A-Infos (en) France, UCL AL #370 - Antipatriarchy - Lou Bossis: "Trans and LGBTI people have always been part of far-left activism" (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

The recognition of trans people and the mobilizations for their rights 
may seem recent to the general public, but this is far from the truth. 
Lou Bossis, an activist and worker in an organization dedicated to 
sexual health, recounts this history in her book *Trans and Activist*, 
winner of the Mnémosyne Prize for Women's and Gender History. Interview. 
---- AL: Is it new to focus on trans movements from the perspective of 
political and social struggles, and if so, why? Lou Bossis: Studies on 
trans people in the contemporary period primarily focus on medical 
history and legal developments. This is less the case for earlier 
periods[1]or in the English-speaking world.

In recent years, there has been a surge in these studies conducted by 
trans people, unlike, for example, ten years ago. Trans people taking 
ownership of this topic allows us to talk about many different things, 
such as activism, living conditions, and sexuality.

It's a bit like we're also people, not just medical or legal categories. 
Many of these new studies are being conducted by activists and 
researchers doing community-based research outside of academia. There 
are now several trans and intersex research networks across various 
disciplines. There's a desire to be accessible to as many people as 
possible. That's why I talk a lot about the accessibility of archives in 
the book: they exist, but they're often made inaccessible to the people 
directly affected, who consequently will never know they exist.

Is the goal of writing this book to contribute to the public debate and 
change mindsets? My primary goal was to make this history accessible to 
trans people, activists or not, since this collective history didn't 
exist for us.

There was also the aim of reaching a wider audience, including 
academics, but also far-left activists and union members interested in 
the history of 1968. I hope it interests them, and if it doesn't, then 
they're the ones with the problem. In predominantly white, cisgender 
organizations, there's always the challenge of engaging people who are 
"not directly affected" in issues that nonetheless concern them, because 
we live in the same world and fight for the same things.

A graduate of the EHESS (School for Advanced Studies in the Social 
Sciences), Lou Bossis defended her research thesis under the supervision 
of Fanny Gallot and received the 2024 Mnémosyne Prize for her work.

Jeanne Menjoulet: As you said, the goal is also to show the shared and 
sometimes complicated past between political and union organizations and 
trans movements. In the 1960s, trans people participated in social 
movements, but often with practices that were somewhat unconventional. 
What do you make of that? It's funny, it reminds me of what happened 
during the movement against the 2023 pension reform, where the Pink 
Bloc[2]stood out from the crowd at the demonstrations. In the media, in 
particular, the reaction was a bit like with the Gazolines[3], something 
like, "Who are these people? Why are they demonstrating and being so 
cheerful?"

It's also about reclaiming a tradition of LGBTI activism, but also of 
the entire social movement: there were many strikes where dances were 
held, and we tend to forget that. It's always the same story: the 
incomprehension or rejection of these forms of activism by cis people.

LGBTI people, and therefore trans people, have always had their place in 
far-left activism. But throughout the history of misogyny, homophobia, 
and transphobia, there has been a great deal of rejection and violence. 
As a result, there was a desire to create parallel communities to demand 
rights. It was more "individualistic," but that's because they had been 
rejected by their peers.

This is part of a broader individualistic trend in the 1980s, with the 
recognition of specific forms of discrimination, whereas in 1968, the 
activists' goal was truly to make a revolution, not to be assimilated 
into society.

In fact, the LGBTI movements have been caught in the same contradictions 
as the rest of activism... It's always the same thing, yes! There's no 
intrinsic desire among trans people to organize themselves, but it's 
clear that we'll be better understood in our experiences and less 
subjected to violence. Segregation, at different levels (women, 
lesbians, trans people, trans lesbian women...), has always been a 
necessity.

Lou Bossis, Trans and Activist: Forging Oneself Through Struggle in the 
1970s and 1980s in France, PUR, 2026, 286 pages, EUR24.

Moreover, among the Gazolines, for example, there was a whole background 
of prior activism inspired by many currents, Maoism, the Situationists, 
or the "far-left" movements[4](libertarianism, naturism, etc.). Many 
questions were not raised, including those about gender or sexual 
orientation: there was sometimes an almost total non-binary mindset, 
very fluid lived experiences.

Would you say that this period, which ended in the 1980s, has a legacy, 
that we are witnessing a renewal of radicalism in the trans movement? 
Yes, there is a growing awareness of trans and LGBTQ+ issues, but also a 
resurgence of general radicalism, particularly since the movement 
against pension reform. This resurgence is also fueled by fascism, which 
allows for the radicalization of people who didn't feel concerned 
before. I'm relieved to see that in France, the erosion of trans rights 
is much less significant than in other countries: the attempt to embed 
transphobia within feminism isn't working, for example, unlike in the 
United Kingdom.

And even within left-wing political organizations like La France 
Insoumise (LFI), the New Anticapitalist Party (NPA-A), and the Union of 
Communists of Libération (UCL), or within specific committees of trade 
unions like the CGT, there is genuine interest and a very positive 
reception to these topics, including from cisgender people. It's an 
issue that emerged very quickly within these organizations and has been 
well received, especially because it was championed by activists within 
those organizations. It's very positive that far-left organizations are 
adopting these methods. I feel like we're united despite our different 
experiences. It gives me hope.

Interview by Hugo (UCL Paris Nord-Est)

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[1]Clovis Maillet, Les Genres fluides, Paris, Arkhé, 2020; Gabrielle 
Houbre, Les Deux Vies d'Abel Barbin, né Adélaïde Herculine (1838-1868), 
PUF, 2020.

[2]A Pink Bloc is a queer march, united in the fight against capitalism 
and the patriarchal gender system.

[3]A trans movement active in the post-1968 years, initially within the 
Homosexual Front for Revolutionary Action, then as an independent group.

[4]Lola Miesseroff, Voyage en outre-gauche, Libertalia, 2018.

https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Lou-Bossis-Les-personnes-trans-et-LGBTI-ont-toujours-fait-partie-des
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