Equality and freedom are not to be debated!

international | gender | press release Tuesday June 29, 2021 04:46 by Various anarchist organisations

International anarchist statement on the 52nd anniversary of the Stonewall-Riots

On 28 June 1969, cops arrived at the Stonewall Inn in New York. This bar is renowned in the gay, lesbian, bi and trans communities for welcoming even the most marginalised. As usual, the police spoils the party.

But the response was not long in coming: several thousand people – gay and trans folks and drag performers – confronted the police throughout the night. That very day and during five nights after that, a whole community stood up against injustice and police cruelty.

Pride marches as they now exist in many cities around the world every June, commemorate the Stonewall riots and serve to defend the rights of all people who do not fit into the narrow confines of cis-heterosexuality that the reactionaries would like to impose as a universal norm.

Unfortunately, we also commemorate this year the 5th anniversary of the Orlando attack, a mass homophobic, transphobic and racist shooting that took the lives of 49 people and left 59 injured in the United States. The fight is far from being over, as the violence against queer people increases in many countries. Fighting against queerphobia is fighting against mass violence. It is a necessity!

Homophobia is a stepping stone for fascism
In the best cases, rulers only pretend to prevent such violence when they are not, like in countries such as Russia, Hungary and others, actively reinforcing the legal repression on queer people. In Turkey, the fascist Erdoğan has banned all actions from the LGBTIAQ+ movement. A little picnic ended up harshly beaten by the cops. In other countries, far-right activists and hooligans do the dirty work for them. In France for instance, about 80 fascists attacked the Dyke March in Lyon who had gathered in April for lesbian pride and the right to access Assisted Reproductive Technology. Meanwhile in Brazil, Bolsonaro and his followers have been attacking queer people vocally, steering attacks from common people and hate groups against this population. The country that daily kills more trans people than any other place in the world, has a president that embraces and encourages homophobic and transphobic violence. This June, a 40 year old trans women was burned alive in downtown Recife, Pernambuco , a horrible crime we face everyday. These attacks are some among the many acts of homophobic and transphobic ideology, which is a stepping stone for nationalism and fascism.

Poor queer people suffer the worst
Although homophobia, transphobia and hate crimes affect the entire LGBTIAQ+ community, we must point out that it is the dissidents of the poorer sectors who are in the worst situation. In this sense, we can point out that discrimination and consequent exclusion still generates many difficulties today in accessing education, health care and good conditions of employment. Also, the brutality of sexist violence has an impact on a large number of transfemicides and violence focused on the queer community. Looking carefully at the statistics, especially in Latin America, most victims of hate crimes belong to the lower sectors, which are more exposed to prostitution, drug abuse, police persecution, informal work, etc. Also we can see how racist discrimination plays an important role. Queer people from Black, Indigenous or communities of Color are subjected to even more oppression on a daily basis. They are by the way very often forced to exile and to live in a sort of double clandestinity in the societies where they then settle.

Fighting queerphobia is part of the anarchist struggle
We defend the right for queer people as much as for everyone to move and settle where they want but as an international coordination, we also state that effectively combating queerphobia is not only about beautiful progressive speeches. It is a long and daily struggle for equal rights and against all homophobic and transphobic acts, comments and behaviours. Specifically, we have to continue the fight against the systemic oppression of queer people that manifests itself in the health system, in education and in so many more places. More broadly we have to fight against all oppressions, in order to develop a real solidarity against the oppressors.

Signatories
☆ Alternativa Libertaria/ Federazione dei Comunisti Anarchici (AL/FdCA) – Italy
☆ Αναρχική Ομοσπονδία - Anarchist Federation – Greece
☆ Aotearoa Workers Solidarity Movement (AWSM) – Aotearoa/New Zealand
☆ Coordenação Anarquista Brasileira (CAB) – Brazil
☆ Devrimci Anarşist Federasyon - Turkey
☆ Die Plattform - Anarchakommunistische Organisation – Germany
☆ Embat - Organització Llibertària de Catalunya – Catalonia
☆ Federación Anarquista de Rosario (FAR) – Argentina
☆ Federación Anarquista Uruguaya (FAU) – Uruguay
☆ Grupo Libertario Vía Libre – Colombia
☆ Libertäre Aktion – Switzerland
☆ Melbourne Anarchist Communist Group (MACG) – Australia
☆ Organisation Socialiste Libertaire – Suisse
☆ Organización Anarquista de Córdoba (OAC) – Argentina
☆ Organización Anarquista de Tucumán (OAT) – Argentina
☆ Roja y Negra - Organización Política Anarquista – Argentina
☆ Tekoşina Anarşist – Rojava
☆ Union Communiste Libertaire – France & Belgium
☆ Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Front (ZACF) – South Africa