This week, Brazilian government announced that trans* people will have the right to use their social names – that is, the name they chose and that fits their identity – to present themselves within the Sistema Universal de Saúde/SUS (Universal Healthcare System). The legal names don’t cease to exist, as it’s still illegal to alter, but people will be able to register their social names and have both names associated in the system, and only the social one will be printed.

A similar resolution had been instituted inside my university previously this year, and though it doesn’t change the fact that people can’t legally change their names to fit their identities, it somehow takes a little bit off of the delegitimation people with these identities experience. It makes me trust my government a little bit more that such measures are being taken – though there are certainly a lot more to take – and also makes me a bit more optimistic on possible future measures to affect the whole LGBTQ community in Brasil.

So I ask:

What measures instituted by your government inspire the same hope? What measures are still to be instituted to make for a safe, respectful of all diversity society? Do these small steps mean we’re advancing or that we’re still much too slow?

The Afternoon Inqueery (or AI) is a question posed to you, the Queereka communtiy. Look for it every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday at 3pm ET.

Featured image is Fernanda Benvenutty, social representative for trans* people in the Conselho Nacional de Saúde (National Council of Health).