Under the guise of “defending women“, reactionary institutions, as well as Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminists (TERF’s), use arguments built on fallacies and transphobia. They claim that trans women seek to invade ‘feminine’ spaces or benefit from work quotas. Nothing could be further from the truth: studies show that transgender people are precisely those who face the greatest barriers to accessing the labour market, occupy the most precarious jobs, and suffer high levels of social exclusion. Most are even forced to hide their identity for fear of harassment and discrimination.
This reactionary agenda is driven by the far-right, but supported by institutions and the media. Figures such as Milei or Trump pathologize dissent, expel trans people from public office, and openly call for fighting ‘gender ideology’ and the ‘Woke Agenda’. In Europe, governments such as Hungary’s ban Pride demonstrations outright, to the silence and inaction of supposedly progressive parties.
Even in spaces considered representative for LGBTQIA+ people, such as Eurovision (a TV contest widely followed by LGBTQIA+ people), censorship measures are applied that give in to hate speech. A few weeks ago, performers were banned from showing Queer flags to “avoid political messages“, whilst at the same time the State of Israel is allowed to participate in the midst of its accelerated genocide in Gaza.
The alignment of the mass media and the political and judicial powers with reactionary discourses has direct and fatal consequences. Social networks become breeding grounds for LGBTIphobic campaigns that encourage violence, and this violence does not remain symbolic: it is retransmitted, normalised, and celebrated, making the aggressors feel unpunished. We cannot forget the murder of Samuel, in A Coruña in 2021, or the recent transfeminicide of Sara Millerey in Colombia, tortured and murdered, whilst everything was recorded on video and broadcast on networks. These acts of violence are not isolated events: they are the direct result of the hatred that is promoted by institutions and amplified by the media.
No woman comrade is left behind: in the face of the constant attack on our material conditions and our existence, it is time to organise. Against cisheteropatriarchy and capitalism, let us build the revolutionary party that will allow us to conquer affective, sexual and gender liberation.
