Last Updated on May 4, 2020
A transgender woman in Georgia’s capital was caught on camera setting herself on fire to protest the Eastern European government’s negligence towards the trans community during the global pandemic.
The activist decided to self-immolate on Thursday, in front of Georgia’s Tbilisi town hall, according to local and international sources.
A transgender woman in Georgia’s capital was caught on camera setting herself on fire to protest the Georgian government’s negligence towards the trans community during the global pandemic.
The activist decided to self-immolate on Thursday, in front of Georgia’s Tbilisi town hall, according to NY Daily News.
The international transgender community has struggled with pulling together sufficient funds to cover basic necessities during the global crisis.
Yesterday, National File in fact reported on a group of undocumented transgender migrant sex workers from outside of Rome who were granted Papal funds from a Vatican charity.
Sex workers on every continent have reported an extra financial strain as social distancing evaporates much of the client pool.
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The burning transgender activist, who is reportedly not suffering from any critical injuries following the stunt, has been locally identified as Madona Kiparoidze.
Kiparoidze had been protesting alongside other transgender activists who were also demonstrating against the government’s failure to cater for marginalized communities amid a time of much economic hardship.
After Kiparoidze was detained, she shouted: “I am a transgender woman, and I’m setting myself on fire because the Georgian state doesn’t care about me.”
Several local members of the LGBT community have reported feeling extra pressure as social distancing impinges on every day life.
A local human rights activist stressed the increasing difficulty for the transgender community to pay rent, put food on the table, with many going homeless.
In March, Vice News ran a piece showcasing how members of the trans community were not able to undergo gender reassignment surgeries due to the global pandemic, dubbing the surgeries as “essential.”
Buzzfeed, yesterday, published a lengthy article–which was pilloried by social media for spotlighting abuse suffered by LGBT parents at the hands of their children–going into great depth as to how members of the LGBT community were being treated during a time of global uncertainty.
