Between October 11 and 13, 2024, we had the opportunity to accompany, listen to and learn from more than 80 thousand women and sexual and gender dissidents. With strength and despite a severe economic crisis, they flooded the streets of San Salvador de Jujuy, a providence located in northern Argentina, during the 37th Plurinational Gathering of Women, Lesbians, Trans, Travestis, Bisexual, Intersex and Non-Binary people.
As UAF-LAC, we experienced this moment as a reminder that feminist movements have the strength to resist and counteract extremely adverse contexts. The movements, networks and collectives are the ones facing the far-right’s arrival to power. A fascist government that was installed after Milei came to power in December 2023, and whose first measures included the closure of the Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity.
On this occasion, the gathering moved to Jujuy, a province where resistance to the dispossession of natural resources and extractivism is rooted. The main reason for this was the Jujeñazo, a movement that began in June 2023 with the demand for increasing salaries for teaching staff; and later led the Jujeño people to the streets to oppose the constitutional reform, which represented a backslide in the recognition of rights and self-determination and the participation of people in all matters related to their territories.
In addition to the people’s struggle against extractivism, the organizing commission told us that the Gathering accompanied the demand for justice for the femicides in the province. In 2023, feminists achieved convictions for the femicides of Marina Patagua, Lara, Rueda, Camila Peñalba, Alejandra Álvarez, Petania Palacios and Gabriela Cruz, but the gender-based violence and femicides are still present.
Those of us who travelled to the gathering as part of the team had the opportunity to participate through active listening in some of the 103 workshops that were held that were distributed in 16 thematic areas such as: activism and organizing, nations, indigenous peoples and their territories, education, science and technology, among others. The objective of these collective spaces was to articulate join action plans around common concerns.
A common thread in the discussions that took place was of the hate, hunger and violence that millions of people in this country suffer. This enabled us to learn about the strategies that are being carried out by feminist movements to face this moment, and in this way to have the necessary reflections that allow us to continue providing a close response to the crises.
In the streets, schools, university classrooms, public squares and restaurants the Argentinian feminist flame that has inspired all of Abya Yala was lit once more. “Beware, beware, fascists beware, all of Latin America is going to be feminist” was one of the chants that we heard the most during the massive march which we participated in together with collectives that we have been able to support. Same as every year, our support guaranteed the safe and careful participation of several of their members.
We want to thank those who mobilized, exchanged their experiences, debated and planned collective strategies to face the advance of the far-right for all the inspiration and hope they gave us. With rage and joy, the transfeminist movement in Argentina reminded us that it will continue to fight.