Although the Organic Labor Law, better known as LOT, explicitly prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, reliable records of such acts are certainly scarce. A 2015 report published by the NGO Provea about the human rights situation for Venezuela’s LGBT community emphasizes that violence, abuse, and unjust firings against this demographic are frequent in the South American nation.
No effective mechanisms are in place to denounce such situations, and victims fear losing their jobs or facing additional consequences without any guarantee that the employer, the supervisor, or the company in question will face punishment, morally or economically (Ley Orgánica del Trabajo, los Trabajadores y las Trabajadoras, 2012; Provea, 2015; Diverlex, 2011).
As far as labor rights are concerned, national and international public opinion typically does not recognize Venezuela as one of the worst places in the world for the LGBT community, nor is it considered one of the best. However, when we take a closer look based on tangible, concrete, and objective data, we find we may be underestimating labor rights violations, especially for the transgender community.
Meanwhile, even countries like Russia legally recognize trans people and issue government documents consistent with their gender identity (although Russian officials are revising this policy), the Venezuelan system neglects this right, which poses implications beyond the formal labor market. Owing to the difficulty of carrying an official document, even to buy food, members of the LGBT community, grocery stores, supermarkets, and pharmacies often turn them away. This also affects the right to free transit as security guards detain them and examine their documents (Roache, 2020; Fundación Reflejos de Venezuela, 2016; Berkhead & Gershkovich, 2020).
According to Quiteria Franco (2017), the National Assembly modified article 146 of the Organic Law of Civil Registry in 2009, which would allow trans people to change their names. On July 31 of that same year, Deputy Iris Varela officially declared that they could change their names once this amendment took effect. Despite these formalities, no trans people have yet to successfully make the necessary changes to their ID documents corresponding to their name changes.
Lockdown restrictions in the wake of COVID-19 have made the situation even more complicated. According to Giovanni Piermattei, LGBT activist and director of the NGO ‘Venezuela Igualitaria,’ trans women, who are forced to work in precarious conditions in commercial establishments where sexual services are offered, now face greater risks. It is believed that increases in poverty due to the quarantine has led to a rise in the number of trans people engaging in sex work (Venezuela Igualitaria, 2020).
The official and authoritative position of the main political parties and relevant members of Venezuelan organized civil society is that there are more important issues. Thus, the human rights of those who are often deprived of the possibility of even buying food are often ignored. In other words, political-partisan agendas take precedence over recognizing the most basic and elemental human rights. Voice of America’s Fabiana Rondón (2020) notes that LGBT rights in Venezuela are not a priority at this time, neither for the Maduro administration nor for the Guaidó administration.
In 2017, the World Economic Forum addressed the LGBT rights agenda. At that time, the organization highlighted the benefits of allowing equal marriage and decriminalizing same sex relationships. Failure to align with the project of increasing LGBT community inclusion implies losing the opportunity to attract important investments and can jeopardize a workforce’s productive potential as many talented employees are denied opportunities (Radcliffe, 2016).
Three years later, during the campaign for the 2020 parliamentary elections, even Nicolás Maduro recognized the need to address the issue LGBT rights beyond the complicated relationship his party has had with this issue. But it is a step that could be well received by relevant economic groups worldwide. For instance, the LGBT Foundation has reported that if the “pink economy” were a country, it would have a GDP of around 4.6 trillion dollars (Méndez, 2020; Khandelwal, 2018).
Every human being has the right to a decent life, regardless of creed, skin color, ideology, religion, ethnic origin, name, or any other factor. Current legislation in Venezuela violates the trans community’s most basic rights. Likewise, the country’s social, cultural, economic, and political crises have further complicated the situation, for which the times of COVID-19 have certainly not helped. The silence of the domestic and international media has made the battle harder and rendered the transgender community invisible.
Hillcrest Rainbow Flag flickr photo by Tony Webster shared under a Creative Commons (BY) license
References:
Acción Solidaria. (2016). Derechos para personas trans: Venezuela es uno de los países más atrasados de la región. www.accionsolidaria.info/website/derechos-para-personas-trans-venezuela-es-uno-de-los-paises-mas-atrasados-de-la-region/
Berkhead, S., & Gershkovich, E. (2020, September 3). A new Russian law could ban trans people from officially changing their gender. The Moscow Times. www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/09/03/a-new-russian-law-could-ban-trans-people-from-officially-changing-their-gender-a71217
Diverlex. (2011). Informe sobre la República Bolivariana de Venezuela. http://lib.ohchr.org/HRBodies/UPR/Documents/session12/VE/Diverlex-spa.pdf
Franco, Q. (2017). Acompañemos a las personas trans en Venezuela a exigir su derecho a la identidad. Amnistía Internacional. www.amnistia.org/ve/blog/2017/05/2678/acompanemos-a-las-personas-trans-en-venezuela-a-exigir-su-derecho-a-la-identidad
Fundación Reflejos de Venezuela. (2016). A transexuales en Venezuela se les niega hasta la posibilidad de comprar comida. www.fundacionreflejosdevenezuela.com/transpas/transexuales-venezuela-se-les-niega-la-posibilidad-comprar-comida/
Khandelwal, D. (2018, May 27). The power of pink: How LGBTQ community could add to our economy. DNA India. www.dnaindia.com/just-before-monday/report-the-power-of-pink-how-lgbtq-community-could-add-to-our-economy-2619082
Ley Orgánica del Trabajo, los Trabajadores y las Trabajadoras. (2012, May 7). Gaceta Oficial №6076.
Méndez, L. (2020, October 23). Nicolás Maduro: “Dejaré la tarea del matrimonio igualitario a la próxima Asamblea Nacional” France 24. www.france24.com/es/américa-latina/20201023-nicolás-maduro-dejaré-la-tarea-del-matrimonio-igualitario-a-la-próxima-asamblea-nacional
Provea. (2015). La discriminación y la impunidad no son iguales ante la ley. www.derechos.org.ve/pw/wp-content/uploads/Informe-situacion-de-los-DDHH-de-personas-LGBTI-en-Venezuela-CIDH-marzo-2015.pdf
Radcliffe, C. (2016). The real cost of LGBT discrimination. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/the-real-cost-of-lgbt-discrimination/
Roache, M. (2020, December 2). Russian activists just won an important battle over LGBTQ rights. But the war Is far from over. Time. http://time.com/5915828/russia-lgbtq-victory/
Rondón, F. (2020, June 28). En Venezuela no existen derechos para la comunidad LGBT. Voice of America. www.voanoticias.com/venezuela/en-venezuela-no-existen-derechos-para-la-comunidad-lgbt Venezuela Igualitaria. [@VE_Igualitaria]. (2020, August 20). La situación de nuestras mujeres trans en cuarentena por COVID-19 debe ser una alarma sobre los riesgos que enfrentan quienes en su mayoría, sin apoyo familiar, acceso a educación ni políticas públicas que garanticen su ingreso al mercado laboral, son obligadas al trabajo sexual. [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/VE_Igualitaria/status/1296432242949074945?s=20