Information Collected to Counter a Feeling of Loneliness Escrita en el Cuerpo, Lesbian, Bisexual and Different Women's Archives and Library in Buenos Aires, Argentina By Robertine Romeny ©

The fascinating subtitle of "Escrita en el Cuerpo" is "Lesbian, Bisexual and Different Women's Archives and Library". This specialized library was established relatively recently in Argentina, where it operates against the background of the ever-present threat of censure and military violence. Escrita's militant character is a reflection of its society. In addition to collecting information and making this accessible to users, Escrita is engaged in writing history. The organization aims to supply the whole of society with information on lesbianism, bisexuality and transsexuality.
This article is based on information from Alejandra Sarda, one of the workers at Escrita (July 1998).

History

Escrita en el Cuerpo (Written on the Body) was established in 1995, when lesbian-feminist groups decided they needed to collect and disseminate information on their own history. Alejandra Sarda: "Familiarizing ourselves with and disseminating knowledge of our own history is a way of fighting against the loneliness that many women with a different sexual preference feel. It's important to be aware that there have always been women who felt what we feel now, and that we constitute part of a history. Disseminating information on lesbian, bisexual and 'different women' is also a way of fighting homophobia in society."
Transgendered women in Argentina call themselves "Different Women". Contact between "different women" and feminists has proved valuable and rewarding to both parties. The feminists have learnt a lot from the transgendered women about how gender is structured and the complexity of the power structures governing women's lives.
One of the greatest threats to Escrita is censorship. "If our country was to return to the situation as it was under dictator-ship, we would no longer be able to continue our work." Another problem is the poor economic situation; limited financial resources make it difficult for Escrita to expand its collection, and lack of money often makes it difficult for women to be able to visit Escrita.
Escrita's workers regret that they will die before being able to read all the rich and diverse information about lesbian and bisexual women from all over the world.

Political and economic situation

Argentina has had a democracy since 1984, but the country was under dictatorship for so long that the democracy is weak and fragile. The ex-army members responsible for the most serious human rights violations are still free. This impunity has an adverse effect on people's faith in the legal system and also makes them feel exposed to violence, as the offenders are still active, either within the police force or within paramilitary gangs.
The economic situation in Argentina is extremely poor; the "structural adjustments" implemented since 1989 have led to unemployment figures of around 20%. Everything that had been achieved this century in the area of workers rights has now been undone. There is little employment, the work available is badly paid and there are few social benefits.
Because the government is withdrawing from important sectors such as education and health care, illiteracy is increasing at an enormous rate and diseases such as leprosy and tuberculosis that had long since disappeared are re-emerging.

  Position of lesbian women

Since 1995, lesbian women as a group are more visible than ever before. However, most lesbians hide their sexual preference from their family and work, as discrimination is still a problem. In the two largest cities in Argentina, Buenos Aires and Rosario, anti-discriminatory bylaws are in place which cover discrimination on the grounds of sexual preference. A national law may be introduced this year. There are various lesbian and gay magazines and groups offering a wide range of activities, including discussion groups, cultural and social events, aids prevention etc.

Collection

The collection contains books (approximately 150), original and/or translated articles (around 400), magazines (around 400 titles) folders from groups from all over the world (around 150), videos (about 20), photos from 1990 onwards (eight albums full), cassettes containing life stories, records of discussion groups and accounts of political actions (about 100).
"We are very proud of our cassettes of the life stories of thirteen Argentinian-born lesbian women. With the help of these cassettes we wrote a book, 'No soy un bomero, pero tampoco ando con puntillas' (I'm not a firefighter, but neither do I dress in lace), which will be published soon."
Escrita employs various criteria when buying and selecting material. Sarda: "We accept everything we are given by and about lesbian, bisexual and different women, even if it gives a negative portrayal. That kind of thing can be useful, for example, in work-shops in which we train activists how to challenge homophobic arguments. When we are buying ourselves, we give priority to areas we have little material on and information which someone has requested."
The information the most in demand is general material about lesbians and bisexuality, the law in other countries, literature on women's love relationships, specific health issues such as aids and STD (sexually transmitted diseases) and on the relationship between religion (catholicism) and homosexuality.

  Target group

In addition to lesbian, bisexual and "different women", Escrita sees the whole of society as its target group. "By aiming to reach as many people as possible, we help make life easier for many lesbian and bisexual women."
Visitors to Escrita are lesbian and bisexual women wanting to know more about the group they belong to, school children, students doing research or working on their dissertation, journalists, teachers, women's groups in general and human rights organizations.

Coalitions

Escrita's vision reflects life in a fake democracy. "Our feminism is inextricably bound up with our experience as Latin American and lesbian/bisexual women. We therefore see categories of people excluded from mainstream society as complex. Class, nationality, religion and ethnic origin all play a role and interact. We do not enter coalitions on the basis of identity, but on shared values. We feel more affinity with heterosexual men and women who stand up for human rights and peace, than with homosexual men and women who advocate private ownership and militarism."
Wide-spread corruption in Argentinian society is another factor which makes Escrita careful about how it chooses its partners. The organizations and individuals it cooperates with have generally proved themselves to be trustworthy and to have a positive attitude with regards to the rights of women and sexual minorities. Escrita works closely with the human rights movement, participating especially in campaigns against police violence.
On an international level, Escrita exchanges information and holds ongoing discussions with the Centro of Documentatión y Archivo Histórico Nancy Cardenas in Mexico and Arrow in Malaysia.

Activities

Escrita organizes workshops for lesbian, bisexual and trans- gendered women on subjects such as sex/gender models, theories of homosexuality and models for action. There are also more practical oriented workshops for activists in general on subjects such as human rights, debating and organizational development. For secondary schools, community centres and women's organizations Escrita holds workshops on sexual preference and human rights.
Besides their book on lesbian history, Escrita has published a book for educational purposes, titled Todo lo que usted creia saber sobre las lesbianas...y no era cierto (everything you thought you knew about lesbian women .....and was wrong). The book examines everyday myths about lesbian women in simple and straightforward language. "Three editions of 2000 copies each have been published," Sarda says proudly. "We have planned similar books on bisexuality, sexual preference and human rights. We use them ourselves in our workshops and other events aimed at providing information. We also know that each book is read by many people and that there are teachers who use them in their lessons".
Alejandra Sarda gives a moving example: "We met a school teacher from a poor province a long distance from Buenos Aires at one of our meetings. We sent her material to help her discuss lesbian love with her pupils. She later sent us several lovely letters with drawings and remarks made by her pupils in response to our material."

  Funding and personnel

Almost all of Escrita's material was obtained through gifts. Escrita receives financial support from funding agencies such as the Global Fund for Women and Mama Cash. Six people work at Escrita, all on a voluntary basis.

Escrita en el Cuerpo, Women's Archives and Library, Argentina
Contact person: Alejandra Sarda
Tel: # 54 1 5810179
Fax: # 54 1 3829095
E-mail: ales@wamani.apc.org

For questions or more information please contact: mapping@iiav.nl
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