The fight of Andrea Cortés, the first trans woman in the Colombian police

Andrea Cortés Guarín, born in Bucaramanga, is the first trans woman in the police force. However, her process was not easy as the institution informed her that she could not accept the change of her name and sex because when he joined the institution, he did so in as a man.

So faced with this situation, she decided to establish a trusteeship and contacted Diana Navarro Sanjuán, a renowned trans lawyer.

“With a permit, I went to Popayán and Dr Navarro was waiting for me. She wrote the tutorial, advised me and supported me throughout the process, which was not easy. I owe a lot to this woman, ”Cortés said in an interview with El Tiempo newspaper.

Finally, in May 2018, the Superior Court of the Judicial District of Popayán notified the National Police that it should recognize Andrea Cortés Guarín’s right to develop a free personality, a legal personality, a life of dignity and equality.

The institution complied with the ordinance and this enabled it to continue its functions. But her fight does not end there, because she wants to help women in vulnerable situations to prevent and combat gender violence, domestic violence and to be a voice for LGBTI rights.

Since the age of 9, Andrea has always recognized herself as a woman and this has led to her experiencing a lot of harassment and ridicule for her condition. However, it was a long process that brought her to accept that she wanted to transit. When he finished his high school, at the age of 18, at the time Fabio as he was called before making the sex change, he had to define his military situation and went to serve as a regular auxiliary of the police.

“When I entered my military service as a police officer, the establishment knew I was gay. Today, this condition is approved and respected in the public force “police told El Tiempo.

While doing the service, he made two important decisions for his life, on the one hand he started hormonal treatment and on the other hand he defined that he wanted to continue in the establishment, since he had a vocation for this type of career.

Andrea graduated in January 2016 under the name Fabio Cortés Guarín and was appointed to the department of Cauca. However, She was assessed by a psychologist who suggested that she inform her superiors about her identity as a trans woman and clean up her documents, and that she do so legally by changing her name.

“With a permit, I went to Bucaramanga (in September 2017), and I went to the civil status office and changed my civil status and my identity card. And I came back with a password that identified me as Andrea Cortés Guarín, ”he said.

Although his documentation process is complex, he ensured: “In the vast majority of colleagues, I found a lot of respect for myself and for my decision to be a trans woman.”

Andrea’s process started at 19 and ended last year when, at 26, 4 years after announcing herself to the world as a transgender woman, she decided to change her voice.

“I had the voice changed because I think it’s a complement to all the transition I’ve been through so far. It’s a plus for me, the complement of the feminization of the voiceSaid the woman in uniform at Ground Zero.

The patrol boat said the support of her family was essential in tackling the difficult road. “My family is my starter, my mother, my grandmother, my two sisters, they are my total support ”.

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