Chronic of the XI Latin American and The Caribbean Feminist Meeting (March 16 th to 20 th, Mexico City)

We registered into the XI Latin American and The Caribbean Feminist Meeting the final days of December with great expectation. Then we checked in a workshop named “Feminism, transgenerity and fundamentalism” and also were in contact with other trans partners that would join us: Lohana Berkins from Argentina, Vicky Yañez from Chile, and Amaranta Gómez from México.

The first day of the meeting we stood up very early in the front of the gate; all the assistants were making line in the door of the Ex Regina Convent. Suddenly some of us started singing “Alert, alert, alert, feminist tranvestite are walking for Latin America” (“Alerta, alerta, alerta, que caminan travestis feministas por América Latina”); “We have to see this government, it walks in circles around transvestites, women walking forward and a government walking backward” (“Hay que ver este gobierno, las vueltas que da, con travestis, mujeres que caminan pa' delante, y un gobierno que camina pa' atrás”); “It is well known that priests are the ones that forbid abortion and who abuse children” (“Se sabía, se sabía, prohíben el aborto los curas abusadores de menores”); “To the Apostolic and Roman Church that want to get in our beds we said that we want to be whore, tranvestite and lesbian” (“A la Iglesia Apostólica y Romana que se quiere meter en nuestras camas, le decimos que si nos da la gana de ser putas, travestis y lesbianas”). Songs went on until we enter to the auditorium.

We had some doubts about the way we were received; we knew our presence was polemic. We think it was very interesting the participation and inner evaluation through the character of “La pollito” that said to the audiences about the problems in the organization of the event and also the critics that autonomies feminists said after that. We think this is an exercise of tolerance and respect of plurality.

In the next days we felt that the feminist meeting was our space. At the beginnning we were wondering if we were in the right place and if we were well received. At the end we really felt it was our space because we thought it was a live space, not a finished and closed space. We think the feminist meeting is a space for fighting, dialogue, discussion, investigation, questions to the inequity, and also a proposal for dream, inclusion and the construction of a new world about human condition, justice, freedom, solidarity and equality. All this ideas have been part of the in the social movement history in which women got part with illusion and as then they were pulled apart, the chauvinist power comes back to oppress and limit our lives.

Some trans partners as Tatiana from Chile and Sharloth from Nicaragua, and also Lohana Berkins, were rejected by some autonomous feminist, that are against trans presence in the meeting. This generate that Tatiana declare to the media the problems and discrimination they were suffering because she thought that was discrimination and also actions against her rights. Those declarations were not to share with others about us because we consider the meeting must be a space for discussion and for the polemic.

In the round table and discussion groups we talked about fundamentalism that is a concept created to around a religious stage but now it is also used to talk about economy, science and culture. Fundamentalism has deleted the freedom to the diversity. Feminism had inserted certain definite concept of “diversity” when it includes lesbian, bisexuals, intersex and trans people. Rights are win, now we have to use them.

The last plenary session was very meaningful because after were presented proposal and feminist strategies, the space was opened for all groups that were part of the meeting. They made declarations of principles. Also trans activism declared what would have been read that day. Before of , there were the young movement, lesbian, bisexual, sexual workers, journalist, and so on. It was an ovation for our presence and with that we finished our gathering to the feminist movement. Our fears were dismissed, our expectations were full. In this process we grew up and got stronger as a feminist movement against fundamentalism and against all kind of discrimination. This is the fight of trans population and not only the desire of it.

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