The express trans policy Victoria Obando Valverde He will get married on June 25, in Guatemala, a country where he has been in exile since June 21, 2021, amid the wave of arrests of opponents prior to the presidential voting of Daniel Ortega.
In interview with Article 66Obando said that as an activist and human rights defender “I fell in love with a trans man, Christian Ibanez. Being a trans woman and in love we decided to get married.
Related news: Political prisoner Victoria Obando recounts the abuses she suffers within “La Modelo”
It should be noted that the fiancé of the Nicaraguan opponent is also an activist and human rights defender and works from the executive direction of the Metamorfosis collective, which helps trans men.
«We will do it precisely in the celebration of Gay Pride Day here in Guatemala. We know here it is June 28 all over the world, but due to scheduling conditions we have to celebrate it on Saturday the 25th, in a big way », he explained.
The marriage ceremony between Obando and Ibáñez will take place in front of the National Palace, after the gay diversity parade. “Due to the pandemic, we have had three years in which we did not go out to march, we did not go out to make an appearance and tell the population and society and the government of Guatemala that we are here, we exist and we demand recognition,” said the exrea of awareness.
She stressed that since there is no gender identity law in Guatemala that allows them to change their names and also their sex, she and her fiancé decided not only to make marriage vows, but also to send a message to the Guatemalan government “that if we don’t they pass a law, we are always going to find options and alternatives to enforce our rights».
On the other hand, the human rights defender reported that in Guatemala there is the initiative of Law 5940 on gender identity disorder, “which is justified as an obviously discriminatory measure to prohibit the dissemination of information on transgender identity, sexual education and It comes to inhibit and limit the sexual rights and reproductive rights of girls, adolescents and young people.
Regarding the acceptance of his family and the support of friends, Obando said with a laugh that his relatives still do not know, “but my friends would love to be part of this but it is not so easy to move from one country to another and less in a context of exile, but they are happy because it will be a historic event, because I found a man who loves me and I love him and we are also making a civic act of protest to the government for the love that we love each other as a couple.
Recognition for his work in defense of human rights
The released political prisoner is a trans activist from Blufileño, university student, winner of the Tulipán prize for Central American Human Rights, awarded by the Government of the Netherlands.
The award was received on December 5, 2019 in Costa Rica by the ambassador of the Netherlands, Peter Peter-Derrek Hof, who highlighted his commitment and courage in favor of justice.
Victoria Obando, or “Vicky”, as her colleagues and friends affectionately call her, decided to join the fight against Daniel Ortega’s regime. She was entrenched in the Autonomous University of Nicaragua (UNAN-Managua) since the crisis began in April 2018 and was imprisoned in August of that same year and was finally released in June 2019 through the controversial Amnesty Law, approved by the dictatorship.
Related news: Human Rights Tulip Award given to activist Victoria Obando
During her incarceration, the student recounted the abuses she faced on a daily basis and the disrespect for physical and psychological integrity she received in the La Modelo Penitentiary System, because the authorities did not want to transfer her to the women’s prison.
The prison guards undressed her in front of the rest of the prisoners so that they would make fun of her. She is currently part of thousands of opponents who live in forced exile.
