Building a Translengua in Latina Lesbian Organizing.
This article discusses the challenges and rewards, as well as the affective labor, involved in forging a Latina lesbian "translengua," in other words a common language in the context of Latina lesbian organizing. I explore how members of Latina Lesbians en Nuestro Ambiente (LLENA) and Amigas Latinas, Chicago-based Latina lesbian organizations, attempted to foster consensus for collective action in the face of language differences and preferences. Through analysis of archives and interviews with activists, I untangle how LLENA and Amigas Latinas negotiated deeply personal and sensitive issues around language use as they worked to build an inclusive movement. I also identify strategies used to enact a translengua that could bridge linguistic differences within the Latina lesbian community.
a DePaul University , Chicago, Illinois , USA.
Lourdes
L
Torres
D003256:Community Participation; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D018452:Homosexuality, Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D009938:Organizations; D011057:Politics; D000072339:Sexual and Gender Minorities; D012933:Social Identification
Latina lesbian; Latina lesbian organizing; Spanish; bilingual; language; translengua