Daniela Castro, of the Association for Equal Rights in Argentina, spoke at the 2007 International Conference on HIV-AIDS in Latin America and the Caribbean of the difficulties of being both a transvestite and a sex worker. More

Travesti, transsexual and transgender sex workers began organizing in Argentina after more than 25 of their colleagues were assassinated in the city of Mar del Plata. "When night came, we were scared to be the next one killed. We had no solidarity amongst us, we fell into treating each other the way every one else treats us: We would look the other way, turn away from our colleagues. We started the process of trying raising a little bit each others’ consciousnesses. And it helped."

Daniela explained that to be close trans colleagues who live with HIV, who were being abandoned in hospital corridors, trans sex workers became volunteers with the health services. Today, they are a part of a union, the Central of Argentine Workers.

Translated From Red Tra Sex Boletin 2007. www.redtrasex.org.ar