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You will present the transmaribollo platform of Euskal Herria in Guardetxe. You called him proud. Have you discussed the name?

Ibai Fresnedo: The truth is that we have not had much debate about the name of the platform, because from the very beginning we were clear that we wanted to refer to the historical memory of our collective and to the collective character. Above all, the institutions, through the policies of pinkwashing, wanted to face the political emptying of the concept of ‘pride’, making our pride and recovering it.

Joseba Gabilondo: We can understand June 28 pride day as an exercise to remember that it is a day of struggle. In recent years, this “pride” is trying to get capitalism, through its mechanisms and structures, to take away all values and political meaning and fill it with money. That is why, again, there is the repoliticization of the “pride” behind Harro’s name.

You've chosen a brick of fire as a symbol. Is the Harro platform also a memory exercise?

I.F. Yeah, that's right. The Harro Platform was born with the objective of denouncing the use made by neoliberal policies and practices in the Basque Country of the identities of sexual dissent, but also of working the historical memory. Also to strengthen our networks and collaboration among collectives.

And the use of brick, in addition to showing our revolutionary character, wants to move all of this. The brick is firm, reflects a deconstructive and constructive attitude and seems to us to be a unique weapon of struggle. In addition, bricks union helps to build a strong and colorful wall in front of heteropatriarchal capitalism. That allows us to move from resistance to action.

J.G. : The brick also has another symbolism. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall revolts. Marsha P. Johnson, a rationalized activist, used a brick to defend himself from the police. And in a way, it reminds us that in the face of all the ways that different systems of domination have to attack us, to defend ourselves, self-defense or counterattack is still there.

At the time of ‘pinkwashing’, where would you say that the LGTBI movement is located in the Basque Country?

J.G. : I would make a clear distribution here: there are several LGTB agents who run that pinkwashing. With the help of capital and institutional power, the cities and towns of Euskal Herria want to be maimed with this gayfriendly label and purpurpurine. Taking into account the city and village models that entail all this (turistification, precariousness, invisibilization and exclusion of marginal and dissident subjects…), the collective transmaribollos stand on the other side: from an intersectional point of view, clearly opposed to pinkwashigh.

I.F. : At the moment, dealing with pinkwashing with the resources and forces we have is not easy. The institutions allocate most of the economic resources to the LGTB reform agents, which puts us back on the margins of those who have more radical and comprehensive approaches. Because the system and its pinkwashing drive assimilative and heteronormative policies, before which the plaza is complicated and requires double work.

What about the institutions?

I.F. : The institutions are clear on what the goal is. That is, instrumentalizing, commercializing and emptying the identities of sexual dissent as if they were vampires. In addition, through pinkwashing policies, they attract many subjects from the LGTB collective (not organized), most of the time through consumption. This, following the heteropatriarchal logic of always, allows only some subjects to take the street and the centrality: homosexual men, young, white and bourgeois.

J.G. : It is generally the institutions that do this pinkwashing with the help of LGTB reinforcement agents. In fact, with this pink bleaching, what you do is you clean it up. Just like it's done with purple cleaning, presenting organizations as feminists. The City Council of Bilbao and the Provincial Council of Bizkaia are the clearest examples we have today in the Basque peoples. Through a makeup of 60,000 euros, Bilbao is presented as the capital of LGTB rights, with a clear objective: to make money and bleach two institutions in Bizkaia. Yes, several subjects of sexual dissent (trans, bollera, marica…), once again, placing them on the margin.

Álava, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa have been three of the few territories in which the far right has not achieved representation. Do you think these are safe territories or spaces for LGBTI people?

J.G. : Taking as an example the generality of these three countries of Hego Euskal Herria, we can say that the level of violence against the LGTB collective has fallen considerably. However, that security at the moment and on the spot changes. That is why we must not lower our guard and it is essential to get involved, to support each other and to respond firmly to the attacks.

I.F. : However, despite not being the extreme right, in the three capitals of Álava, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa we have the PNV. An aspect that in his collective ideology and imaginary has a very fitting “God and the old law”. In other words, we cannot forget that we have a conservative and traditional party that incorporates neoliberal policies into power, with what that means.

In Ipar Euskal Herria and Navarre, the presence of the extreme right is palpable. Could the rights that have been won so far be put at risk?

J.G. It is true that the rise of the extreme right or the right may give rise to frightening motives. In addition, if the right assumes institutional power, the victories achieved from feminism can end up wobbling. There is nothing else to do with the speech and practice against the Skolae programme in Navarre. The Harro platform is also an attempt to prepare for this fact. Join forces, redouble and give a strong and direct response to the attacks that have taken place.

I.F. : It is now up to us to set out strategies for this growing political phenomenon. It's not going to be easy, and surely it's going to take a lot of force out of us. But it is worth fighting hard for the achievements so far.

Has the rise of feminism in recent times had any influence on the LGTBI movement?

J.G. : The effect is correct. The brotherhood of the LGTB movement and the Feminist Movement is there. And the ascent and triumph of one movement influences the other. Moreover, from the moment in which the ideological framework of the transmaribollo movement is transfeminism, the ideological space with the feminist movement is common.

I.F. : However, both movements have much to discuss and agree. On the one hand, from the common oppression that we live, it is necessary to debate a more diverse and broader political subject. On the other hand, it would be very interesting to agree on a joint political agenda between the feminist movement and the LGTB movement.

On the agenda of the Harro platform, what is the priority?

J.G. : Being a proud platform, our agenda is that of the groups present. At the beginning, however, we have priority challenges. On the one hand, to socialize the birth of the platform and, on the other, to encourage the different groups of transmaribollo of the Basque Country to be part of the platform to create the strongest possible network.

I.F. : On the other hand, it is necessary to reflect and debate in depth on all these identities that exist within the collective. So far we have drunk from international theories and practices; and although this has theoretically endowed us with a great deal, we do not need to adapt it to our reality. Developing his own discourse at the level of Euskal Herria.

What will we find on June 15 in Guardetxe?

J.G. : This is, in a way, the official fall of the Harro platform. That is, the feast of the birth of Harro. The desire of that day is to make known the character of Harroren and his reasons, explaining some of the issues that today are part of the movement. It can also be a favorable day to deepen the fence. Uniting different groups and individuals at Guardetxe and materializing this network in some way.

I.F. : It must also be said that with the creation of Harro the illusion of many people has become more acute. Until now, LGTB people, agents in small towns face LGTB phobia on a daily basis with very few resources and networks, LGTB people who are not organized… Therefore, in order not to lose the illusion of all these people and agents, on June 15 we call on all corners of Euskal Herria to participate in the presentation of Guardetxe.