- Lesbiradas
Lesbiradas is the only public lesbian rights organization in
Guatemala . Lesbiradas works towards gaininghuman rights forlesbians , bisexual women and transgender people. It is run out of Guatemala City and currently has five central organizers.Claudia Acevedo is the co-founder and spokeswoman of Lesbiradas.Lesbiradads is a play on the Spanish words for 'liberated lesbians' -"lesbianas liberadas". The organization was originally called Lesberadads, but was changed to Lesbiradas at the request of bisexual women.
Direct Action
Lesbiradads works for government reform addressing violence and discrimination against lesbians,
femicide , rape, torture and mutilation of women in Guatemala, and violence against women.The organisation also attempts to educate the public toward the recognition and acceptance of non-heterosexualities, which is difficult in a country that doesn't discuss sexuality.
Lesbiradas also creates support groups and dialog between lesbians, bisexual women and
transgender people, for support, referrals and community-building. Many of those served have been rejected or abused by their families due to theirgender ,sexual orientation andgender identity .Affiliations
Most of Lesbiradas affiliations are with other feminist and women's rights organizations. Linking with male gay rights groups has been difficult. Acevedo attributes this to the unique intersection of gender and
LGBT issues in Guatemala. Relationships with theCatholic Church and Indigenous movements have similarly been very difficult.External links
www.lesbiradas.blogspot.com
* [http://www.thegully.com/essays/gaymundo/030624_transcript_acevedo.html Interview with Claudia Acevedo in "The Gully"]
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