â Mogai ABCs Event | Day 03 â Letter C
Culture
How does your culture influence your identity, if at all?
Itâs engrained in me. Itâs entirely infused into my identity in all levels and layers. I know for a fact I would not be the same person if I had been born or lived somewhere else.
For context, Iâm latino. Iâm from Argentina, born, raised, resident. I live here and will continue to do so for as long as I can, as I genuinely unironically love to be here. In fact, when it comes to queer and/or trans rights, we have more laws in place in comparison to several first-world countries, with one of the best laws for the protection of trans identities in the continent. We were even the first country in latam with an X sex marker for our IDs (something the current right-wing president wants to delete, mind you). The queer community here is large and strong, and its history can be traced back even before Stonewall, and even further back if we count the indigenous communities that live here to this day. Everything I have today I owe to travestis, and I cannot take it for granted. Once you learn about those who came before you, itâs impossible to let go.
Iâve studied English all my life because itâs a language Iâve always liked, but also because here itâs seen as mandatory. You NEED to know English for a chance at a âbetter lifeâ; I was raised believing at some point I had to move abroad or else I wouldnât succeed. I even thought, for the longest time, that I could only study my career in the US (newsflash: thatâs a lie). Why am I sharing all this? Well, when I first learnt about the word ânonbinaryâ, I thought it only existed in English. Not only the term itself, but also the concept, the identity. I thought my only chance to be myself fully was in another language, another country, another culture entirely.
It wasnât until the last few years of high school that I found queer people from Argentina on social media, some of which I ended up crossing paths with in real life. I was lucky to meet trans and nonbinary people in spaces I frequented related to my interests, and as I got older I was able to hang out at queer spaces and events here in my city more and more often. Turns out they were always there, as they had been before me. They were only waiting to be found. All throughout these aforementioned years I took the time to learn about queer Argentinian history, about the community I thought wasnât fully for me. I realized then and realize now how similar we are. I have to bring up travestis again here. They were for the longest time the closest to a transgender person that the general public could understand, and itâs because of them that here in Argentina so many people know what a trans woman is. Despite being criminalized and killed by police for years, theyâve stayed strong and are the unwavering pillar of the Argentinian queer community.
Whether youâre against it or support it, queerness is a fact of life here. One of the most respected childrenâs book writers in the entire country is MarĂa Elena Walsh, who was a lesbian. I grew up with her stories and songs, as many (If not all) Argentinian kids of my generation did. In 2018, there was a prime time comedy-telenovela called "100 Dias Para Enamorarse" (which I highly recommend) where one of the most important plotlines is the story of a trans man character, including his transition. Even when I was little I knew what being transgender is thanks to an incredibly accomplished trans woman called Florencia de La V; sheâs an important figure in Argentinaâs pop culture to this day. Itâs this experience of ânormalcyâ despite the push back, of standing your ground and existing, that in my opinion has shaped who I am since forever. Growing up, you learn that you just have to Be You, no matter if they beat you or take you to jail. You just have to fight back.
This has become too lengthy and wordy, and I apologize. I had the utmost pleasure of meeting and chatting in person with a 50-year-old nonbinary person the other day, and it moved me deeply how we both had the same mentality of âI exist, and Iâm willing to die for my existenceâ, which is something so culturally Argentinian. After all, never forget the infamous coup dâĂŠtat was launched to persecute and kill anyone who opposed the regime, especially leftist activists, or the fact we became a nation by fighting Spain. Being Argentinian feels like a constant fight for existence and survival, in one way or another, and it is part of who I am. Specially as a queer trans leftist being.
Last note, I know most links are Wikipedia. This is entirely for simplicity's sake. I encourage any readers to seek out further information if interested in such topics. My inbox is open as well.
Thanks for reading !
Event by @dragonpride17 | Dividers .