Ana Almeida and Marco Bolaños, both linked to the Transgender Project, carry bags with pasta, rice, grains, tuna, oil and sausages in the trunk of their vehicle; face shields; the hand soaps and dog food that they will then deliver to two groups of transsexuals who live as if they were two large families, although they do not have any degree of affiliation. "Trans people live together as in cells, they live together, cook together, they are alternative families," explains Ana when she arrives at the first home, in La Tola, downtown Quito.
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Until before the pandemic, these street sisters lived off sex work or what they earned in a hairdresser. Their daily income fluctuated between 25 and 40 euros, but they did not work every day. Ana, 48, and Marco, 40, have known them for 18 years, when they were part of a small “patrol” of human rights defenders that made night tours to combat police abuse against trans sex workers and promoted the associationism.
The call from Johana La Diva , leader of a sex work zone in La Mariscal, north of Quito, activated the patrol during the pandemic. “We need help, we can't go out to work and we are starving,” he told Ana over the phone. The first assistance came from the pocket of this activist. “With my money I went to the supermarket and I went to leave them some food. Then, on Facebook, it all came ”. The initiative was registered on the social network as Puente Solidario and so far they have distributed a ton and a half of food, 200 cleaning kits and almost 15,000 euros in cash that were delivered by an NGO.
This Friday's visit to the La Tola neighborhood has been previously agreed by phone, so a message to the cell phone of one of the transsexuals is enough for everyone to go out to the street and form a line, with the two meters of distance that the new times demand . They all wear masks and the tight dresses they used to wear for street work. A couple of the girls' neighbors also get in line and also receive a bag of food. “We cannot deny them help,” says Ana.
Ana and Marco dedicate two or three afternoons a week to deliver the aid, but in total there are six people behind this solidarity crusade; Some collect money, others buy food and make kits , and others deliver them to their homes. A key person is Pamela Torrealba, a Venezuelan trans, who offered to do the shopping, using her experience as a migrant. “I visit three supermarket chains, I mostly look for promotions. This is how migrants are, the money has to pay us to buy as much food as possible ”.
We need help, we can't go out to work and we're starving
Johana La Diva, sex worker in Quito
With about 80 euros they put together 20 food packages that include carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Sometimes they make some for the Venezuelan and Colombian population that include flour to make arepas. “We do it out of pure activism, there is no one to pay us, with the same donation we make for gasoline. We like to be able to be supportive in these times ”, says Ana.
Most of the donations were from people who were linked to the Transgender project. 1,800 euros were received and the largest contribution was about 180 euros and it was made by a girl from the United States. Then there were shipments from eight euros that arrived from Quito, Guayaquil and Cuenca, the three most populated cities in Ecuador.
At first, the assistance was only for transsexuals, but it was extended to other groups that also engage in sex work in Quito, which is not allowed, but is tolerated. There are more than 700 people in this union in the Ecuadorian capital, according to the Union of Sex Workers of Quito, which was born in 2019 and seeks the legalization of its activity. Most of them work in the streets and parks of the city, and with the strict confinement measures they could not continue with their activity.
Mónica Colobón, 39, is a representative of an organization of sex workers in the center of the city that has existed for five years. Use the term "difficult" to define your situation during the pandemic. “We are all heads of households. I, for example, support my four children and two grandchildren. There are also elderly women, in my organization I have five over 70 years old, one is blind and so she had to go out to see who gave her food ”.
More than half of its 60 members were included in the list of beneficiaries of the 100-euro vouchers that CARE gave, through the Transgender project. None of them had qualified for the state aid that occurred during the pandemic. "Sex workers do not apply for the State bond, they always deny us, or tell us that they are going to call us and nothing," says Mónica.
There are more than 700 sex workers in Quito. Most of them carry out their activity in streets and parks, and with the confinement measures they could not continue
The Quito City Council gave them doses of food on two occasions, but the sex workers had to go to collect it, stand in line for several hours and, in some cases, wait until the press registered the donation. The first package included a can of sardine, a half pound of noodle, a chickpea cover, a powdered milk and a jelly; the second had a roll of toilet paper, a bottle of milk, a jelly and a pound of rice.
Men who engage in sex work have also had a difficult situation during the quarantine. Members of Goover, a sex workers' association that has existed for 14 years, began exchanging messages of concern after two weeks of confinement. “We were wondering 'what is happening to you? Do you have a contract? ' None had the tickets from before. We work using hotels, but these no longer worked, and that was a problem. The rent became a headache for everyone, months accumulated, ”says the association's spokesperson, a 36-year-old Venezuelan, who asks to hide his name.
Twenty of the 50 active Goover members were included in the CARE bond list and also received food baskets from the Prefecture of Pichincha, with fruits and vegetables, which lasted two weeks. Apart from this aid, a businessman donated bananas and food, and a regular client of the Venezuelan spokesman helped them with mobilization to take the donations to the boys.
The income of these men before the pandemic fluctuated between 200 and 400 euros. It may sound like a lot, but you have to take into account the family responsibilities they have. When they are not children or grandchildren, there are parents, siblings and partners. In addition, with that money they must pay their health bills, which is often resented.
Ana y Marco's second stop is in the south of Quito, in the La Santiago neighborhood, located on one of the city's slopes. Trans women still go out with their masks to receive the bags of food and other items. As there is no other delivery to do, there is time for a little talk. Laisa, 31, tells Ana that an acquaintance died of covid-19. She does not know where she was infected, but she assures that she was already weak from before, since she suffered from pneumonia. "It is that we are very exposed, we always work at night."
Before leaving, they take a picture with the trans to post on Facebook and continue appealing for solidarity. “With 100 dollars [80 euros] we can feed 20 people,” Ana insists. Later on they will start making videos with recipes for people who are HIV-positive, which is another point that they cannot ignore. "30% of sex workers have HIV and need a special diet," says the activist. "Finally, this tries to help generic sex diversities that are outside of official aid."
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