Casa Chama
Welcoming transgender people
Casa Chama
Welcoming transgender people
Reception, arts and survival
By: Raissa Testahy
“Social rights include education, health, food, work, housing, leisure, security, social security, protection of motherhood and childhood, and assistance to the destitute.”
The text above, from article 6 taken from the 1988 Federal Constitution, highlights that the Democratic State should guarantee these rights to every Brazilian citizen. However, a large part of the Brazilian population does not have at least one of these rights guaranteed. When we talk about transgender people, the data is even more alarming.
According to a 2014 survey carried out by Projeto Além do Arco-íris, from the NGO Afro Reggae, 72% of the Brazilian trans population had not completed high school and 56% had not even finished elementary school.
There is an explanation for this: a large proportion of transvestites and trans people are marginalized by their own families and are thrown out of their homes, on average, at the age of 13, according to the National Association of Transvestites and Transsexuals (Antra).
Furthermore, discrimination, lack of support and the absence of public health policies prevent trans and transvestite people from receiving the necessary care. Refusal to provide their social name or lack of contact information are some of the barriers these people face.
The life expectancy of a trans person in Brazil is only 35 years, less than half of the cisgender population, which is 76, according to Antra. This highlights that the existence of organizations like Casa Chama is essential for the re(existence) of trans people in the country, their placement in the job market and their socialization.
The Casa Chama
Promoting dignity and autonomy for transgender people since 2018, Casa Chama is a safe and affectionate space for social interaction, which was founded by Matuzza Sankofa and Digg Franco during a period of increasing racist, misogynistic and LGBTphobic discourse in the country.
Digg tells us that the organization’s initiatives have changed over time. “In the beginning, it was a more feminist place, for sharing art. Then we started some activities involving political groups, self-defense, artistic residencies, etc. With the arrival of the elections and many conflicts with LGBTQIAPN+ people, a call was opened and a WhatsApp group where people began to meet,” he comments.
The importance of this social space has transformed the lives of many people. At its former headquarters, in the Perdizes neighborhood of São Paulo, the house welcomed 27 trans people in vulnerable situations due to homelessness. It was also there that Digg not only welcomed people, but was welcomed himself. He emphasizes that all the support and socialization were fundamental in his journey.
“We have the first drawings of Casa Chama and we realize that we didn’t know many things. There were issues that we wanted to address, such as housing, health, psychology, we didn’t understand that these three things belonged to a category called psychosocial, which is what we have today.”, reports Digg.
Education, health and (sur)life
The organization's work today is divided into five categories of services:
Transformative initiatives
In 2022, in the interior of the state of São Paulo, in Araraquara, the Casa Chama team set up and created a model of Shelter for LGBTQIAPN+ people. “It was a joint effort with the city government of Araraquara and 17 trans people were hired for the job. Can you imagine how much of an impact we had on the people we welcomed? The idea is to extend our lives,” Digg emphasizes.
The space has capacity to house 12 people and offers psychological and social support to residents. The location also has a 24-hour technical service with a team of social caregivers.
In 2023, the House promotes the 2nd Trans Health Congress, which already has the support of the German Embassy. The first edition was held in 2021 and had professionals from different specialties, addressing the most relevant issues for transgender people and had as its main objective the awareness, specialization and sensitization of health professionals (cis/allies).
Casa Chama believes in the power of culture as a political tool for denouncing and including trans bodies in all spaces. The cultural center has several pocket shows, exhibitions, audiovisual productions, etc. According to Digg, the organization prioritizes hiring only trans people and/or black women, which has resulted in more than 600 remunerations over the years.
Recently, the organization presented the exhibition “TRANS____border/the oppositional gaze in trans art”. Thirteen trans artists from different states in Brazil brought their art that tells the story of the trans population's struggle for rights and spaces denied throughout history.
In the sea of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are not all in the same boat
If compulsory social vulnerability greatly affects the trans population, the situation has worsened in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020, Casa Chama had to temporarily occupy a welfare position.
In addition to distributing hundreds of basic food baskets (including decent food baskets), they also distributed protection, hygiene and harm reduction kits. They also continued to work on other fronts, such as psychological care, legal services and housing assistance.
Welcoming trans people all year round, not just in June
The biggest challenges faced by Digg and Matuzza are training successors for management and long-term support to ensure the organization's financial stability.
“We tried tAll the opportunities we have, we open paths everywhere. We do not have long-term support. The support is punctual, most in June (Awareness Month). LGBTQIAPN+). We throw seeds everywhere, wherever the wind hits, are we prepared?, declares.
Matuzza Sankofa and Digg Franco, founders of Casa Chama
After living as “nomads”, Casa Chama now has a new address. Located in the Bixiga neighborhood of São Paulo, the mansion received support from Trident for part of the renovation work.
“We worked hard to get to where we are. We still don’t have our own headquarters (we live in rented accommodation). We also don’t see people to replace us yet. There are many challenges to longevity,” declares Digg.
This is how, thinking about innovative mechanisms, the history of Sitawi met that of Casa Chama. In partnership with Endowments do Brasil, the first Heritage Fund dedicated to the LGBTQIAPN+ cause in the country was created.
The Trans Heritage Fund – Casa Chama aims to contribute to the financial sustainability of the organization through the income from invested resources, coming from donations. All this income will be reinvested and the organization can use it in projects that continue to welcome thousands of trans people.
The fund manager is Endowments do Brasil, the first multi-cause Heritage Fund Management Organization (OGFP), adhering to law 13.800/19.
"This innovative mechanism benefits Casa Chama by reducing costs. Without this structure, Casa Chama would be forced to create its own OGFP, for example, which would only be economically viable with around R$20 million (so that the income would be sufficient to pay for the OGFP structure and still be able to direct resources to the cause).", highlights Leonardo Letelier, CEO of Sitawi and executive director of Endowments do Brasil.
“The Fund is a great opportunity, as it guarantees that resources can be allocated to live off its income and not go through the ups and downs that risk closing the house. We want to ensure that, even when we are no longer here, it will still fulfill its role of welcoming and helping the trans population,” Digg emphasizes.
When asked about the future, he emphasizes that the most serious demand is housing. “Older trans women, who have very difficult lives, are getting older and are in precarious situations. We need housing for these people. I am thinking of a project like Minha Casa Minha Vida Trans,” he says.
