2020
Mar Márquez Guardo
- Age: 23
- | She/Her/They/Them
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When we break the barriers of hatred and inequality that have been built in society, we will understand that we can all have the freedom to love and respect those around us. We can settle our differences through dialogue and resolve our problems through action.
- Mar Márquez Guardo
Bio
Mar Márquez is a black trans woman from the Colombian Caribbean. She is a political scientist and researches on race, gender, institutional design and deliberative democracy. Furthermore, she has worked as a consultant in behavioral public policy, programming with social norms, and communications for social and behavioral change.
She is currently the director of the laboratory for social learning and innovation in citizen culture: ‘Deliberar’.
Please share your biggest wins as an advocate for gender equality.
In my university's historic memory seedbed, we built a methodology for the reparation of LGBTQ+ survivors of the armed conflict, which allows these people to be repaired under a differential approach, and their victimizing acts are recognized according to the corresponding gender identity of every victim. On the Deliberar platform, we organized an impact project in the Olaya Herrera neighborhood of Cartagena, which is a vulnerable area and characterized by social inequality, where through a group of expert women, we trained 30 girls in the sector on their reproductive and sexual rights and about the role of women in politics and in society. In turn, these girls were left with the pedagogical tools to train and replicate the message with more women in their neighborhood.
Outside of your gender equality advocacy work, what do you enjoy doing?
In my free time I like to take photos. In fact, someday I want to publish a photography book. I also like to read books and write poems. When I'm with my boyfriend, I like to make desserts, try new recipes, and recreate famous Italian dishes. I really like going to the movies with my friends and sometimes enjoying making hamburgers and playing Xbox with my best friend. Also, sometimes I play Minecraft with my little brother since it is his favorite game.
Languages Spoken:
- Spanish (Advanced/Native)
- English (Intermediate)
Publications:
Speaks On:
- LGBTQ+ rights and empowerment
- building territorial peace frameworks in post-conflict Colombia
- male engagement
Past Awards, Certifications, or Fellowships:
- Student Leadership in the Framework of the Post-Conflict at Universidad Tecnológica de Bolívar
- Caribbean Pride and Talent Scholarship in the Political Science and International Relations Program at the Universidad Tecnológica de Bolívar
