Subject: I Argentinean Gathering of L/g/t/t From: ales@wamani.apc.org (Alejandra Sarda) Date: Tue, 16 Apr 96 08:39:32 ARG ESCRITA EN EL CUERPO - LESBIAN ARCHIVES AND LIBRARY Electronic news service I National Gathering of Lesbians, Gays, Transvestites, Transsexuals and Transgendered people. Rosario, Argentina - April 4-6 1996 May be the best definition of what this I Gathering meant for the activists who organized and enjoyed it were Marcelo Ferreyra (Gay & Lesbian Library - Biblioteca Gay Lesbica)'s words in the "Eroticism and Activism" workshop: "It's impossible to work as an activist if you don't create deep erotical links with other activists; without that energy, there is no way to act in order to transform this world". And those links were indeed created in this Gathering, filled with emotion from beginning to end, with a very high level of analysis and productivity in most workshops. 170 participants came from many Argentinean provinces, and also from Uruguay, Chile, USA and Germany. Fortunately, gay men, lesbians and transvestites attended in almost equal proportions. The organization (Arco Iris Group, from Rosario) was warm and perfect. On the first day, our appearances in the media were discussed and possible strategies to act in a coordinated way when facing the media world were devised at the "Media and Homosexuality"workshop (Gay & Lesbian Library), while lesbians met by themselves at "Hand in hand with our fears" a wonderful experiential workshop facilitated by the group Atreverse (SIGLA). In the afternoon, Enrique Asis facilitated a Visibility workshop where visible and invisible people shared their experiences, and unanimously agreed that visibility is increasingly becoming the best answer to violence. The ISIS Group confronted gays and a few lesbians with their own homophobia in two workshops "Prejudices and the others / Our own prejudices?". Mirta Molinari and Nestor Talento provoked deep reflections and strong emotivity in their "Lesbian mothers and Gay fathers" workshop. At night, transexuals and transvestites vehemently clashed during a round table on "Discrimination and transgender groups". A very scared Marcelo Ferreyra met with lesbians only to discuss the different strategies employed by gay men/lesbian groups in their shortcomings and advantages (and survived). The MCC brought peace to the hearts of the religious with its "What the Bible says and does not say about homosexuality". And that first day ended with two jewels: the Mothers, Fathers and Friends of Lesbians, from Chile, shared with us the work they had been doing for 4 years with mothers/fathers who started crying their fate and today facilitate workshops for young g/l to help them be honest with their parents. And the Argentinean Association of Transvestites (ATA) offered a performance called "A night at the police station" in which different types of transvestites and their hardships were superbly portrayed. In the debate that followed, a transexual provoked a heated debate when she justified police repression due to "bad behaviour" on the part of transvestites who are also sex workers. A majority agreed that transvestites are enduring the most violent repression because they blatantly demonstrate that the gender system that feeds all oppressions can and must be broken. The following day started with a round table on Prostitution (United Transvestites), a workshop on "The role of churches in the present times" and "Gay/lesbian ideology" a comprehensive view of the movement's history and emerging issues, by Argentinean Gay and Lesbian Integration Society (SIGLA). ATA facilitated a "Life stories" workshop where attendees obtained first hand information aimed at overcoming prejudices regarding transvestites. Our hosts softened us with an experiental workshop on sexuality called "From our feelings", while the Gay & Lesbian Library presented a very interesting analysis on different visibility/participation levels in the community and how to best relate to them. In the afternoon, Gays for Civil Rights provided advice and information on achievements through their workshop "Legal defence of sexual minorities'rights"; Lesbianas a la Vista chose drag and dramatizations to take our mutual prejudices into the open in "Gender diversity in the community"and the "Gay & Lesbian Youth" workshop was attended by around 40 diverse and committed youngsters from many parts of the country. Then, lesbians intertwined life stories under Escrita en el cuerpo's guidance; the Argentinean Homosexual Community (CHA) took on "Sexuality expressed through the arts" and Act Up Buenos Aires made us think, then provoked us and finally moved us to action with a chilling and bright