Tamara's Funeral Expenses
Donation protected
(Photo: Tamara, left, with her mom, Evila, right.)
----
It’s with a heavy heart that I'm back in Lima due to the death of someone I cared about so much. Tamara, who was the first trans woman I met and started photographing in Peru, passed away this week from health complications.
Over the past two years, we got to know each other so well, to the point of calling each other “sister.” I am most worried about her mom because they were extremely close, they lived together, did everything together--I can’t imagine how broken her heart must be right now. Her mom played a big role in helping her stop working on the streets and everything seemed to be getting better.
It is sudden and shocking news. There are so many great things I can say about Tamara, but what stands out the most was her resilience and her fight. Any time something would afflict her, she fought back, even if she had to get through sadness and frustration to do so.
Hearing the story of what happened, I believe that had she been given proper care and attention from the hospital, she would have been able to fight back. We cannot keep turning a blind eye to the alarming rate at which trans women die and are murdered around the world. It’s a grave injustice that someone cannot pursue a positive life because society will not make a place for them to do so. When Tamara would get sad she would say that she’d rather die than live, because what’s the point of living when she doesn’t even have a life?
When I wished her a happy birthday on Dec. 23, I asked if she was going to celebrate and she said she was going to wait for me, for when I got back (I was going to travel there at the end of this month.) I will miss her so much and I’m sorry I couldn’t say good-bye. I hope she knows how much she meant to me.
----
Please help Tamara's mom, Evila, raise the funds to remove Tamara's body from the morgue and provide her with a proper burial. (It costs around 2,700 soles, which is about $800. We added $50 to cover transportation and other small, incurred expenses).
Tamara's mom works in a restaurant and makes around $300 per month. Evila has very little family and she is in need of help.
Any amount helps and will be greatly appreciated.
Tamara with her mother, Evila.
Me and Tamara in Lima in November.
----
It’s with a heavy heart that I'm back in Lima due to the death of someone I cared about so much. Tamara, who was the first trans woman I met and started photographing in Peru, passed away this week from health complications.
Over the past two years, we got to know each other so well, to the point of calling each other “sister.” I am most worried about her mom because they were extremely close, they lived together, did everything together--I can’t imagine how broken her heart must be right now. Her mom played a big role in helping her stop working on the streets and everything seemed to be getting better.
It is sudden and shocking news. There are so many great things I can say about Tamara, but what stands out the most was her resilience and her fight. Any time something would afflict her, she fought back, even if she had to get through sadness and frustration to do so.
Hearing the story of what happened, I believe that had she been given proper care and attention from the hospital, she would have been able to fight back. We cannot keep turning a blind eye to the alarming rate at which trans women die and are murdered around the world. It’s a grave injustice that someone cannot pursue a positive life because society will not make a place for them to do so. When Tamara would get sad she would say that she’d rather die than live, because what’s the point of living when she doesn’t even have a life?
When I wished her a happy birthday on Dec. 23, I asked if she was going to celebrate and she said she was going to wait for me, for when I got back (I was going to travel there at the end of this month.) I will miss her so much and I’m sorry I couldn’t say good-bye. I hope she knows how much she meant to me.
----
Please help Tamara's mom, Evila, raise the funds to remove Tamara's body from the morgue and provide her with a proper burial. (It costs around 2,700 soles, which is about $800. We added $50 to cover transportation and other small, incurred expenses).
Tamara's mom works in a restaurant and makes around $300 per month. Evila has very little family and she is in need of help.
Any amount helps and will be greatly appreciated.
Tamara with her mother, Evila. Me and Tamara in Lima in November.Organizer
Danielle Villasana
Organizer
Austin, TX
