On the occasion of Pride Month, franceinfo interviewed lesbian, gay, queer, transgender, intersex or non-binary people. They tell of the difficulties they face even as their rights advance in their country.
For some, liberating progress thanks to groundbreaking laws. Worrying setbacks for others due to restrictive measures. Marching through the streets of Paris on Saturday June 24th, franceinfo gives a voice to lesbian, gay, queer, transgender, intersex or non-binary people living in Asia, Africa, America or Europe during the Pride March. They report on their ongoing fight for equal rights for LGBTQIA+ citizens and the fragility of their successes.
Steven, 25, gay in Uganda: “I can be sentenced to death”
Steven, a 25-year-old gay man, is threatened by the “anti-homosexuality” law in Uganda. (ASTRID AMADIEU / FRANCEINFO)
“Since the ‘anti-homosexuality’ law was passed at the end of May, I have feared for my life. Because I’m gay and a member of an association defending LGBTQIA+, I could be sentenced to death. On social networks, police catch gays to find them. They explain to the population how they can “recognize” us. Members of my family, people I don’t know, follow me. I received an email the other day from someone who said, “We know something.” Neighborhood where you live. We’ll pick you up.” Someone on Twitter sent me a picture saying they were going to cut me into pieces. I cried a lot and wonder what I did to deserve this.
I had to run and hide. I only go out at night to get some fresh air so my body doesn’t forget what it means to be outside. I don’t know when I’ll see the light of day again. I don’t call my friends because I’m afraid the police might use them to get to me. I don’t use my credit card to avoid leaving a trace. I have some savings that will allow me to survive, but I will soon run out of groceries. I have nothing to do every day. I write poetry on my blog. My favorite is called The Poisonous Seed of Hate. [“La graine vénéneuse de la haine”].
The government, the churches, the media…spread massive amounts of misinformation about homosexuals. They say that we are spreading HIV, that we are pedophiles and that we must go to protect Ugandan culture.
Steven Kabuye
at franceinfo
I thought about running away. I have relatives in the US or UK who could welcome me, but no western country will give me a visa because Uganda is not at war. If you’re black and you’re from Africa, you’re not welcome. I fear many LGBTQIA+ people will commit suicide.”
Lois, 45, a lesbian in Taiwan: “I am a legal stranger to my son”
Lois, a Taiwanese lesbian, fights for legal recognition for her family. (ASTRID AMADIEU / FRANCEINFO)
“I met Cécilia when I was studying in the UK. She is Chinese, I am Taiwanese agreed to donate sperm to us, and Cecilia gave birth to our son Leo in Taiwan. Since same-sex marriage was still not legal in the country, we went to the US to get married.
In 2019, Taiwan legalized marriage for all. It was the first country in Asia to allow this. Taiwan is really a tolerant country towards LGBTQIA+ people. There are many activists fighting for our rights and I have never felt discrimination on a daily basis.
But there is still a long way to go: my wife is only allowed to stay in the country for six months a year and has to apply for a visa to visit me with my son. My transnational marriage to Cecilia is not recognized due to current tensions with China. However, a heterosexual couple between a Taiwanese man and a Chinese woman is legal. It’s discriminatory.
“My family has no official legal status in Taiwan.”
This situation makes our family life very complicated. For my part, I am a legal stranger to my son. I am not recognized as his mother because Cecilia carried him to term and Taiwanese law prohibits me from adopting him. But I’m the one who takes him to school, to the park, who takes care of him… If he’s sick and one of his parents has to sign a document in the hospital, I didn’t allow them to do this. With my partner, we avoid talking to him about it to protect him. But Leo knows he has two mothers.
I’ve written letters to the government, I’ve visited NGOs, but nothing seems to be happening at the moment. I intend to take my case to court. Our love and family have existed for years. You have to recognize that.”
Logan, 24, young trans man in the US: “Having to leave the country is terrible”
Logan, a young American transgender man, is about to leave Florida due to a new spate of anti-transgender measures. (ASTRID AMADIEU / FRANCEINFO)
“That was about a month ago. The night we heard the news, my trans girlfriend and I thought, ‘This is only going to get worse.’ On that day, Florida decided to pass a law requiring trans people to use public restrooms reserved for people of their sex at birth.
Two more laws were passed. One of them stipulates that only physicians can offer gender-equitable care. Our medical center, consisting of nurses, informed us that they could no longer offer us our hormone treatment. I’ve called four doctors who offer this treatment, but they have six-month waiting lists. A second law proposes a conscience clause, allowing caregivers to refuse to care for transgender people if they so choose. That upsets me a lot.
We need $10,000 [environ 9 120 euros] to rebuild our lives in Illinois. My father and his family members live there. We know we will be safe there. Without the online kitty we put in place, we risk it taking more than six months to leave. Six months of fear and worry.
“In this context and in the face of these laws, we are afraid to leave our homes.”
It’s awful to have to leave. All my friends, my mother, my aunt, my grandmother and my cousins are here. My partner has never lived anywhere else. Part of me wants to fight and stay, but I also want to make sure we’re safe. We want to live normal lives.
Nathanaël Lobo, 29, non-binary in Argentina: “My ID card finally says who I am”
Nathanël, a non-binary person in Argentina, has held an ID card recognizing his chosen first name and non-binary status for almost two years. (ASTRID AMADIEU / FRANCEINFO)
“Two years ago, a decree allowed the appearance of ID cards with the suffix “X” for non-binary people. The text allowed me to make this change of marital status and change my name. It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me in my life. I’ve been trying to get my real name out there for 13 years. I was afraid of dying with someone’s name that wasn’t me.
