By word of Mouth and the Power of Language: Cambiar el Idioma (To change the Language)


See the source image  By: Amiya Turner Ochy Curiel is an inspiring Afro-Dominican lesbian, feminist, anti-racist, decolonial, singer, and scholar-activist whom intrigues me and is a prime example of what our blog represents. The self defined feminista negra lesbiana autónoma (autonomous black lesbian feminist) is one of the founding leaders in the contemporary Afrolatinx feminist movement in Latin America. Curiel enforces that lesbianism is a political position rather than a sexual preference or orientation. I think this is important to understanding why stigmas around the LGBTQ+ community have lasted, partly because of the political backing. Ochy Curiel is part of Grupo Latinoamericano de Estudio, Formación y Acción Feminista (GLEFAS, Latin-American group of study, formation and feminist action) founded by Afro Dominican feminist activist Yuderkys Espinosa Miñoso in 2007. They recuperate the history of Latin-American feminism that has remained hidden due to dominant and white feminist narratives. She points out that afrolatinxs’ experiences are impacted not only by the legacy of slavery, but also colonialism. This sets up a framework for acknowledging the colonial legacy of racism and homophobia. As Lao-Montes pointed out in her paper Afro-Latin American Feminisms at the Cutting Edge of Emerging Political-Epistemic Movements, “Afro-Latin feminism is bringing sexual politics to the forefront of the politics of Black liberation.” This means that the rise of movements from one aspect of identity can lead to improvements in other areas since they overlap, i.e. intersectionality. You can’t effectively disregard one aspect of identity to uplift another. Therefore intersectionality is a key component to creating a more equitable society.  This involves Europeans and other latins in fighting colonialism, instead of it being a black or afro-latin issue, but involves Europeans and other latins with the inclusion of colonialism. 
 She has even said “No es lo mismo citar a Judith Butler que a Ochy Curiel en la tesis”, which translates to ``It's not the same to cite Judith Butler in your thesis as it is to cite Ochy Curiel.” Her statement calls out the difference amongst women fighting for the same thing. The fact that both women fight for gender equality is not the same because Curiel also faces a racial discrimination. Butler is already at an advantage because she is white. This means that both feminist may encounter sexism, but Ochy can face racism on top of that because she is of African descent and her skin color shows it. She can not ignore her race because it then goes into understanding her struggle as a Black/Latin woman which has a different story than a white woman. By ignoring race you ignore a complex story of feminism.  
Curiel pushes back on la nación heterosexual, heterosexual nation, the underlying heteronormative ideals that are thoroughly interwoven in politics and society as a whole, negatively impacting women, specifically lesbian women. It should be noted that they both are women who are fighting for the same thing, but the public reception is different based on their own identity. It is also going to take a change on a political stage to make a marginal difference in acceptance and equality showing an overlap in social and political realms. Curiel even gives a plan for deconstructing colonial influence, while recognizing that it won’t happen immediately. She highlights that an integral part is first to resurface a definition of feminism that doesn’t exclude based on race or ignore intersectionality, which will then allow for acknowledgment of the diversity of latin america. I think this is a small yet worthy step. If we are able to first create a more inclusive language, then we can lean towards a more inclusive space that acknowledges diversity. 

Sources: 
Lao-Montes, Agustín. Meridians Afro-Latin American Feminisms at the Cutting Edge of Emerging Political-Epistemic Movements 1  https://search-proquest-com.ccl.idm.oclc.org/genderwatch/docview/1880680032/1E7F89911CB64F8CPQ/1?accountid=10141 

I'm Emily Ortiz, a freshman at Claremont McKenna College, and one of the co-founders. I'm a first-generation Mexican-American, so I have always been invested in the history of Latin America. I began to notice, however, that Latin America was often treated as a monolith, instead of the incredibly diverse and beautifully complicated countries they are. As I discovered more about myself too, I became invested in the LGBTQ+ movements, not only in the U.S., but in the various Latin American countries, as well. In the very little research I conducted, I could never find much information on pre-colonial views on sex and sexuality. Because access to information brings power, and silence on issues contributes to oppression, I believe this blog should serve as a space to learn and connect with people who are just as invested in learning more about their history.

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