When the wardrobe, history and memory ends
- Ehgam members have started a cycle to reinvent the Basque Country’s Sexual Liberation movement, with the aim of bringing together new people and developing a joint roadmap (we have seen in this report). The cycle, called Post-Coronavirus Sexual Liberation (KOSA), has organized several talks to the great event that will take place on November 6 in Bilbao. Here we will collect the chronicles of them. This is the first, on October 27, in the gaztetxe of Arrasate. In relation to the act to which the book refers.
When does the wardrobe end? on the back cover of the book, we can read the following: "Errors have not been taken into account for historical reasons. They didn't want to ask us, and when we created it with our voice and our hand, it's been erased. And instead, one and the only rule not written on paper, the heteronorma, has written it cutting and healing in our bodies."
And, precisely, on the occasion of LGBT+ memory, the first day of the reflection cycle "Kosa" held in the gaztetxe de Arrasate served us to deepen the elaboration of our own much-needed memory.
How do we understand and associate historical memory with? Who wrote it? What have been the milestones of the sexual liberation movement? What can we learn from our trajectory? Do we have enough resources to create our genealogy? And above all, what can Ehgam do about this?
Memory, as an exercise of recognition and knowledge of what has happened in history, is usually a concept linked to warlike contexts. In our case, especially in the civil war of 36, Franco or the armed struggle of ETA.
But vulnerable, marginalized and silenced groups live daily violations of multiple rights, conflicts and "wars", and history has done little in its recognition. It goes without saying that among these groups there are also generic sexual dissidents and, therefore, a movement for sexual liberation.
Therefore, in the Arrasate meeting, on the one hand, the need for more historiographical works to help complete the puzzle of our genealogy was stressed. Also the potential to perform these memory exercises at a more local level.
In fact, the strategies that have been created and implemented by the peoples to face the cishetero-norm are key when it comes to creating a more localized and accurate narrative of our history.
Vulnerable, marginalized and silenced groups live daily violations of multiple rights, conflicts and "wars", and history has done little in their recognition
How to Look at History
A preparation of the memory whose truthfulness will not be continually questioned. Because the hegemonic discourse also establishes the hegemonic view of history. And we, errors, beyond this and individuality, have a direct responsibility to gather collective stories and to build collective history. Undoubtedly, sewing local realities into a wider fabric of memory.
On the other hand, we also talk about the need to recognize the work of those who have placed their body in the front line of the fighting trenches. That is, to make known the steps taken by our ancestors and the legacy that they have left us. Not only to bring to light its historic demands and achievements. But today they are a benchmark for the LGBT+ community.
Even though our ancestors have taken steps in social transformation, from one milestone to another, behind them continue hidden efforts, debates, consensus, collisions, experiences, emotions and many stories. And in a way, we have to get that collective experience to become the foundation of the struggles of the offspring.
We are convinced, therefore, that one of our greatest challenges is to get the work of memory to get rid of the logic and claws of the shetero-ruler. On the road to truly stimulating villages for the dissidents sexes and genders, obtaining the compass of memory will allow us to open many hiking trails.
And in this field, of course, Ehgam has a lot to contribute.
* Ehgam Berramestuz initiative
