Trans people win right to change name and gender in Bolivia
The policy was announced by the country’s justice minister last week.
Transgender people in Bolivia will soon be able to legally change their name, sex and gender, Bolivia’s justice minister has announced.
Virginia Velasco Condori unveiled the new policy last Wednesday, meaning trans Bolivians will soon be able to register legal documentations using their new identities.
In a statement regarding the change. Condori said that people who wan to alter their name and sex on official identity documents must apply to the Ministry of Justice, where a “psychological examination will be held to approve the process.”
The move – which was first suggested over three years ago – is being seen as a huge victory for the trans community of the country, who have faced increased discrimination in recent months.
A recent survey carried out in the country found that their have been 55 LGBT related killings recorded in Bolivia – with a fifth of them being trans related.
The results of the survey – conducted by LGBT rights group ADESPROC Libertad – also found the 80% of those who took part felt that they had received physical or verbal abuse from Bolivian authorities.
Earlier this month, the President of Bolivia was forced to apologise after suggesting that his health minister might be a lesbian.
Evo Morales made the apology after attempting at a joke at the expense of his health minister.
Addressing Ariana Campero, he said: “I don’t want to think you’re a lesbian.”
According to AFP, he made the comment after seeing her speak to another woman whilst he was making a speech.
In a statement, the president said it was not his “intention to offend anyone.”
Having described himself as a “feminist” in the past, he defended himself against criticism.
He did so by saying: “Calling someone lesbian or gay is not an insult.
However, this was not the first time Morales has been accused of homophobia.
In 2010, he was forced to apologise after he suggested men eating chickens injected with female hormones would turn them gay.
