Release Year: 2012
Synopsis:
In 2012, Lucas Waldron, a young transgender filmmaker, released La Identidad de Justicia: Mujeres Trans en Cochabamba (The Identity of Justice: Transsexual Women in Cochabamba), a 15-minute documentary that has become a pivotal representation of the lives of transgender women in Bolivia. This powerful documentary examines the intersecting challenges faced by trans women in Cochabamba, Bolivia, shedding light on the complex realities of discrimination, sex work, HIV/AIDS, and political activism in a country struggling with social intolerance.
Through personal stories and candid interviews, Waldron captures the voices of Bolivian transsexual women who have historically been marginalized by society, and who now seek justice and recognition in a country that is still in the process of addressing the rights and dignity of gender and sexual minorities.
At its core, La Identidad de Justicia is a documentary that explores the personal and political struggles of Bolivian transsexual women, many of whom are sex workers, as they confront not only the harsh realities of their day-to-day survival but also the systemic discrimination that pervades their society. Through the experiences of the women featured, the documentary paints a stark picture of the difficulties they face in a deeply Catholic and conservative society, where transphobia is rampant, and where even legal protections for gender identity and sexual orientation—established by the 2009 Bolivian constitution—have yet to translate into meaningful social change.
