Brazilian transgender teen exposed on the web after military enlistment

By Sergio Viula
Brazilian blogger
With information from G1 and Fantástico

http://g1.globo.com/sao-paulo/noticia/2015/09/adolescente-transgenera-tem-fotos-e-ficha-de-alistamento-postados-na-web.html 


Youngster received slashing phone calls after enlisting. 

Brazilian Army said that the soldiers involved in the personal information leak will be punished.

Marianna Lively, the harrassed transgender teen, 

getting it off her chest on her own Facebook page.

Marianna Lively, 18, had two photos of hers as well as all her personal data spread on the internet just a few minutes after enlisting in the compulsory Military Service in the neighbourhood of Quitaúna, in the city of Osasco, State of São Paulo, Brazil, on September 23rd. She was only 17 then.

The young girl hasn't used her registration name since she was 15 and asked journalist from Globo (the biggest news company in Brazil) to be identified by the name she has adopted: Marianna Lively.

According to Globo, The Brazilian Army informed that they "do not discriminate any person on the ground of their race, creed, sexual orientation or by any other parameter. The respect towards the individual and towards human dignitiy, on all levels, is an indispensable condition both for the good relationship among their members and with society."

Mariana had her images, personal address and telephone numbers spread on the web. Eventually, she started receiving several calls, some of cumpliments, others of offense.

"I arrived to enlist at 7 o'clock and left at 7:30. It was all very fast and I went out without having suffered any prejudice. However, at about 2 o'clock p.m., I started receiving calls from people looking for me by my birth certificate name", she told O Globo.

[The capitain] apologized for the soldiers' infantilism, but he asked me to let it settle down and change my mobile number. As if it really solved the problem of their disclose of my address and all my documents."

Marianna Lively

According to Marianna herself, interviewed by G1 (Globo network's portal) and by Fantastico (its principal TV weekly magazine), shel has always being backed up by her parents as transgender girl. She said that she used to be discriminated at school when she was younger. "All transgenders have their phases. When I was still a homosexual, I went through a lot of problems at school. Later, in high school, I had problems with prejudice again. I was taking a technical course in logistics and didn't manage to conclude the third year."

As soon as the ofensive calls kept coming, Marianna asked for her mother's support. Together, they decided to go to the Army barracks and talk to the commander about the occurence. That's when the capitain apologized for the soldiers' infantilism.
Reportedly, the author of the photos and the person resposibible for the disclosure of both her images and personal data has not been identified yet.

Marianna Lively had her enlisting sheet at the Brazilian Army

disclosed on the Internet (Photo: Personal file)

Disrupted rotine

Marianna said that ever since the occurence she has not staye in her mother's house. "I am afraid someone does something to me. I've been staying in relatives' houses."
She decided to go to the Police after militaries from the Army dropped by her house. "They told my mom that they would like to take us to the barracks, but I was not in and we didn't go. I found it strange", said Marinna. Last Monday (28), Marianna said that a military with a tag that read "Gomes" on his chest dropped by looking for her, but asking: "Does David live here?"

No birthday party

Marianna became 18 on Sunday, September 27th, but the date went bland. "How can I party? No way. I didn't do anything. My mother is still shocked."

Patricia Gorisch, lawyer and presidente of the National Committee for Homossexual

Rights from the Brazilian Institute for Family Rights (Comissão Nacional de Direito Homoafetivo do Instituto Brasileiro de Direito de Família), is following up the case. "She went to do something that is mandatory, emabrrasing due to being in a barracks, fulfill her civic duty, swear the flag and just after leaving the military environment, she started receiving the messages. That's transphobia."

Patricia informed that she will report the case to the Brazilian Army so that the crime may be investigated on military terms.

"The Internet is not a no-man's land. We will report it to the National Secretary of Human Rights as it is important that the government takes a stand on the case. There has been a military and a civil crime, disrespect of the Children and Adolescent's Statute (ECA - Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente). There is also the Law 10.948/01, which punishes transphobia administratively, with very severe penalties in financial terms. Whoever shares or spreads hatred on the Internet will also be punished", said the lawyer.

 

Marianna Lively was photographed while she enlisted in the Brazilian Army (Photo: Personal file)

Last Sunday, on Fantástico show, Marianna gave an interview that reached millions of Brazilian homes. Transphobia has to be fought with the power of the law, education and information. Hopefully, the bigots will either learn or at least behave as if they did.

Photo by smartphone while this blogger watched the interview on Fantástico

 

Statement by the Army ensuring that an investigation will be conducted and that the soldiers from that enlisting unit will be removed from the position until their misconduct is corrected (Photo by this blogger's smartphone while watching the interview on Fantástico)

 

Patricia Gorish, Marianna's laywer, commenting on the crime and the course of action that has been taken. (Photo by this blogger while watching the interview on Fantástico)