MEXICO CITY/RIO DE JANEIRO, April 24 (Openly) - When the coronavirus hit Brazil, transgender sex worker Aline saw her clients go from about 12 a week to zero. A month on and her money is running out.

"I turn tricks, I depend on the streets," said Aline, who asked that her real name not be used. "Now...I'm almost at my limit. Money-wise, I think I can hold on for another 15 days." Trade dried up when authorities in Belo Horizonte - the capital of Minas Gerais state in Brazil - issued a city-wide lockdown that emptied the streets Aline works by night.

Her predicament is increasingly common across Latin America, as strict lockdown rules deprive trans sex workers of income, medicine and sometimes even a home. In a region known for its macho culture, high levels of violence against women and religious conservativism, trans people regularly face discrimination, often making sex work one of the few stable jobs.

In Brazil, where prostitution is legal, about 90% of trans women are sex workers, according to TransVest, a local non-profit that helps trans women in Minas Gerais. In Mexico City, the government estimates there are about 7,000 sex workers: according to advocacy group Brigada Callejera, about a quarter of the city's sex workers are trans.

As authorities impose strict lockdowns to slow the virus - there are more than 100,000 cases confirmed across Latin America - many of these women are seeing their livelihood disappear. Read more via Openly/Reuters