Trans activist Dominique Rebel Saint-Vil of OTRAH (Organisation Trans d’Haïti) is surviving — barely — in her beleaguered, impoverished gang-controlled nation. In the following interview, she describes her exile in her own country, prey to armed gang violence that reigns supreme over a nation that hasn’t had a president for over two and a half years, and that hasn’t held elections since November 20, 2016. The last elections for members of Haiti’s parliament date back to October 2015, in a country where parliament has not been functional since January 13, 2020. Dominique notes that Haiti’s violence does not affect everyone in the same way. Its impact depends on people’s skin color, because of the painful colorist dividing lines between mulattos and blacks. Those with lighter skin enjoy greater privileges, as has been the case in Haiti since independence in 1804.