I started this week with camping! On Saturday morning I woke up and got everything together for the trip. Because I'm only traveling with my really, really large backpack and the day pack that comes along with it, I ended up looking like I was going on a 3 week trek, but it was fine. I packed bananas and avocados, tomatos, onions and bread for sandwiches and breakfast or for general consumption. I also brough Coke and Fernet, which is an Italian alcohol that is popular in Argentina, especially in Cordoba. It's really bitter but I like it, and it's something that I can't really get at home.
I took the Subway to Belgrano, the neighborhood next to mine, and met German and Martin at the train station. We took the train to Tigre, where we met the rest of the Gay Geeks.
There were 28 guys and me, and they couldn't have been nicer or more accomodating about everything, from getting my massive pack on the boat to my language limitations. There was a lot of Spanglish and repeating of sentences, and everyone was fabulous. There were lots of people from the party and picnic but some new people as well.
Hanging around outside the train station
Fabrizio with the tiger, who was there campaigning for Massa before the elections.
Waiting to get on the boat to go to the campsite.
Bitacora, captain of our tent group (shout out VeganLove) and the gorgeous Hana
On the way to the campsite
On the boat.
The trip was organized into different tent groups so that everybody had a place to sleep and knew it. I was in VeganLove with German, Pablo, Juan, Martin, and Christiano, who joined us the second day. Dinners were generally communal and there was a big tent in the middle with speakers so there was always music booming around the campsite. It was a popular weekend for camping so the grounds were full. On one side was a family and on another side was a group of people around our age.
The site had fields for volleyball and soccer, but the recent rain had flooded them. We spent lots of time talking and hanging out, playing Uno and other games, like Mafia, and cooking and eating.
It was lots of fun, and I got to talk to tons of really nice guys about a variety of topics, including visibility and queer theory and How I Met Your Mother and Game of Thrones.
One night, the manager of the camp came over to see how things were and also to request that we watch the PDA (not that there was anything gratuitous at all). Apparently one of the little girls at the site next to ours saw two guys hug and kiss and her dad complained to the manager, who told us that he had no problem with gays and had a group of 50 lesbians on his site at one point but wanted to keep a family reputation. Strangely the father next door did not complain about the three heterosexual couples who literally mud-wrestled each other while half naked.
This prompted an interesting discussion after dinner one night about whether or not we as a community should make a point to be visible or shouldn't "flaunt it."
It's an especially interesting conversation in a country where legally, LGBT people have excellent protection and equal rights. Because Argentina does not have the same kind of states' rights issues that we do, the law is the law, no matter the region. How it's implemented and its effectiveness might vary but those are regional issues that can be solved with time and there is legal force to move every reluctant province into place. It's not the same kind of fight here anymore. It's about the social problem, the homophobia that didn't disappear with the new laws. There were a variety of opinions and we drifted into conversation about social construction and religion as well. When it came to Pride, some people had never gone and found it unnecessary or uninteresting. Others went every year and couldn't wait.
This is my favorite part of the Watson, talking with people about their thoughts and experiences, learning about the diversity that exists in our community and being constantly challenged. This process is amazing and I benefit so much from it. In Spanish, when I have to move slowly and carefully through sentences that in English are easy and familiar, it's a whole new way to learn. I have to rethink everything in another language, find the words and the sentiment, find the tone without botching my accent so badly that nobody can understand me.
In Argentine Spanish there are lots of hand gestures. It's a carryover from the Italian influence here, which can be felt in a lot of the culture, from drinks like Fernet and food like milanesa (a sort of Argentine chicken parmesean made with beef) to the Chau and distinct speech patterns that slip into the language. There are words, like Che, that I still don't use because it doesn't feel like I'm there yet. But I love to watch and listen to my Argentine friends talk and debate, especially these issues, because I feel like I get to see and hear the discussion in a whole new way.
Setting up camp
End result
Hi Hana!
Hanging out around the campsite
Down by the river
In the field next to the campsite
Our tent (Sorry for the butt shot Martin)
By the fire
Cooking dinner. Generally everybody shared and we had lots of veggies and good things. One day there were hamburgers. I brought avocados but they disappeared. It was a mystery until I got home and unpacked. There they were hiding in my massive pack, over ripe and weirdly shaped. Sad.
Out looking for wood
I got home later in the day on Monday and rested for a bit. I didn't have a sleeping bag so I ended up being really cold at night and not sleeping the best. It didn't really matter because I had time to rest when I got home and the trip was great.
On Tuesday, I went to my classes and explored the city a bit. I like having to go to another place and being able to walk around and find new coffee shops or restaurants or whatever it may be.
In class, I asked for help editing the translation that I worked on while at the KPH. My professors were really helpful and now I have edits to send back to Poland and an essay edited by native speakers.
The next day, I had a meeting with Marcela, the president of ATTTA. I went to their offices to talk about trans rights in Argentina and activism in the city. Marcela talked to me about the history of ATTTA, which is now 20 years old. They have worked on issues of health and safety, and in a really big recent win, Argentina adopted what is essentially the most liberal gender identity law in the world in 2012. In Argentina, a trans person may change his or her legal gender simply by going to a court office. There is no need for a psych evaluation or surgery, which a shocking number of countries require, if they allow trans people this option at all. ATTTA is a national group with chapters in many provinces in Argentina and belongs to an international network of trans rights organizations.
