Kim Pérez
{{Short description|Spanish teacher and trans rights activist (1941–2025)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Kim Pérez
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth year|1941}}
| birth_place = Granada, Spain
| death_date = {{Death date and given age|2025|2|27|83|df=y}}
| death_place =
| burial_place =
| occupation = Teacher, activist
| awards =
| education = University of Granada
| signature =
| party = United Left
}}
Kim Joaquina Pérez Fernández-Fígares (1941 – 27 February 2025) was a Spanish teacher and trans rights activist who was the first trans woman to take part in an electoral candidacy in Spain.
Biography
Kim Pérez was born in Granada in 1941. She earned a licentiate in history from the University of Granada, and taught ethics and philosophy there from 1968 to 1970 and from 1976 to 2006.{{Cite web |url=https://euforia.org.es/kim-perez/ |title=Kim Pérez |first=Ananda |last=Gallego |website=Euforia |language=es |date=2019-11-03 |access-date=2024-05-29}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.lavanguardia.com/politica/20190419/461727217778/kim-perez-toda-una-vida-a-contracorriente.html |title=Kim Pérez, toda una vida a contracorriente |trans-title=Kim Pérez, a Whole Life Against the Current |first=Belén |last=Ortiz |newspaper=La Vanguardia |publication-place=Barcelona |place=Granada |agency=EFE |language=es |date=2019-04-19 |access-date=2024-05-29}}
She was a teacher at various educational levels. She was also a communications attachée at the Spanish embassy in Algeria.{{Cite news |url=https://www.elconfidencial.com/espana/2019-07-05/orgullo-2019-pioneros-salir-del-armario-kim-perez_2105499/ |title=El Orgullo de los pioneros: 'Tenía que salir del armario costara lo que costara' |trans-title=The Pride of the Pioneers: "I had to come out of the closet no matter what the cost" |first=Paola |last=Bruni |newspaper=El Confidencial |publication-place=Spain |language=es |date=2019-07-05 |access-date=2024-05-29}} Pérez came out as a trans woman in 1991, at age 50.{{Cite news |url=https://www.eldiario.es/andalucia/granada/kim-perez-transexualidad-derechos-humanos-vox_1_1744681.html |title=Kim Pérez, activista trans, en huelga de hambre, pide a los partidos andaluces: 'Por favor, recapacitad, pensad que estamos en el siglo XXI' |trans-title=Kim Pérez, Trans Activist, on Hunger Strike, Asks the Andalusian Parties: "Please, reconsider; think that we are in the 21st century" |first=Álvaro |last=López |newspaper=elDiario.es |publication-place=Spain |language=es |date=2019-01-20 |access-date=2024-05-29}} She was co-founder and president of the Gender Identity Association in Andalusia, and of the collective Conjuntos Difusos-Autonomía Trans.{{Cite news |url=https://elpais.com/sociedad/2007/04/20/actualidad/1177020002_850215.html |title=Kim Pérez, primera transexual que se presenta a unas elecciones municipales en España |trans-title=Kim Pérez, the First Trans Woman to Run for Municipal Elections in Spain |newspaper=El País |publication-place=Madrid |place=Granada |language=es |date=2007-04-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612110556/https://elpais.com/sociedad/2007/04/20/actualidad/1177020002_850215.html |archive-date=2021-06-12 |url-status=deviated |access-date=2024-05-29}}
In 1999, while Pérez was serving as president of the Gender Identity Association, Andalusia became the country's first autonomous community to include gender affirming care and surgeries in its catalog of health services. In 2007, she was number 17 on the electoral list of the United Left in municipal elections for the Granada City Council, becoming the first trans woman to be part of an electoral candidacy in Spain.
