of the institution shares also that the team follows many people in a shelter situation and, the representation of the LGBTQIA+ population in these conditions, is around 30%, « which is clearly a sub -representation ». “This has to do precisely with this instability: people who are expelled from home because the family does not accept, people who are dismissed due to their gender orientation or identity… So, unfortunately, it does not amaze what happened to Iris. The fact that it does not astonish me does not mean that it is legal. It is not! »He reinforces. “No one can be discriminated against, our constitution tells us that. Regarding the Labor Code, Articles 25 and 26 say that, ”he continues.

According to Helder Bértolo, then there are questions that have to do with ignorance. ‘The use of the dead name:’ I do not recognize her as a woman ‘. There is no recognition or not recognizing. There are those who think people change gender on the citizen card… they don’t change. People change gender on the birth certificate. The law prohibits that in the birth seat is mentioned to a previous name or genre. Iris is a woman, end point! ”He exalts.

“She revealed that she was a trans woman, is in her right. But I didn’t have to do it. It is not up to Mr. Hélder or anyone else to go against the Portuguese State. It is the name that is in the record, ”he adds, noting that » trans people suffer every day on their skin a level of discrimination that most of us could not stand.  » And leaves an appeal: “Don’t give up, don’t shut up. Fight for your rights, look for associations that are prepared to defend them. The worst you can do is give up the right to live.