Enclosed bodies, emancipated bodies. Transvestites in the ex penal García Moreno

This investigation made in Ecuador give us new knowledge about diverse identities, specially trans identities. Academic reserch are very important to understand about the reality about us. Camacho had an ambicious idea “try to understand the construction, deconstruction and reconstruction about identity transformation of transvestites as social subjects”(22). Her main question is “How were negociated sexual and gender identity as much as corporal practices between transvestites and jail community?(22)”. The hypothesis that soround this paper is that transvestite corporality is strong because is still masculine eventhou is a parody of masculinity”(23).

The first chapter “Bodies and identity as spaces of power and differenty”, develpment a deep conceptual repertory in which are inscribed transvestite identity. It is very suggestive the reference to “fugas” of identity, becuase identity as people in carnival, reproduced in an individual level the necessary question to the inflexible binary patriarcal model of society in which paths they don’t fit. For transvestite people transform their identity is a possibility of go against social order, the same social order that do not recognized them as citizenship, generating frustration. In spite of ecomic and social disadvantages “transvestites give main importance to changing and transformation”(34).

The question for answering: Is transvestite identity transgretive or in the contrary confirm the system from which are excluded?” Camacho answer that the principal challenge to the sex-gender system is ambiguity of transvestites and the possibility of living in the “nowhere”, eventhough that seems to be impossible. The paradox is the constant change and confussion between acceptance and denyian, empowerment and explotation, selfdetermination and subordination.

Unfortunatelly, first chapter open many issues for reflexion but became in a disperse acumulation of ideas that not concrete in the analysis of the information about transvestite that live in the ex penal García Moreno. Camacho give more space to the many conflicts that are at interior of the penal. She debates about the adecuancy of a penitenciarian system, and go farr away the main point of her investigation.

Many aspects, for example the idea that scandal in tranvestite people is an strategy of resemantization, a manner to demand others through embaryssing and “incriminated them”(59) is forgotten by the author and never mentioned again. The chapter untiteled “Personal impresions about ex penal García Moreno” stay in the anecdotic or general without an specific porpuse. Margarita Camacho, we suposed, get atonished with the big information she descovered. That’s why some personalities in the penal as Margarita, don’t became a main focus of her attention, eventhough she said she will do it.

Second chapter “Penitencial institution and enclosed body in Ecuador” don’t explain simple aspects about the ex penal García Moreno, netheir how transvestites conquered their celd the have in the jail (this is only mencioned briefly). Camacho talk about violence and margination in general, not specifically the kind of discrimination and violence that transvestite lived.

Chapter three “Power and resistance of desire” don’t get involved with the main topic, and also don’t get advantaged of the long conceptual develpment made in chapter one. The hypotesis and the interrogations were forgotten. What it is necessary to mentioned is the idea of that transvestite are the closer feminity that men in jail have, and the assumed the could caugth any time. Transvestite represent the feminity in the same patters that are created in society, the same society that marginalized their identity for not being masculine.

Eventhough this holes in the develpment of the investigation the book open many options for reflexion that coul be follow by other reserchers. We invited the same author to use her precious material to enrich his analysis.