Analysis Of The Planeta Paz Initiative

There can be little doubt that the Planeta Paz initiative represented a key turning point for the LGBT sector. On the one hand, in a pioneering gesture, it boldly posited a role for gender and sexuality-related activism in the peace process; on the other hand, it provided the collectives and individuals who comprised the LGBT sector with vital spaces for discussion. It was in those spaces that the acronym LGBT was first used and the advantages and limitations of such a designation discussed. While proponents of the LGBT designation liked its inclusiveness of different practices and identities, as well as its expression of a political will to form a community, naysayers cited the reductionist nature of all labels and also expressed deep concern
Despite this blockage, the LGBT sector advanced its mission to make sexual and gender identities visible through its campaign “El cuerpo: primer territorio de paz” (The Body: The First Territory for Peace), which located the heart of political struggle in “respecting the body, the free exercise of sexuality, free gender options, and affective expression as the first road to peace.” The leaders of Mujeres al Borde, Ana Lucía Ramírez (1976-) and Claudia Corredor (1968-), contributed to this process by producing a short film that shared the campaign’s title. This was the collective’s first audiovisual
In a similar vein, Ana Lucía sees “identity politics” as useful when strategically deployed to pursue certain demands. Indeed, identity politics can help subjects gain visibility. But when those subjects are not embraced or are actively shunned by repressive institutional structures, identity politics can also turn out to be isolating and debilitating. According to Ana Lucía, this is precisely what has happened to the LGBT social movement in Colombia and other