Transgender Woman Reportedly Beaten by Police in Brazil, Spark Social Media Movement
Military police reportedly beat a transgender woman in Sao Paulo, Brazil, disfiguring her face on April 10.
According to Fusion, the photos of Veronica Bolina's face sparked a social media movement in Brazil with the hash tag #somostodasVerônica, which means "We are all Veronica."
Reports say police arrested the transgender woman for attempting to murder her elderly neighbor before they proceeded to badly beat her at the time of arrest.
The movement spread drawings of what her face looked like before and after the brutal assault.
The artwork is being shared on the "We are all Veronica" Facebook page.
"Those photos were shocking because of the violence, and [because] the police didn't respect her gender identity," said Alessandra Ramos, an LGBT activist in Brazil. "A trans woman was not respected. That brought rage into LGBT activism."
Ramos admits she has been detained by police before. She also advises Brazil congressman Jean Wyllys on transgender issues.
The police allege that Bolina was attacked in a jail cell by inmates who caught her masturbating.
They say the attack happened when a cellmate approached Bolina and was attacked by her as she tried to bite off his ear. Police also gave an audio confession by the transgender woman where she states that she was not tortured by cops.
The alleged audio tape claims that Bolina felt "possessed" when she attacked the inmate and that police were only doing their job when they restrained her.
Yet, people who knew her say the audio confession is a fake.
"I cannot imagine how hard it must have been for her to go through that. The fear that she feels," said Ramos.
According to the Secretary of Public Safety, the Sao Paulo police are under investigation while Bolina is in the process of being transferred to a male prison.
A recent resolution passed by Brazil's secretary of human rights states that transgender inmates are entitled to their own space and better treatment while in custody and in prisons.
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