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What happens when trans people take to the streets and connect with others, especially in a very traditional society like Bolivia?
Tam is a 23-year-old nonbinary dancer from Bolivia, living in Buenos Aires. This is the story about Tam’s return home for the first time since transitioning during the lockdown.
We invite you on this journey out and about the streets of Cochabamba, where we challenge gender stereotypes or simply wait and see what happens.
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Tam says, “Trans nonbinary people exist in Bolivia, South America, and the whole wide world. There isn’t just one way of being nonbinary; we are all unique, just like human beings. This is me.”
"Showing love on the streets shouldn’t be a problem in my ideal world, but it still is.” Tam kisses their polyamorous partner Widad in the market. Some people were curious, others were mad and told them that God would judge them. Image by Irina Werning. Bolivia, 2022.
43% of Bolivians believe that homosexuality should be accepted by society, while 49% believe it should not.
NONMEDICAL OR SOCIAL TRANSITIONING
The trans umbrella holds space for many different gender identities and expressions. Gender is self-determined, and transitioning can be different for each trans individual. Tam transitioned without medical procedures, such as hormones or surgery. A person may socially transition by changing their name, modifying their appearance (hair, clothes, etc.), or asking people to use pronouns that match their gender identity.
Tam poses at the market where traditional dresses are sold. How a person expresses their gender is personal, and social transitioning does not mean that a person must conform to gender roles and expectations. Image by Irina Werning. Bolivia, 2022. Tam poses next to a local bus. Being away from home is hard, but Buenos Aires, like most large cities, is easier for trans people. Image by Irina Werning. Bolivia, 2022.
GENDER IDENTITY
Nonbinary is an intensely wide spectrum that boasts of creativity and diversity. The fashion of nonbinary is personal.
Tam poses next to mannequins on the streets of Cochabamba. Nonbinary is an intensely wide spectrum that boasts of creativity and diversity. It's not only about representing a group that doesn’t conform to any gender—it's about escaping a box of social confines of how a nonbinary person can present themselves. Image by Irina Werning. Bolivia, 2022.
How a person expresses their gender is personal, and social transitioning does not mean that a person must conform to gender roles and expectations.
Sometimes a big city like Buenos Aires is an ideal place to transition and explore new things. “Living away from home gave me the space to embrace those changes as they came, figure out how I wanted to present, and not worry about who I saw from high school at the local grocery store when I was trying out something new,” Tam said. Image by Irina Werning. Bolivia, 2022. Tam stretches on top of a statue of a woman in Cochabamba. Image by Irina Werning. Bolivia, 2022. Bolivia has a rich history and was founded on the idea of respecting its ancient cultural traditions. As the country developed, it has been difficult to stray away from traditional values that place importance on strict gender roles. Image by Irina Werning. Bolivia, 2022.
GENDER STEREOTYPES
Bolivia has a rich history and emerged on the idea of respecting its ancient cultural traditions. The patriarchal ideologies that Bolivia originated with have silenced women and LGBTQ people for centuries.
Gender stereotypes are still a standard in regards to women's roles and decisions inside and outside of the home in Bolivia. Image by Irina Werning. Bolivia, 2022. Children in Bolivia are brought up in a very binary society, where gender stereotypes and gender roles are shaped and social status expectations are learned. Male children are encouraged to be autonomous, dominant, and controlling, and are expected to hold positions of power at all levels of society. Female children are expected to be understanding, obedient, and submissive. Image by Irina Werning. Bolivia, 2022. Tam eats with a stranger at the market. A 2013 Pew Research Center opinion survey showed that 43% of Bolivians believed that homosexuality should be accepted by society, while 49% believed it should not. Image by Irina Werning. Bolivia, 2022.
COMING OUT
Tam’s family accepts them but does not always remember to speak using the pronouns with which Tam would like to be addressed. Image by Irina Werning. Bolivia, 2022.
Tam’s family accepts their gender identity but sometimes fails to address Tam using their desired pronouns (they/them). Tam likes to leave little reminders around the house.
Tam’s mother dyes their hair blue. Image by Irina Werning. Bolivia, 2022. Tam is a 23-year-old dancer who has lived in Buenos Aires for the past four years. Tam transitioned in Buenos Aires. Nonmedically transitioning, or social transitioning, means that a person begins living as their gender without medical procedures, such as hormones or gender-affirming surgery. A person may social transition by changing their name or modifying their appearance.
“Living away from home gave me the space to embrace those changes as they came, figure out how I wanted to present, and not worry about who I saw from high school at the local grocery store when I was trying out something new.”
Tam catches up with friends from school. One of their friends joined a skate group that wears polleras as a form of resistance and to promote diversity in a traditional way. Image by Irina Werning. Bolivia, 2022. With social media, it is easy for Tam to meet up with diverse people in their hometown. The bonding is immediate, and they chat about the hardships and the nice parts of being different and free. Image by Irina Werning. Bolivia, 2022. Image by Irina Werning. Bolivia, 2022.
“I always felt upside down growing up in such a traditional society, but I think I’m finding my way around it.”
Women in Latin America wear their hair longer than in most Western countries. This trend can be attributed to its hybrid culture and the combined influence of Indigenous traditions. In Bolivia, long hair represents strength. Image by Irina Werning. Bolivia, 2022. Tam travels to where their grandmother is buried. She died during the pandemic, and Tam was unable to say goodbye. Image by Irina Werning. Bolivia, 2022. Portrait of Tam on the bus. Image by Irina Werning. Bolivia, 2022.
June 23, 2022
