Meet Charlotte Schneider, trans woman and LGBTI community activist who becomes the new Bogotá regional director of the DPS

Through the social networks of the Department of Social Prosperity, the arrival of Charlotte Schneider Callejas has been reported as the new regional director for Bogotá of this entity. Her nomination was widely recognized by the diverse community, such as Charlotte, in addition to being a trans womanis an activist for women’s rights, the LGBTIQ+ community and different ethnic groups. Who is he and what tasks will he perform?

Charlotte Schneider Callejas is a specialist in feminist and gender studies at the National University of Colombia. His CV highlights more than 30 years of professional experience between Cuba and Colombia. She is a biochemist graduated from the Faculty of Biology of the university of havana. He was born in Cuba, however, She is a nationalized Colombian. She was trans secretary of the International LGBTI Association of Latin America, of which she was trans secretary for Latin America.

“To welcome Charlotte Schneider Callejas as Regional Director Bogota. human rights activist women, LGBTI sectors and ethnic groups“, wrote on Twitter the spokesperson for the Ministry of Social Prosperity about the new director. “Deep congratulations to our dear fellow Trans leader Charlotte Callejas, who represents the struggles of many excluded sectors, who better than her to lead in Bogota Social Inclusion Since the government of change“, they added from the Patriotic Union.

As the Women in Movement portal points out, Charlotte has experience in “active mobility (urban cycling, walking, etc.), gender, road safety, personal safety, citizen participation, communication, universal accessibility, work participation”. Likewise, it is emphasized that he worked in the public, private, academic and civil society.

He arrived in Colombia, says a note published in the viewer, after leaving Cuba in the year 2000. According to the text, because of the violence exerted on his native island on the diversity of the population, decides to take refuge in Colombia.

The name of Charlotte Schneider Callejas It became news when, in 2017, he obtained a conservatorship for the district and succeeded in having the Constitutional Court recognize that for nine years he was in the Ministry of Health for the provision of services, even if his job required being hired under a factory contract.

“In a meeting, my boss informed me that it was not continuing. I was amazed. I had been there for so many years and my contracts were always fulfilled satisfactorily. Why, I asked him. He replied that my departure was due to a political decision since I had another contract for the provision of services with the Ministry of Social Integration,” he commented in testimonies compiled by Red harvest.

This decision can change their life. to officials who are under service delivery without meeting the requirements. Systematically rights have been violated contractors. Many people, including my colleagues, told me that they were going to take advantage of this decision to take care of their own. Some have been working like this for 12 years“, he added.

One of the main issues on the agenda of the President, Gustavo Petro, as promised, concerns the construction of peace and the defense of human rights, not only for social leaders, but also for vulnerable communities. , including the LGBTIQ+. In fact, it is one of six flags in his government plan called ‘Colombia, world power of life’: reduce instances of violence against women and join forces to eliminate gender gaps and attacks on gay, lesbian, trans, non-binary and queer.

President and Vice President Francia Márquez raised, from the campaign, the strengthening of public gender policies to reduce cases of violence against the community. Although there already exists Law 1448 of 2011 (on victims and restitution of land), which emphasizes gender, argued that this was not enough; For this reason, the government said it started by rolling out “a shock plan for the development and prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against women”.