The Word on Women - Transgender Rights in Ecuador: A Legal, Spatial, Political and Cultural Acquittal
http://www.trust.org/trustlaw/blogs/the-word-on-women/transgender-rights-in-ecuador-a-legal-spatial-political-and-cultural-acquittal1/4/13
By AWID Friday Files
The success of the legal component of Proyecto Transgenero's work is evidenced in the changes made to Ecuadorian laws over the past decade, many of which are a direct result of interventions by Proyecto Transgenero and translate as victories for every-day rights most people take for granted. For example, hate crimes on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity are now classified as an aggravated form of criminal offence.
In 2008 the New Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador was approved. Vasquez worked as an advisor with a Member of the Constituent Assembly (CA) and as a result the Constitution guarantees equality before the law without discrimination on the basis of gender identity. Vasquez says "equality claims in different areas in which trans citizens have felt at disadvantage have been filed ever since. For example, an adolescent trans girl filed a claim against a military school for not letting her to go to school in female military attire and the school had to comply.
