We insist that we are no longer a partnership or a collective. We went, yeah. We didn't have a collective way of being activist transmaribibollos (no, we're not very supportive of individual activism). We leverage the partnership to bill.
But in 2020, we went from being associations to being cooperatives. Or the same thing, we go from being social agents to being companies. Not for profit and social initiative, yes, but a company.
In Euskal Herria, we have very powerful socio-political movements. And a very active association. But let us not fool ourselves, many associations act as companies. And this can confuse, even sometimes contradictory.
And we are just no less than that contradiction and confusion. Hence our clear commitment to militancy in Ehgam (Sexual Liberation Movement of the Basque Country) and to working in the Hiruki Larroxa Cooperative. Because we needed to distinguish between activism and paid work or professional background.
However, it is very difficult. Not only because the line separating militancy and paid work is very diffuse for those of us who work in the sociocultural field. But because we have to be constantly changing hats: "Now I come as an activist!" or "Now I come as a professional!" with repeated sentences.
As a consequence of the institutionalization of our struggles, we are contributing to the distortion and emptying of political discourses and the disarticulation of popular movements
Yes, we prefer to make that effort and not fall into potentially dangerous dynamics. Because activism has to be street. And unfortunately, we're going through our social struggles from the street to the office and from the office to the institution. Danger there. A real risk.
And that is, as a consequence of the professionalization and institutionalization of our struggles, we erupt and empty political speeches, we praise professional politicians, we abandon the assembly dynamics and, worse still, we help to disarticulate popular movements.
Therefore, as a cooperative, we must be critical, consistent and step back. Respect the spaces of street activism and popular movements.
In our case, for example, and being a transfeminist cooperative, we are not going to participate in the organization of 17 May of the neighborhood or 28 June we have to avoid statements in the media.
Surely a difficult effort, of course, but necessary. Political (and professional) responsibility.