For Transgender People in the Caribbean, Stigma and Discrimination Can Be Lethal
But one human rights organization is making a difference in the face of rising public hostility
When HIV-positive transgender activist Nairovi Castillo goes to her local clinic in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, she’s insulted, misgendered, or ignored by everyone from the doorman to the receptionist to the doctors. “Nobody is asking what your situation is, what medications you’re taking, or if you have any allergies,” she says. “The staff won’t look at you, and they’re afraid to talk to you.”
Nobody needs to tell Castillo that stigma and discrimination can be lethal for LGBT people. As the director of COTRAVETD, an organization that works with trans sex workers in the Dominican Republic, Castillo has seen firsthand the damage it can wreak, especially for people living with HIV. She knows of four trans women who died of HIV this year alone. “We had to bring the last woman who died to the hospital ourselves, because when we called 911, emergency services refused to enter her house and bring her to the hospital by ambulance because she was trans,” she says. “When we finally got her to the hospital, she died from lack of treatment.”
