Although the formal existence of laws and public policies designed to address the specific needs of historically neglected social groups is not necessarily an indicator of social progress (given that there are dynamics that facilitate non-compliance in line with the priorities of privileged biopolitical subjects: partisan interests of hegemonic sectors that lead the production of economic capital), it could be argued that a lack of laws and policies is a direct reflection of the state's absence in terms of providing a concrete response and assistance based on recognition of these groups as political subjects.
This absence amplifies the gap that restricts access to economic and social rights. And this, in the context of a frenzied neoliberal system of production, translates into a deterioration of quality of life and increased precariousness.
To quote Alejandra Grange, a trans-feminist activist with Transitar Paraguay, "Maybe they aren't killing you with a bullet, but they might be killing you by systematically denying you access." This abrasive systematicity is manifested differently for each trans person based on the intersections they inhabit, and in higher rates of a lack of state protection for bodies that have been racialised. As demonstrated by black authors from multiple geopolitical frameworks, such as Angela Davis,1 as a result of colonial processes of social organisation, systemic racism has left their bodies subject to the most hostile margins, such as prison.
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