Karla Avelar
Who was Karla Avelar?
Transgender rights activist and leader of the Asociación Aspidh Arcoiris Trans, advocating for LGBTI rights in El Salvador.
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Karla Avelar (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Karla Avelar, born in 1978 in El Salvador, is a well-known transgender rights activist. She founded and is the executive director of COMCAVIS Trans, an organization that fights against discrimination faced by transgender women living with HIV in El Salvador. Her organization also works more broadly to combat anti-trans discrimination within different parts of Salvadoran society, including police and government institutions. Avelar has been a strong advocate on issues of violence against transgender people, noting that the threat has evolved: 'Now they are after your life. Now it's more of a silent society, one that today won't humiliate you, but kills you.'
Before Fame
Avelar grew up in El Salvador during a time of major social and political unrest. Transgender people faced severe marginalization, violence, and lack of institutional support. Starting in the 1990s, she got involved in advocacy work with groups like El Nombre De la Rosa and Aspidh Arcoiris Trans. Through this work, she learned about the specific dangers facing transgender women, especially those with HIV. These early experiences shaped her approach and led to the founding of COMCAVIS Trans, which provided a more organized and lasting platform for change.
Key Achievements
- Founded COMCAVIS Trans, an NGO providing legal assistance and shelter to transgender women living with HIV in El Salvador.
- Built and maintained one of the most thorough records of LGBT homicide cases and human rights violations in El Salvador over a 15-year period.
- Secured asylum in Switzerland and established herself as a UN delegate in Geneva, amplifying Salvadoran transgender issues on an international stage.
- Contributed to leadership roles in multiple advocacy organizations including Aspidh Arcoiris Trans and El Nombre De la Rosa.
- Advises the International Platform against Impunity, helping to address systemic failures to prosecute crimes against LGBT individuals.
Did You Know?
- 01.Avelar received asylum in Switzerland after facing extortion and death threats from maras, or gangs, in El Salvador.
- 02.COMCAVIS Trans has maintained documented records of human rights violations and homicide cases against LGBT individuals in El Salvador for over 15 years.
- 03.Research associated with COMCAVIS Trans found that over 73 percent of authorities in Salvadoran society view homosexuality as a 'mental disease.'
- 04.Avelar now works as a delegate for the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, extending her advocacy to the international level.
- 05.She is a member of the Asile LGBT organization in Switzerland and advises the International Platform against Impunity.