workshop on "Living with HIV/AIDS". At night, while a very conflictive worshop on "New families" was taking place, most participants came together at the "Eroticism and Activism" workshop (Lesbianas a la Vista) that ended up as the Gathering's best synthesis. Originally devised for lesbians only, we decided to open it to all genders because the community spirit that had been already created so demanded. Gays, lesbians, transvestites, transgendered and androginous people worked side by side in a highly energetic environment, producing beautiful as well as provocative and revolutionary images and words. At night, 42 g/l/t spontaneously marched singing "Respect, respect, respect: gays and lesbians are walking the streets of Argentina" and "Gays, lesbians, transvestites, transexuals / all together fighting for national rights", before astonished passers by. The Gathering ended next day with a "Movement's balance and perspectives" where the prevalent feeling was that after many years of divisions (some of them needed as they helped particular sectors to become stronger, others caused by personalisms), we finally had a movement. With a few disagreements, consensus was reached on the need to set up the following priorities: the fight against police brutality, visibility as a value and commintment for all, horizontal and pluralistic alternatives instead of burocratized structures, absolute respect for each person's definition of her/his sexual identity, and the achievement of full citizenship for l/g/t people without that meaning to assimilate ourselves to a system we do not support nor have any interest in preserving. Many projects were born then, among them a community bulletin that will include local news and will be distributed through the whole country; several seminars to keep studying issues raised at the Gathering, facilitated by both libraries together; a Young G/L/T Gathering for next year, etc. We will all meet again in April 1997 in Salta, a northern Argentinean province where there are no organizations but an informal group including lesbians, gays and transvestites that had been celebrating Pride Day since 1986. We came back very happy, completely aware of the mistakes we are to overcome but also knowing that we will do the best we know and can to take care of this newly born community so it can expand to include increasingly more lesbians, gays, transvestites, transgender people, androgynous, and any other definition of identity that undermines the heterosexist dictatorship, a model for all others. Alejandra Sarda Piedras 1170 1ero.B (1070) Buenos Aires, Argentina Phones: (54 1) 931 96 48/307 66 56 Fax: (54 1) 956 24 38 E.mail: ales@wamani.apc.org Organizing Groups and their addresses: Act Up Buenos Aires (C.C. 143 Suc. 2 B - 1402 - Buenos Aires) AIDS Asociacion Travestis Argentinas (c/o Gays por los Derechos Civiles) Transvestites Biblioteca Gay Lesbica (Parana 157 - F - 1017, Buenos Aires) Library Caliban - Libreria Erotica Gay/Lesbica (Viamonte 1696 2do. 6, 1055, Buenos Aires) Bookstore Colectivo Arco Iris (Pte. Roca 663 Of. 5, 2000, Rosario, Santa Fe) Gays Colectivo Eros (Puan 480 PB, Buenos Aires) Gays Comunidad Homosexual Argentina (Rivadavia 2057 10mo. C, 1033, Buenos Aires) Gays Convocatoria Lesbiana (C.C. 3904, 1000, Correo Central, Buenos Aires) Lesbians Escrita en el Cuerpo (Piedras 1170, 1ero. B, 1070, Buenos Aires) Lesbian Library Gays por los Derechos Civiles (Virrey Cevallos 463 1ero. 6 Of. B, 1077, Buenos Aires) Grupo de Integracion Lesbica (c/o Escrita en el cuerpo) Lesbians Grupo Lambda (Agustinas 2085, Santiago de Chile) Mothers/Fathers Lesbianas a la Vista (c/o Escrita en el cuerpo) Lesbians Grupo NeXo (Virrey Cevallos 463 1ero. 6, Of.A, 1077, Buenos Aires) Magazine Iglesia Apostolica Liberal de Catolicos Disidentes (Roberto Arlt 1920, Del Viso, 1669,) Church Iglesia de la Comunidad Metropolitana (Don Bosco 3428 7mo 23, 1206, Buenos Aires) Church ISIS, (C.C. 364, Suc. 25 , 1425, Buenos Aires) Gays Red Global de Personas Viviendo con VIH/SIDA (c/o Act Up) AIDS Sociedad de Integracion Gay Lesbica Argentina (Parana 122 2do, 1017, Buenos Aires) Mixed Travestis Unidas (C.C. 103, Suc. 3 B, 1403, Buenos Aires) Transvestites ****************************************************************************** * To subscribe to QUEERPLANET, send mail to: majordomo@abacus.oxy.edu * * In the mail message, enter ONLY the words: subscribe queerplanet * * To unsubscribe to QUEERPLANET, send mail to: majordomo@abacus.oxy.edu * * In the mail message, enter ONLY the words: unsubscribe queerplanet * * Words in the Subject: line are NOT processed! * ******************************************************************************