Ever since I was a child, I’ve felt that I don’t fit into male or female role models and stereotypes. They called me Carlos Javier, my father’s name was Juan Carlos. We inherited a first name from the men in our family. Even as a youngster I knew that I didn’t find myself in the legacy of my father, all these traditions and these men. I was someone else From this came the first name Nathanael. I still had to give my official first name and lived that as a lie.
The day I received my new ID card and saw my first name, Nathanaël, I decided to go for a walk. I looked at the document, the people around me and the sun and I laughed with joy.
“I couldn’t stop looking at my map and I felt like I belonged in this world. I think at that time I just stopped existing and started living.”
Nathaniel Lobo
at franceinfo
Electricity, telephony, banks… I’ve contacted all the services to change my identity. In some public services, the procedures were very simple. Less so with other private services… But what makes me happy is that I no longer have to explain my situation. I live this happiness every day, because my identity card finally says who I am.
Nikolett Tyukász, 31, Transgender Woman in Hungary: ‘My Name and Gender Cannot Be Legally Changed’
Nikolett, a transgender woman in Hungary, cannot legally recognize her trans identity or change her first name. (ASTRID AMADIEU / FRANCEINFO)
“I’m 31 years old and came out as transgender a year and a half ago. However, my name and gender cannot be legally changed. In 2020, authorities ruled that it was impossible to change their first name to a person’s first name, adopt the opposite gender, or change their gender on any identification document. Only people who had already started this procedure could continue. For people like me who started doing this after 2020, it’s impossible.
“Every time I have to show my ID to someone, it immediately leads to questions, discomfort. It is exhausting.”
Nikolat Tyukasz
at franceinfo
A policeman has already asked me for my identity card, his gaze oscillates between me and the document. He asked me if it was me. I explained to him that I was a transgender woman and he rolled his eyes.
I recently worked in delivery for two months. Colleagues asked my gender in front of everyone. “I don’t take you for a woman”; “I just call someone by their name on their ID card,” some employees said. It was very stressful and it’s all because of this name and gender change ban.
Such harassment would not be possible with a new ID card. Those people wouldn’t know my old name and my ID would match my looks. It would make transgender people’s lives so much easier.
Magda, young queer person in Egypt: “We don’t believe in our existence”
“I’m demisexual [une personne qui ressent une attirance sexuelle uniquement envers des personnes avec qui elle a noué des liens affectifs forts]and I’m also panromantic [une personne qui peut avoir une relation amoureuse avec quelqu’un, peu importe son sexe ou son genre]. It was amazing realizing that and finding my place. I can’t tell my family about this, but they know I support the queer community. It popped up on social media.
In 2019 I started working for an educational organization. One morning, after two weeks of classes, I was told that I no longer work for the school. The head of the organization merely replied to me in writing that there was logic in this decision. A few months later, a friend who works for the school showed me screenshots of conversations between teachers and principals. I saw screenshots of my social media posts there, such as marriage for all content.
“My former colleagues said it was not safe to leave me with the children and the parents were afraid I would teach them ‘unnatural’ things.”
I was very shocked. At that point I had not found a job for several months. Living in a small town, I’m sure my support for the queer community played a part.
When I started living a double life, things got better. I removed all my friends from my social media accounts, made them private and created a public, more professional account. A complaint to the authorities would have exposed me even more: the law does not protect us because Egyptians do not believe in our existence.
This small incident had a big impact on the way I live my life today. I used to be a very hospitable person and now I feel withdrawn. It’s like I’ve always felt in danger.
Asmi Molina, 63, intersex in Spain: “The state must protect us”
Asmi Molina, an intersex person in Spain, is fighting to end mutilation and non-consensual medical procedures on intersex babies and children. (ASTRID AMADIEU / FRANCEINFO)
“Being born with intersex characteristics shaped a large part of my life. When I was born, I was given a female name and raised female, but a part of me has always been male. There was always this conflict.”
The strongest medical violence began at the age of 16. I spent a month in the hospital because they wanted to examine me. Every day I was undressed, people commented on my body, they touched me. One day the doctors told me they would do a laparoscopy [une intervention chirurgicale sur la cavité abdominale]. In fact, I had my internal sex glands removed. Then I took female hormones to feminize myself and at 18 I asked for a vaginal tightening. In the hospital they never asked me who I really was. So I agreed to conform to this female gender. But never, never would I have thought that I was a woman.
“Being an activist, coming out as an intersex person and explaining it to people… The more I talk, the more it normalizes me. It makes me feel very good.”
Asmi Molina
at franceinfo
I got out five years ago. In a video I told my story about Intersex Awareness Day. I testified in the Basque Parliament and raised the issue with politicians. Along with other activists, I was recently involved in the drafting of the Act on Actual and De facto Equality for Transgender People and Guaranteeing the Rights of LGBTI People. From now on, all child mutilations on intersex people are prohibited in Spain, unless the doctor deems the procedure necessary.
A progress? No, it is not a protection. If the doctor has a binary vision, male or female, the door is open to new mutilations. Our suggestions were ignored. For me there should be no mutilation, period. The state has to protect us.”