Chilean Transgenders Find Acceptance And Family Working In Circus

More often than not, the transgender community around the world finds it hard to get acceptance in society and in many different professions. Things are no different in Chile, where life is difficult for homosexuals and transgenders alike. While there are facilities for transgendered individuals, there is an inherent paradox involved when implementing these benefits in the form of a law. For instance, in May 2012, the Chilean Health Minister Jaime Mañalich announced that the nation would be offering sex-reassignment surgery in public hospitals under the country's public health plan. The groundbreaking announcement also revealed that the cost would be contingent upon individual patient income and benefits include: psychiatric therapy, endocrinology, and surgery. And while the country has taken a very progressive and liberal step in proving benefits for the transgender community, there is no law in the government that allows for legal name and sex reassignment for them.

But the transgender community in Chile, amidst all the obstacles and hate crimes, have found themselves a home and a community where they can find acceptance via the circus. It's easy to raise an eyebrow at the notion of transgender individuals resorting to a career in the circus and wonder if their participation hinders their cause, but in the end, it provides them with something they wouldn't otherwise have: a community. While it's called a circus, the program is more of a vaudeville show where the participants can tour, keep discrimination at bay and earn a living. Most of the performers earn anywhere from $125 to $240 a month, which is lower than Chilean minimum wage, but the dancers reveal they don't mind the low pay since the job is enjoyable. "It's the only work I have. Elsewhere they don't give me work because I am a homosexual," said 34-year-old Sasha to the Associated Press.

That said, it's not all peaches and roses, as the transgender performers are often mocked and are the victims of violent attacks. "The verbal aggressions and attacks continue, even after the passing of the anti-discrimination law," said Vero, 40, who is one of the founding members of the circus show called "Fama." The South American country has a long way to go in terms of equal rights for homosexuals and transgenders, as it only decriminalized gay sex in 1999. And it's not just the laws that need to change--the mindset of the people has to change as well. Chilean headlines still make way for brutal hate crimes against homosexuals and transgenders. At the same time, 2013 has proven to be a groundbreaking year in transgender rights as Valentina Verbal ran for Chilean Congress.