Transcentred couple has a project to guarantee our daily bread

By Arthur Vieira*

Something that always involves and inspires us is the strength of women, and coming across a determined woman, who knows what she is talking about and where she wants to go is even more inspiring. Despite the difficulties, Sabrina Luz, a 41-year-old trans woman from Ceará, fighting for her space, representation, survival and visibility, set up the Ser Luz Project that assists homeless people in the center of Fortaleza (CE).

She went through many difficulties a few years ago and is well aware of the reality of these people who are vulnerable. And it was for a period of 1 year and 3 months that Sabrina needed to seek help at the Casa Sol Nascente Institution shelter, as she found herself in one of the most difficult moments of her life: having nowhere to sleep, no clothes to wear and no job. .

But these arduous moments did not paralyze this Ceará woman full of determination and faith. He got his first formal job at the very institution that gave him shelter, where he worked for 7 years, and soon after “he gave his all” and transformed his social network into a great informative tool, where he shares his experiences and experiences with his followers. challenges when combating the prejudice of the reality of a person living with HIV.

“If I can use my social networks to spread information and combat people’s ignorance, that is the most important thing for me”, he comments.

And her notoriety was so great that it is natural to see her at some event speaking or being invited to participate in debates and dialogue circles focusing on this theme. And her determination and courage is such that it made her go further, she took advantage of all her visibility on Instagram and started her social project on her birthday, celebrated in June 2022. Asking her friends, family and fans instead of asking them send gifts and donations of food and bottled water to be distributed in the center of your city to help those most in need. In this first action, she immediately achieved a great feat of distributing 32 meals and 100 bottles of water.

When he started the project, he didn’t want to link it to any church, although some volunteers and donations came from his faith community that year. Today, a member of the inclusive church CCNE (New Hope Christian Community), she counts on the support of her local church – which comes in the form of volunteers for the preparation and distribution of food – and the use of the religious space for collection and also kitchen utensils (such as pans and spoons).

The focus of the project is the center of the capital of Ceará, Fortaleza, and surrounding squares, but it also carries out actions in shelters for the elderly and needy children, all depending on the demand for donations it receives. It is worth mentioning that the project’s actions are monthly and vary according to people’s contributions.

“I appeal to people with transport to help me! Both to collect donations and to help me distribute them. I always lack this resource every month and I hardly have people who have cars to help me.”

Despite being born into a Catholic home, today Sabrina and her husband Bernardo – a trans man and his wife’s biggest supporter – identify with the evangelical Protestant religion and are also one of the biggest activists in the dissemination of inclusive theology, known as a form of interpretation Bible that welcomes LGBT+. His project and its contents continue to enlighten people and bring hope in every possible way, thus living up to his surname: Luz.

Project Instagram: @projetoserluz2022
Sabrina’s Instagram: @sabrinaluz_pessoa
Pix to contribute: Projetoserluz2022@gmail.com

*Artur Vieira is a Christian, gay and journalist who has worked with the LGBT+ public since 2013 on the internet with the profile @devoltaaoreino

By Ezatamentchy