TRANSPHOBIA AT EXARCHIA AND ELSEWHERE (AND EVERYWHERE!)
Last Friday, late at night, two trans women (members of queer trans) were subjected to verbal attacks and threats by several men at Exarcheia. Their silence was gold. Possibly! Had they answered or reacted, there would be another beating in front of the astonished regular guests of the square. How many of us would have reacted? How many would take a stand? This incident is just another reason to remind ourselves that being a trans is something that we need to justify, to defend, to be punished for, to have a good alibi, to have our eyes open, never walk around alone and generally to be very careful. This gives a representative example of women’s role in our society and the need for a feminist and anti-fascist education.
The very next day, at the Panepistimioy metro station at 6pm inside the wagon, a trans woman, who did not remain silent during a transphobic attack, was brutally beaten and publicly humiliated by a group of individuals. These incidents constitute us extremely careful in every step we take.And as long as non-trans or non LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi) persons do not respond to transphobic or homophobic attacks thinking that “ok, society is much more tolerant in comparison to 20 years ago”, we know that we are in danger only because we exist.
We are in danger from those who see us as something abnormal or miasms, nature’s errors, a threat to their repressed sexuality, bad example for their kids, bad reputation for their apartments blocks and their neighbourhood, a blasphemy for their religious tentacles, an ugly spectacle in their shops, unwanted in their squares. We are in danger because we are trans within a patriarchical heteronormal society that the past few years, using the economic crisis of the capitalist system as an excuse, slides to po
int that everyone turns against each other and justifies fascist attacks because some of us “provoke”, some do not look like them. They do not like those “some” because they do not speak the same language, and some of them even have different skin colour.
Who owns the squares? If not to everyone, then they do not belong to anyone.
The assemblies of our group take place in the Feminist Centre, close by the square.
We hang out at the square minimum once a week. Members of our group live in Exarchia.
We do not want to be in danger, we do not want to be afraid, we do not want to hide.
We decided to take minimum action, to arrange a protest against transphobia at Exarchia square on Saturday 25th of January at 5pm. We contacted collectives at Exarchia and lgbtq groupsm and we call out to anyone who wants to stand beside us consciously against discrimination and exclusion, bullying, police razzias, beatings, social isolation, economic impoverishment and so on.
Source: QueerTrans http://queertrans.espiv.net/