Disrupting the cis-tem - 16th December 2022

Shane Cienfuegos has made history, becoming the proud owner of Chile's first gender neutral ID. The non-binary transgender writer and activist challenged the law for 9 years before the courts granted them an ID with an 'X', indicating non-binary, rather than 'F' for female or 'M' for male.

Since Chile legally recognises only two genders, male and female, Cienfuegos's victory is merely the first hurdle in achieving gender equality for non-binary people. Anyone hoping to obtain a gender-neutral national ID card will be confronted by the same obstacles.

Cienfuegos remains resolute about building an inclusive society.

Shane Cienfuegos: "Non-binarism, trans-feminism is a way of understanding society so that it is much freer, so we can advance to a state of law, to a state of well-being where regardless of how we see ourselves, or how we feel, we can be part of something as beautiful as society."

Campaigning for non-binary rights, Cienfuegos has endured multiple violent attacks, having already suffered constant bullying in their youth.

Cienfuegos recently published an account of their experiences as an activist, including these ordeals.

Shane Cienfuegos: "I have survived, I have made myself tough, to survive a cruel, dehumanising system that only wants to leave us on the streets, and it is good that now we are in all spaces (all sectors of society)."

Freeing itself from the legacy of Pinochet's strict conservative dictatorship and the cultural dominance of the Catholic church, Chile's recently enacted legalisation allowing same sex marriages, and gay couples now have adoption rights.

Notwithstanding this new legislation and the passing of an anti-discrimination act in 2012, anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination remains, with 1,114 reported instances in 2021 alone. Trans people count as the most vulnerable, evidenced by the community's higher than average mortality rate. The main cause of trans deaths is murder, with stigma also contributing to higher suicide rates.

The struggles of the trans community are keenly felt, says Marcela Cortes.

Marcela Cortes: "Trans people in this country are not seen. There are few trans people that reach this age, most of them die very young. My friends, my colleagues, have died young. We go through a daily struggle, bad health, there is still discrimination, homophobia, that hasn't ended in this country. We are not seen by the government."