Feminism should be inclusive. But in Haiti, where we live, it often isn’t. Haitian trans women, in particular, face multiple threats daily from Haiti’s patriarchal society, Lulu, an activist and spokesperson for Kay Trans, a refuge for trans people in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, told us.
Haitian women’s groups are mobilising to confront patriarchal systems, to organise feminist movements in the country, to fight for change. It is a sad fact, however, that some voices are left out or sometimes even hatefully or shamefully silenced, excluding them from claiming their rights and participating within these movements and within society.
“Trans NGOs have never been invited to any organised [feminist] activity. The services and information on GBV [gender-based violence] that are offered have no definition, vocabulary or clear interest in women like me,” Semi, a trans activist from the town of Petit-Goave in southern Haiti, told us.
