Between being and not being
"Between being and not being, I am Laura Branigan." It is a phrase that Laura exclaimed over and over again. It was as if every time she mentioned her, she empowered herself. The case of Laura Branigan is not far from the thousands of stories of trans women in Colombia, where the difference fundamentally marks the journey of life. This is why only the presence of diverse people, queer, LGBTIQ and non-binary, is already in fact an act of resistance.
Laura Branigan was a woman who fought against discrimination in the streets, against the looks, against a whole system that seems to indicate that, if you are not within their social and body standards, you are not worth it, you do not have the right to decent treatment. How to cope with the counter current of society itself? It is as if you are always in that limbo, between being and not being. For this reason, Laura always found how to resist this premise, being herself. That is the legacy: joy as a weapon of resistance.
Laura Branigan in her room, from the series "That's me", 120 x 100 cm, 2018
Wedding photo, from the series "That's me", 120 x 100 cm, 2018
From this moment on, you can accompany this exhibition with a playlist that is built from inquiring about Laura Branigan's memories.
Music is an element that has accompanied dissident bodies for a long time; It has been the music that has empowered us from the dance, the lyrics, the rhythms, to the way of representing the different worlds that we find in the compositions.
AFFECTIVITY FOUND
When the world is going against you, finding a network of affection that goes in your direction is many times the salvation of many lives. Family building has been a legacy that the time of activism has left us. "Pose" reminded us that there were diverse families, mothers, siblings, but really that legacy has been left to us by our trans sisters who, over time, have always arrived at the same place, where we ourselves have to support ourselves. , because outside of this place of comfort, we are always the target to violate a macho, normative and traditionalist society.
#Endurance
Party, dance, catwalk, passion, fire and his smile. This is what I remember about Laura Branigan. It is difficult not to remember his passage through this world, when his main activism was a smile, a guaro and a dance. It was the union itself. Meeting Laura represented union.
Privileges
Fighting against transphobia and discrimination, within a social sector that already carries stigmas such as the town of Ciudad Bolívar, becomes hard work. Our privilege is also within the social sectors that we inhabit and those that we cease to inhabit.
The tabloid representation, through the media, for years stigmatized the existence of LGBTIQ people, taught to violate diverse corporeality and everything that was not within social standards. This, of course, were forms of control; Information was hidden from us, they taught you to be afraid of what they did not want to have in their society. When we review the history of trans people, we find a number of tabloid headlines that undoubtedly do not represent the existence of any.
Our memories and our stories are only known by their protagonists, and their representation is in the photographic material that we all keep at home: our family photos, our diaries, our videos, etc. Time to get those memories out. Because unlike traditionalist society, these memories do represent what we were, what we are and account for all that we resist.
Our wedding
The concept of marriage has been changing over time. Polyamory and the new ways of approaching interpersonal relationships have rethought the ways to build ourselves up and build as a “couple”. But without a doubt, marriage is a right that we have earned in a legal and social framework. It is a right that, collaterally, has many intrinsic victories and definitely a link that many seek as necessary in their lives. This is why, although we do not agree many times, as it is a right that we earn, we must be able to exercise it when we see it proper and necessary.
Laura exercised her right to marry. It was an important part of its construction and there was a whole LGBTIQ community celebrating its decision. Our decisions are personal and our constructions unique and we will always celebrate that Laura was one of the first trans women to exercise her right to marry.
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THE DANCE OF THOSE WHO ARE NO LONGER
"Thank you Yoko Ruiz and La Red Comunitaria Trans for all the work you do and for keeping the memories of our sisters who are gone"
Laura Branigan is a transgender woman, one of many to experience discrimination. The violence that affects trans people leads to death at an early age. Although Laura died of COVID, her death is really attributed to a strong attack that she received years before, which did not heal. And the COVID asserted its status.
Violence always leaves traces and consequences that also mark our lives and, like Laura, many trans women are killed at the hands of discrimination and violence.
This exhibition is the memory of many who are no longer with us. Because the mere fact of having been in this world was an act of resistance and we appreciate it, celebrate it and remember it. Our history will not be erased. Because we are not ashamed of where we come from, we are not ashamed of our existence and we are tired of our historical representation coming from the yellowness of the same society that has always marginalized us.
Photographs of Laura Branigan's Wedding, Personal Archive.
Family Memories
Join us in a dialogue with Madonna Lozada, Laura Branigan's trans mother and Activist for the rights of LGBTIQ people. We are going to remember stories and experiences that Laura, our sister, left us.
Too we invite you to complete your visit as a method registration to the exhibition.
