"You don't realize how crucial it is to feel someone cares about you": Inside a groundbreaking school for transgender students

 

Lariana Guerrero Lera, born in Salta, Argentina—a region with high poverty rates—was assigned male at birth but knew from age five she didn’t feel like a boy. Facing difficulties both at home and school, she struggled in a conservative environment where her father stopped speaking to her after she wore a dress to a party.

Guerrero describes her elementary school years as "extremely hostile" due to the harassment she faced. At 16, seeking escape from family conflict and a chance for a new life, she moved to Buenos Aires. With no formal education or job skills, she turned to sex work to survive. Her life changed when a transgender friend introduced her to a school that helps adults like Guerrero earn their high school diploma. Read More

Lariana Guerrero Lera described her childhood school experience in her hometown as “a hostile environment” for someone who knew she was different. At 25, while touching up her makeup in a cab driving through the red-light district, she began considering going back to school.

A year later, Guerrero, now a 27-year-old trans woman, enrolled at the Bachillerato Popular Travesti, Trans y No Binarie Mocha Celis, the first high school in Latin America dedicated to trans students. At the time of writing, she was one of 290 students at the pioneering school. Read More

A center for education and culture within the transgender community

Mocha Celis, commonly known as Mocha Celis, opened in 2011, just before Argentina’s landmark Gender Identity Law was passed. This law allows individuals over 18 to change their legal gender identity without requiring gender affirmation procedures.

Named in honor of Mocha Celis, a trans woman who never completed high school and was tragically murdered in Buenos Aires in 1995, the school started with just 35 students and held classes in a modest boxing gym. Read More

 

Virginia Silveira, a graduate who now teaches research techniques at the school, recalls their early outreach efforts: “We actively sought potential students in areas where sex work was common, such as hotels and other places we knew they might be.”

Today, Mocha Celis is a free public school that, according to a UN case study, enrolls over 100 students annually, aged 16 to 60. It offers a nationally recognized curriculum through a gender-sensitive approach. While primarily funded by the state, it also accepts public donations. Besides awarding diplomas, Mocha Celis runs various initiatives to address the challenges faced by trans individuals, including job training, work placements, and emotional support. Read More

 

“Beyond being a school, we aim to be an educational and cultural hub for the transgender community,” says Francisco Quiñones Cuartas, one of the founders. “The school was created to address the persecution faced by this population, starting with education. We take immense pride in the history we’ve built.”

Affectionately known as the “school of tenderness,” Mocha Celis is seen as more than a traditional educational institution. It strives to be inclusive, welcoming students from other marginalized groups such as single mothers, Afro-descendants, indigenous people, and those with disabilities, while specifically addressing the discrimination faced by transgender and non-binary individuals in Argentina. Read More

Today, Mocha Celis is a free public school that, according to a UN case study, enrolls over 100 students annually, aged 16 to 60. It offers a nationally recognized curriculum through a gender-sensitive approach. While primarily funded by the state, it also accepts public donations. Besides awarding diplomas, Mocha Celis runs various initiatives to address the challenges faced by trans individuals, including job training, work placements, and emotional support.

“Beyond being a school, we aim to be an educational and cultural hub for the transgender community,” says Francisco Quiñones Cuartas, one of the founders. “The school was created to address the persecution faced by this population, starting with education. We take immense pride in the history we’ve built.” Read More

 

Affectionately known as the “school of tenderness,” Mocha Celis is seen as more than a traditional educational institution. It strives to be inclusive, welcoming students from other marginalized groups such as single mothers, Afro-descendants, indigenous people, and those with disabilities, while specifically addressing the discrimination faced by transgender and non-binary individuals in Argentina.

A 2023 study by Mocha Celis and the Public Ministry of Defense reveals that the transgender community in Argentina still faces significant barriers to fundamental rights, including access to education, healthcare, decent housing, and employment. The report highlights the severe difficulties trans individuals encounter in securing formal and dignified employment due to stigma, discrimination, and limited education. It also includes accounts of arbitrary detention and mistreatment by police. Read More

 

“I had never dared to finish high school because of discrimination. Mocha Celis is a place where I feel comfortable and free from judgment, with teachers who truly understand me,” Guerrero tells CNN. “It has become the starting point for dreaming of a different life, something I once thought was impossible while working in sex work.”

"I discovered my right to education and felt truly welcomed. When that happens, you become motivated to advocate for more rights that you now understand are yours."

Many students come to Mocha Celis disheartened by past negative experiences in the education system, where they often faced mistreatment, harassment, and violence. Many report discrimination when using restrooms, frequent derogatory remarks, or even expulsion from school. As a result, Mocha Celis does more than just provide education; it offers a sense of human affirmation.

Manu Mireles, a teacher and the school's academic secretary, recalls a student's comment: “One student told me that this is the first time an institution has looked them in the eye, used their name, and treated them with respect.” Read More

 

Located in the Balvanera neighborhood in central Buenos Aires, the school occupies a two-story building owned by the Ministry of Education. The environment is one of both learning and camaraderie. Students also have opportunities to start initiatives, such as a program that trains transgender individuals to provide elderly care.

Mocha Celis is the first high school in Latin America dedicated to helping trans adults earn their high school diplomas, though it also welcomes students from other marginalized backgrounds. Read More

 

Guerrero, who now works as a dog walker and with a small cooperative producing shoes and clothing for the transgender community, shares her journey of adapting to a learning environment. “When I began studying, I was quiet and passive. But with each class, my curiosity grew. Now, I’m eager to learn about administration and accounting. The excitement of learning has really taken hold of me,” Guerrero tells CNN.

Despite progressive measures like the Gender Identity Law and the Trans Labor Quota, which mandates a minimum 1% representation of trans individuals in public administration, trans people still face significant inequalities. Research from Argentina’s Ministry of Public Defense and the Public Policy Implementation Center for Equity and Growth (CIPPEC) highlights these issues.

 

CIPPEC’s 2020 report revealed that the life expectancy of trans women in Argentina is only 37 years, compared to 77 for the general population. The report identifies factors such as limited healthcare access, high HIV prevalence, violence from both the public and police, and suicide as contributing to this high mortality rate, describing trans women as “the most vulnerable population group” in the country.

For Mocha Celis, securing sustainable funding is an ongoing challenge. Manu Mireles, the school’s academic secretary, notes that while the Ministry of Education funds teaching and some management positions, it does not cover all necessary roles. “Our next challenge is to get the Ministry to fund all positions related to space management,” Mireles says. “The support teams, which are crucial to our operation, are currently unfunded.” Read More

Looking ahead, the election of far-right libertarian Javier Milei as president in November 2023 could pose concerns for both trans rights in general and for Mocha Celis specifically. Shortly after assuming office on December 10, Milei dismantled the Ministry of Women, Gender, and Diversity and had previously threatened to abolish sex education in schools.

Despite this uncertain future, Mocha Celis remains dedicated to transforming the lives of its students, both current and former. Read More

 

Silveira, now a part-time teacher at Mocha Celis, shares her experience with CNN: "With the support of my classmates and teachers at Mocha Celis, I became the first person in my family to attend university. I’m now studying law and working part-time in counseling and victim support at the Public Prosecutor’s Office."

"Mocha Celis taught me about my right to education. I always felt welcomed and supported," Silveira says. "When that happens, you become motivated to advocate for more rights, like access to decent housing, employment, and healthcare." Read More

 

"You can’t underestimate how crucial it is to feel that someone cares about you."