Looking for human rights advocates?Brazilian students are there!
–––
Maria Muniz, a 17-year-old student in Rio de Janeiro wore a skirt to school, which is typically not a problem, except that Maria is transgendered. According to her school’s dress code, a “male” student cannot wear a skirt. Maria was fined by school officials for the infraction, and forced to change in to trousers, which illustrates established ideas about gender and masculinity in the region.
Brazil is especially violent for trans*people, with 95 murdered between November 2012-November 2013. This brings reported trans* killings to 0.49 per million inhabitants, according to the TVT Project, a human rights research project focusing on transphobia.
Statistics aside, is Brazil doomed to be an unsafe place for people who don’t fit neatly in to gender boxes?
Maria doesn’t think so, and neither do her classmates, as demonstrated when approximately 15 boys bravely wore skirts to school after the incident to stand in solidarity with her.
In identifying with the victim of discriminatory policies, they found a way to lampoon and underscore their disapproval of the rule. Their skirted protest garnered international attention, which has led to a reevaluation of the school’s policies. The school issued a statement that as an institution, they are against any kind of prejudice, and are seeking input from students to overhaul the Student Code of Ethics.
Although a small step, such vision and courage to re-tool accepted norms may make life a little safer for the Maria’s of the world.
Join Our Mailing List |