“To be different is not a problem. The problem is to be treated differently”
ICWP Can Count on Me
EL SALVADOR — I am going to identify as Ch. I send a fraternal greeting of struggle to comrades of every gender. For several years I have belonged to the group of comrades who discuss Red Flag in the capital.
In the factory where I work, I heard about the Red Flag group. That they had meetings, debated communist issues, among others. A comrade invited me to attend a meeting. Between doubts and fear because of what was said about the group, I responded with “count on me.”
I attended the meeting. They talked about the International Communist Workers’ Party (ICWP) and about Red Flag. I saw with surprise that there were many women and men workers from the factory and that inspired me to have much more confidence.
I was invited to return to the next meeting and that’s how I became part of the collective. I committed to invite more co-workers to join the struggle. Personally, it has been good to participate and learn more about communist ideas, struggles and debates.
In the June meeting, I was amazed to hear and read that Red Flag had an article which has related to me for a long time: the fight against homophobia. Currently we call it the fight against HOMOLESBOBITRANSPHOBIA to include all gender identities and expressions at once.
Seriously, I got a very good feeling of happiness that the collective to which I belong was including worrying issues that are slow, silent killers of the community to which I belong. To start reading the article with comrades gives you a little more understanding or clarity about homophobia to be able to answer questions about it.
I have experienced homophobic attacks in my family circle to the point of becoming independent at a young age. I have also experienced homophobic attacks since I can remember in the course of my academic training and also in society in general. It is frustrating to be made to feel different or to be labeled this or that without knowing that psychologically it damages a person’s self-esteem.
Because our virtues, skills and abilities are just like that of any productive human being. Filling my circle with people who accept the “different” has made me give myself the courage of life and strength to fight my day-to-day struggle.
We have to understand and learn to accept that we are in the XXI century a quite OPEN, DIVERSE world; and be happy in this world as it corresponds to each one, in their circle without seeing, or judging, or labeling the one we believe “different.”
We respect the heterosexual world; I don’t see why the heterosexual world cannot respect the LGBTI world because we are also productive and contribute to social development. I invite the world to be or try to be tolerant and accept that we are in a diverse world.
Fighting for communism we also fight against HOMOLESBOBITRANSPHOBIA all over the world.
Worker in El Salvador
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