"We want to remember our butterfly by taking over the town square with all the passion and madness of our trans fury." They ask attendees to bring flowers and butterflies. (#BUENOSAIRES) – "In commemoration of our butterfly commander, Lohana Berkins, on the first anniversary of her flight to the red sky, we await you with your butterfly and your flower!" says the invitation for the Lohana Berkins Cultural Day on Sunday, February 5th at 6 pm in Plaza de Mayo. It will be a gathering of trans culture and art: "We want to remember our butterfly by taking over the town square with all the passion and madness of our trans fury." On Monday the 6th, another tribute to Lohana will be held at the Tierra Violeta Cultural Center (Tacuarí 538, CABA) at 6:30 pm. The organizers ask attendees to come to Plaza de Mayo with butterflies bearing Lohana's quotes, memories, or wishes, and with flowers. The goal is to weave them into a circle around the pyramid, continuing along Avenida de Mayo, like a ritual on the path Lohana Berkins so often traced. Among the various tributes taking place these days, last week, during the launch of the Mocha Celis High School's summer courses , two murals were unveiled in the main hall. They feature quotes from Lohana Berkins framed by colorful butterflies.

The drive to change the world

“The engine of change is love. The love that was denied us is our driving force to change the world. All the blows and contempt I suffered are nothing compared to the infinite love that surrounds me now. Trans Fury Forever,” wrote the historic leader of the trans community in her farewell letter, which was shared by her friend, activist Marlene Wayar. A year ago, she left a legacy of struggle and commitment to human rights that earned her the recognition of political and social leaders. Her name is a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community and of working women.

From Pocitos to eternal militancy

She famously said: “I don’t feel that wearing makeup and using feminine mannerisms makes me a woman. Nor does having certain genitalia make me a man. I am myself: I am from Salta, Black, fat, from the outskirts of the city, of Bolivian origin. It’s not just cross-dressing that gives me my identity.” Berkins was born in Pocitos, in the province of Salta. In 1994, she founded the Association for the Struggle for Transvestite and Transsexual Identity (ALITT), from which she promoted the visibility of the right to gender identity. She was one of the main proponents of the Gender Identity Law, approved by the National Congress on May 9, 2012. She was a candidate for national deputy and worked as an advisor in the Buenos Aires City Legislature for the Communist Party. She is considered the first transvestite to hold a government job. She played a pivotal role in the recognition of the rights of transvestites and trans people: she enrolled at Normal School No. 3 to become a transvestite. The teacher, unable to do so under her own name, filed a complaint with the Buenos Aires Ombudsman's Office. The office ultimately ordered the authorities to respect her gender identity.

The first trans cooperative

In 2008, Lohana spearheaded the creation of the “Nadia Echazú” Textile Cooperative in a space provided by the National Institute of Cooperatives and Social Economy in the Avellaneda district. It was the first cooperative managed and administered by transgender people. In 2010, she formed the National Front for the Gender Identity Law, which spearheaded the passage of Law 26.743 at the national level in 2012. This was the first law worldwide to recognize gender identity in terms of self-perception, guarantee full access to healthcare, and depathologize transgender identities. In 2013, she was appointed head of the Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Office at the Gender Observatory in the Justice System of the City of Buenos Aires. She worked there until her passing. Lohana is the author of numerous publications. Among them: “The Quest for a Proper Name: A Report on the Situation of the Transvestite Community in Argentina” (2006) and “Cumbia, Drinking, and Tears” (2007). She participated in conferences and seminars as a panelist, and represented the country and Latin America in various international meetings on feminism, sexual diversity, and gender identities, and also received different awards.

"All struggles converge in Lohana"

A complicated case of hepatitis C weakened her. Her wish was to return home, but she never made it. She asked that no one cry and that cumbia music be played at her funeral. “I would urge all people, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, nationality, ethnicity, or race, to dare to live on their own terms; otherwise, what would be the point of life? On my tombstone, I would write: Here lies the happiest trans woman in the world,” she had said. “In Lohana, all struggles converge: trans, feminist, political, and for the right to legal abortion. She was a political subject who showed the world that all people are political subjects,” reflected Marlene Wayar, to whom the activist, in that same letter, said: “I pass the torch to you.”

Trans mom

A year after her death, Alma Fernández, a trans activist and leader, wrote this poem in her honor. It was read as a tribute at the opening of the summer workshops at the Mocha Celis High School.    Lohana, hug me, trans mama, hug me. Because the sirens scare me. Set the pace for me in this parade, because you've already gone in glitter, and I still have to dance. Hug me, trans mama, hug me. The chongos come and go, the vultures eat your flesh, even while you were alive they were killing you! Hug me, trans mama, hug me. On this side everyone is crying because you opened my eyes, and I have a drum full of dreams. Hug me, trans mama, hug me. The sea extinguished your warrior light, the goddess of the sea will take your hand. Beautiful, gifted, and consorts, seahorses will accompany you to your hills and winds. Hug me, trans mama, hug me. Because I admired you, and today I can't stop feeling this trans fury!

Lohana's voice

In these interviews compiled by El Observatorio de Salta, Lohana Berkins talks about the enactment of the gender identity law, its application and the exaltation of the "T".   Follow Presentes: Twitter @PresentesTLGBI Instagram: PresentesTLGBI Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/presentesTLGBI/      ]]>