Marcela discussed the relationship between ATTTA and LGBT organizations, noting that while these groups are allies and fight together, there is still an understanding that at times, one group needs to be front and center while the others play a supporting role. I thought this was a really healthy attitude, especially given how often certain groups are silences or put a rung or two down the ladder of importance in the US.
We talked about Pride and how important it is as a political tool and for visibility. Marcela showed me pictures of ATTTA chapters marching in different places around the country. It was a productive conversation, and I learned a lot. Thanks so much to Marcela for taking the time to talk to me.
The next day I went downtown to meet with Alan, the leader of CAPICUA, which is a newer group in the city. Although CAPICUA is open to everyone, their most recent projects have been about trans rights and trans health. Alan and others presented a book to doctors and medical professionals here in the city last Tuesday. They covered issues related to trans health, medical and social, in order to educate about trans issues and help doctors to better understand trans identity as something other than a disease or problem.
Alan and I also talked about identity politics and whether or not it was necessary. It was a really interesting discussion, especially given the legal differences here and at home. Alan told me that he feels like we should move away from labeling everything and let people be who they are without trying to diagnose or box every action or preference. This was especially true for him when discussing gender identity. Another member of CAPICUA had told me that he found his trans identity to be political so that sparked the discussion and it just kept going for quite a while over mate (an herb served in hot water and shared from the same cup at almost every Argentine gathering I've been to, two people or twenty). While I'm conflicted about labels and identity, I also feel like they're necessary in the fight at home.
When I was in Poland, someone at the KPH told me, "We do this, with the strict defintions now, because we have to. They can't understand us so we try to help them this way to move forward with our rights. Then we'll come back and tear it all down." It's a strange but familiar philosophy of activism, and I'm on board, at least for now. It will be nice when we get to the tear it all down part, though.
I went to class later that afternoon and afterward, there was a huge gathering. It was not at all unusual, especially with elections, but there were more people than I had seen before, so I went exploring and took some pictures.
Tail end of what was the march
In the Plaza
Another view
I also did laundry. I can't remember if I have talked about this before, but laundry here is an interesting process. I assumed that I could find a laundromat close to my house, and my landlord told me that yes, there was one just two blocks down. Unfortunately, they moved the day I brought my first bag, so I found another place not too far away. Unlike at home, laundromats here are not self-service. You bring your bag and can either choose to have your clothes washed or washed and dried and you come back the next day to pick up the clothes. Reading about how to do laundry here (the research you don't think about doing), someone wrote that there were very few self-service laundromats in the city as a whole. So I walk 10 or so blocks to drop it off and pick it up the next day. It works for me and it's the same price as if I were to do it myself, but I still feel weird leaving my dirty clothes for someone else. Anyway, I took a walk to pick up my bag and headed home to have a Skype date with Courtney.
On that note, long distance relationshipping is difficult but there are fun things to do. We ate dinner together and watched The Rainmaker and talked for a while. It was a good night, and I'm so thankful for Skype and that I'm able to stay connected in that way.
At the La Fulana meeting, the group announced that they have a new office! It's really close to the language school, on Avenida de Mayo. They haven't moved in yet officially but they will soon. As every week, the meeting starts with activism and then more people come for the social group afterward. This week Ana had horoscopes, which was fun. She read them aloud and then we talked for a while about different things.
I am getting better at buses! So I made it home myself and even got off at the right stop. Exciting business.
On Saturday, I went to Juventud FALGBT and Sigla meetings for the first time. They're in completely different parts of town so most of my day was spent in groups or traveling between them, and it was great.
Juventud FALGBT is the youth branch of the Federacion Argentina LGBT. They meet every Saturday in an office on Avenida de Mayo, in the same builing as the new La Fulana office, which I didn't realize until I got there. It's a gorgeous old building. I'll have to take pictures next time. Anyway, I met a few really nice people and we talked for a while. Everyone is starting to get ready for Pride, which is November 9th, and I'm excited to go next week and keep hearing these discussions.
After that, I went to Sigla. It turns out that I arrived really early, but it was fine and everyone was nice about it. They have several groups of interest that meet at the same time, but this week I went to the youth group. We met and walked to a building across the street to set up a projector and watch a few videos. There is a big anti-bullying campaign, so Alan asked us to give feedback about several videos to determine which ones will be shown in classrooms as part of the education process. There were videos from all over the world and touching on many LGBT issues and bullying generally. One was about a Ugandan lesbian, another about a boy who wanted to wear a dress to school. They showed the video from the US of the boy who wrote about his experiences on note cards. There were a few short films, including one about bullying and rape at a male boarding school. I really enjoyed the videos and the discussion.
It was a good way to close the week. I now have two new regular meetings to add to the weekly explorations and events.
This week I'm particularly thankful for:
1. Marcela and Alan for talking to me about their work
2. New opportunities and FALGBT and Sigla
3. The Gay Geeks and their hospitality and general awesomeness
I want Hana! She's adorable!
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