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The Chilean Army incorporated a transsexual person into its ranks for the first time this year, revealed this Friday the Homosexual Liberation Movement (Movilh).
Is about Benjamin Barrera Silva, 26 years old and a native of the city of La Serena (Coquimbo Region), who, after graduating as a nursing technician, began his application in the military career and In a few days – next week – he will graduate as a combat military nurse from the NCO School.
In a press conference held outside the Museum of Military History, where the leader of Movilh also participated, Rolando Jimenez, the young man related that this was a childhood dream: “I do not think I am the first to want to belong to their ranks, but perhaps many do not do so for fear of being discriminated against.”
“As soon as I entered, I told the senior managers everything about my issue of transition and surgeries. So far I have not had any type of discrimination,” said Benjamin.
“I always had the support of my family, grandparents, parents, sisters, uncles, cousins, etc. They always made me feel like another man of the family, especially when I told them that I would start my transition,” he said.
Historical: the Armed Forces admit their ranks to a trans man for the first time, All the information here: https://t.co/wczOtGELTC pic.twitter.com/l16vZgalQe
– Movilh Chile (@Movilh) December 11, 2020
TOWARDS THE ARMY
Always having a military career as a goal, between 2013 and 2016 she studied Nursing Technician at the AIEP Professional Institute of La Serena. Although his family always supported his identity, Benjamin remembers that “At first it was a bit difficult to be able to carry out my professional practice with my identity. At that time I had not rectified my birth certificate and I had to wear a female uniform”.
Weeks later, he recalled, in “my second internship, everything changed. With the help of the coordinator of the AIEP Health Area, Ms. Ingrid, I got them to start calling me by my social name and before finishing my degree, I changed my name and legal sex, thanks to the legal support of the Coquimbo Diversity Office, at that time in charge of Felipe Cerda and Georgina Muñoz. “
After working for two years at the Red Salud Clinic in La Serena, Benjamín moved towards the place where he always wanted to be: he began his application to the military career, without knowing how they would receive him, what they would tell him or what obstacles they would put him. What he was clear about is that he would not hide that he was a trans person and that he would defend his right to be treated in a manner consistent with his gender identity.
“As soon as I entered the NCO School I told the senior commanders everything. I wanted to enter with the truth. I discussed it with Captain Alex Toledo, my NCO Leon and corporals of the company. Perhaps I told it with the intention of preventing some kind of discrimination from my comrades, but these they reacted in a very respectful way “, he narrated.
He added that the issue, with his consent, “was approached with the full course. They pointed out to me that I deserved the same respect as everyone else, they supported me and I have been treated equally. “
“Next week I am titled as a military combat nurse corporal, which will be a great achievement for me, especially since I am a trans person,” he stressed.
Benjamin emphasized that he made his reality public “for the simple fact that it was a struggle and that it had good results after going through various psychological and physical medical processes. I want it to be known that I am not the only trans who likes the Army and I want to give a boost to the fight that Movilh gives for trans rights“.
“Getting here without prejudice and with the aim of normalizing this so that later on, more people with the same characteristics that one can succeed in the Armed Forces is one of my goals,” he concluded.
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