In 2010, Pérez demanded that the government add an option for a neutral gender on official documents.{{Cite news |url=https://www.laopiniondezamora.es/sociedad/2010/03/18/piden-espana-instaure-genero-sexual-1500082.html |title=Piden que en España se instaure el género sexual neutro |trans-title=Asking That Neutral Sexual Gender be Established in Spain |newspaper=La Opinión-El Correo de Zamora |agency=EFE |language=es |date=2010-03-18 |access-date=2024-05-29}} In 2013, she chained herself to the doors of the Andalusian Parliament and began a hunger strike to protest a delay in the approval of the Comprehensive Transsexuality Law.{{Cite news |url=https://www.lavanguardia.com/local/sevilla/20130220/54366935611/la-presidenta-de-ata-se-encadenara-a-las-puertas-del-parlamento-en-protesta-por-la-retirada-de-la.html?facet=amp |title=La presidenta de ATA se encadenará a las puertas del Parlamento en protesta por la retirada de la Ley de Transexualidad |trans-title=The President of ATA Will Chain Herself to the Doors of Parliament in Protest Against the Withdrawal of the Transsexuality Law |newspaper=La Vanguardia |publication-place=Barcelona |place=Seville |agency=Europa Press |language=es |date=2013-02-20 |access-date=2024-05-29}} In 2019, she again went on a hunger strike to denounce far-right support for the Regional Government of Andalusia, saying that the Vox party's platform could result in a reduction in the rights of trans people.{{Cite news |url=http://www.elindependientedegranada.es/ciudadania/organizaciones-lgtbi-respaldan-kim-perez-rechazan-apoyo-ultraderecha-nuevo-gobierno |title=Organizaciones LGTBI respaldan a Kim Pérez y rechazan el 'apoyo de la ultraderecha' al nuevo Gobierno andaluz |trans-title=LGTBI Organizations Support Kim Pérez and Reject the "support of the extreme right" for the New Andalusian Government |newspaper=El Independiente de Granada |agency=Europa Press |language=es |date=2019-01-26 |access-date=2024-05-29}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.lasexta.com/noticias/sociedad/andalucia-activista-transexual-kim-perez-abandona-huelga-hambre-sufrir-desmayo_201901215c45c52b0cf2e2fb57810f09.html |title=La activista transexual Kim Pérez abandona la huelga de hambre tras sufrir un desmayo |trans-title=Transsexual Activist Kim Pérez Abandons Hunger Strike After Fainting |publisher=LaSexta |agency=EFE |place=Madrid |language=es |date=2019-01-21 |access-date=2024-05-29}}
Pérez died on 27 February 2025, at the age of 83.{{cite news |title=Fallece Kim Pérez, una de las figuras más destacadas en la lucha por los derechos de las personas trans en Granada |url=https://www.ideal.es/granada/fallece-kim-perez-figuras-destacadas-lucha-derechos-20250227115654-nt.html |access-date=27 February 2025 |publisher=Ideal |date=27 February 2025}}
Awards and recognition
- 2010 – FELGTBI+ Pen Award{{Cite news |url=https://amecopress.net/La-activista-trans-Kim-Perez-el-Diario-Digital-Transexual-y-la-politica-Ines-Sabanes-premios-Pluma-2010 |title=La activista trans Kim Pérez, el Diario Digital Transexual y la política Inés Sabanés, premios Pluma 2010 |trans-title=Trans Activist Kim Pérez, the Digital Transexual Newspaper, and Politician Inés Sabanés, Pluma 2010 Awards |publisher=AmecoPress |place=Madrid |language=es |date=2010-05-06 |access-date=2024-05-29}}
- 2017 – Gold medal of merit from the city of Granada{{Cite news |url=https://www.elindependientedegranada.es/ciudadania/kim-perez-medalla-oro-merito-ciudad-granada |title=Kim Pérez, medalla de Oro al Mérito de la Ciudad de Granada |trans-title=Kim Pérez, Gold Medal of Merit From the City of Granada |newspaper=El Independiente de Granada |language=es |date=2017-06-27 |access-date=2024-05-29}}
- 2017 – "Seniors of the Year" winner from the Ayuntamiento de Granada{{Cite news |url=https://www.lavanguardia.com/vida/20170330/421316554780/transexual-kim-perez-y-director-de-festival-de-tango-granada-mayores-del-ano.html |title=Transexual Kim Pérez y director de Festival de Tango Granada, mayores del año |trans-title=Transsexual Kim Pérez and Director of the Granada Tango Festival, Seniors of the Year |newspaper=La Vanguardia |publication-place=Barcelona |place=Granada |agency=EFE |language=es |date=2017-03-30 |access-date=2024-05-29}}
- 2018 – Herald of Granada's LGBT Pride Day{{Cite news |url=https://www.europapress.es/andalucia/noticia-granada-retoma-viernes-marcha-orgullo-lgtbi-kim-perez-pregonera-20180628194018.html |title=Granada retoma este viernes la marcha por el orgullo Lgtbi, con Kim Pérez como pregonera |trans-title=Granada Resumes the March for LGBTI Pride This Friday, With Kim Pérez as Herald |publisher=Europa Press |place=Granada |language=es |date=2018-06-28 |access-date=2024-05-29}}
- 2019 – COGAM Pink Triangle Award{{Cite news |url=https://www.eldiario.es/madrid/somos/chueca/la-plexy-premio-triangulo-chueca-del-cogam-2019_1_6416877.html |title=La Plexy, premio Triángulo Chueca del COGAM 2019 |trans-title=The Plexy, COGAM Chueca Triangle Award 2019 |newspaper=elDiario.es |publication-place=Spain |language=es |date=2019-06-12 |access-date=2024-05-29}}
References
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Category:21st-century Spanish LGBTQ people
Category:Academic staff of the University of Granada
Category:Spanish LGBTQ rights activists
Category:Spanish transgender women
Category:Spanish transgender writers
Category:Spanish women activists
Category:Transgender rights activists
Category:Transgender women writers