Source: Tears of transgender community in Zim’s election –Newsday Zimbabwe
WHEN it was Steward Chikuni’s turn to cast the vote at Venture Polling Station in Pumula South, Bulawayo, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) officials said she could not do so as the national identification document did not match her physical appearance.
“I was one of the first voters to get to the polling station to exercise my right to vote, but was denied that right because of who I am,” said Chikuni, a transgender woman, popularly known as Stewie.
Transgender is a term used to describe people whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth.
Assigned male at birth, the 27-year-old, who uses pronouns she/her, said she encountered a torrid time in accessing public services because her physical looks do not match her documentation.
“I was stopped, harassed and embarrassed in front of other voters. The agents said I can’t vote because I was not the person on my national identification card.
“I then consulted one of the polling officers, who knew me personally because she is my former teacher. She is the one who made the agents change their minds; if it was not for her, I would have not exercised my right to vote,” she said.
Stewie added that there was a need to sensitise Zec officials on the importance of minority communities during the electoral process.
“Zec and the government say voting is for everyone, but if Zec officials are not educated about other minority groups such as the transgender, we will also have problems and people’s rights are stifled.
“Imagine how many transgender people failed to vote on the day because of the same experience I encountered,” she said.
Another transgender woman, Musa Moyo (32) from Bulawayo claimed she did not attempt to vote in order to avoid being turned away and being embarrassed.
“During last year’s by-elections, I was turned away, mocked, and called all sorts of names. I was told by polling agents that I have no space in the community, and I am one of the people who defile the society,” she said.
“To avoid such embarrassment, I decided not to vote this time around, that means I couldn’t exercise my constitutional rights to select my representatives at community, constituency and national levels.”
Moyo revealed that she is not the only one who did not participate in voting.
“A number of transgender people opted out. It is better not to exercise your right than to be embarrassed and to be called names, the trauma is too much to take,” she added.
Sexual minority groups have been advocating the re-documentation of transgender people, to be issued national identity cards reflecting their unique status.
Stewie appealed to the government and the civil registry department to acknowledge the existence of “trans-women” and “trans-men”, as well as lobbying for inclusive gender markers.
A gender marker represents an individual’s gender identity, most commonly in the abbreviations F (female), M (male), or X (non-binary, intersex, or gender non-conforming).
“Transgender people’s documentation doesn’t match their appearances and some (transgender people) did not vote in the recent August 23 and 24 elections. Re-documentation and changing gender markers for the transgender community is the answer to all these problems,” she said.
Executive director for Trans Research Education Advocacy and Training Sam Ndlovu said there was a need for re-documentation of transgender people.
“Trans persons whose ID do not match their appearance struggle with every process needing the use of an ID and voter registration and eventually voting is one of the many difficulties they have,” he said.
“Firstly, the struggle to explain one’s appearance versus the ID whereas changes for one transitioning or as an adult may alter appearance over periods as short as one or two years depending on the individual, significant enough for their appearance to be doubted as well as their gender marker not adequate for their navigation of public life although degrees of this experience vary.
“I think it is important even for the census that these issues are taken into account to ensure data accuracy and that every citizen is afforded the opportunity to exercise their rights.” he said.
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