User:Grace Elliott/sandbox

Early Life

Sandra Morán was raised in a Catholic household as the daughter of a working mother and an abusive father. Although the date of her birth is unknown, it is certain that she was born in the 1960s, shortly after the 36-year Guatemalan civil war began in 1960; during this period of violence between a military dictatorship and guerrilla forces, over 200,000 people were killed and 100,000 more disappeared. The majority of the damage was inflicted by the Guatemalan army, and the primary targets of military violence were members of the Mayan communities, of whom Morán was a part. Consequently, she witnessed protests and persecution by the police in her own community from a young age. She began taking part in political organizations and demonstrations at the age of 14, when she entered High School, and her political involvement continued into her collegiate years. She attended the University of San Carlos, where many students and faculty faced persecution for expressing views that opposed the government, participation in political organizations, or for defending those who did In October of 1981, following numerous assassinations of faculty and fellow students, Morán fled the country.

Exile

After fleeing Guatemala, Morán first traveled north to Mexico, where she provided support for other refugees living in the south of Mexico. She and her community of Guatemalan exiles and activists sought to find solidarity with the Mexican community, which Morán achieved through music. She played in a band, a platform which allowed her to discuss the rights and violations of the people and create a conversation about equality for the oppressed, namely women. Morán met the renowned Guatemalan activist, Rigoberta Menchú in 1983, and continued to work alongside her after she traveled from Mexico to Nicaragua. She lived in Nicaragua for five years, continuing to pursue justice by joining the revolutionary Guatemalan band, Kin-Lalat, in 1986. The final three years of Morán’s exile were spent in Canada, where she advocated for Rigoberta Menchú to win the Nobel Peace Prize for her advocacy on behalf of women and indigenous people. Her time in Canada allowed her to improve her English language skills and to narrow her focus onto feminist issues, which became the focal point of her political advocacy after she returned to Guatemala in 1994.

Activism

Women’s Sector

After Morán’s return to Guatemala in 1994, she was largely instrumental in the formation of the “Sector de Mujeres,” or the “Women’s Sector.” The Sector was a network of thirty-one women’s organizations that were devoted to the promotion of women’s social and political rights and equality, and which combatted discrimination, violence, injustice, and exploitation on the basis of gender, sexuality, and race. The Women’s Sector formed shortly after the Civil War ended, in the wake of the drafting of the Peace Accords from 1994 to 1996, and it heavily advocated for women’s inclusion in these peace efforts. While the Sector was successful in securing women’s involvement in the Peace Accords, it continued to serve as a platform for Guatemalan women to share their thoughts and concerns. It primarily promoted the organization and mobilization of the feminist movement, including dialogue with politicians, the organization of public events, and the proposition of policies that would grant women more autonomy and equality. In fact, the Guatemalan government recognized the Sector a National Network in 1996. Many feminist activists, Morán included, attempted to work within the Guatemalan government because of the negative stigma surrounding private organizations. However, for three years, their work was hindered by a lack of respect from government officials, so the Women’s Sector chose to operate independently from the government, although it still exists and is active today.

Election

In April of 2015, a customs fraud was uncovered, revealing that politicians had been robbing millions of dollars from the state revenue. This discovery was met with public outrage, which prompted a people’s assembly that met 10 days after the information was made public. Morán actively participated in the assembly's discussion of political corruption and was encouraged by those attending to run for Congress in September of that year. She joined the Convergence for Democratic Revolution (CDR), a party that represented the interests of women, indigenous people, students, and farmers, and chose to run for Congress on their platform. In September of 2015, Morán and two other members of CDR, as well as twenty total female politicians, were elected to office. Following the election, Morán took charge of a forum that was composed of the 24 female congress members. While in office, she has introduced a bill to provide support and assistance to girl survivors of sexual abuse and decriminalize abortion. She has also prioritized the promotion and protection of rights for disabled people through a bill proposal, and is actively advocating for a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage.

Public Response

Morán’s election to Congress has received mixed responses; the LGBT community has provided support for Morán, many expressing satisfaction at an increased representation and visibility in Congress. Transsexual activist Debby Linares said, “We finally have a woman who is identified the way she is, a feminist woman, a woman who is openly lesbian, a woman who wants change in Congress, because that’s where we need transformation.” Morán has also received heavy criticism from those who do not support her progressive viewpoints. Many have called for her to stop speaking about homosexuality, abortion, and other polarizing topics, while others have taken issue with her sexual orientation. In September of 2016, Morán filed a complaint after someone wrote a letter to the president of Congress, protesting Morán’s leadership over the female legislators and asking that she be removed because she was “not woman enough for being a lesbian.” In spite of these criticisms, Morán remains an active Congress member and continues to pursue legal rights for women and the LGBT community.

Annotated Bibliography

Outline

I am adding to a stub article called “Sandra Morán,” which focuses on the life and activism of Sandra Morán, a guatemalan advocate for the rights of women, indigenous people, and the LGBTQ community, and as of January 2016, the first openly LGBTQ person to be elected to Guatemala’s national Congress. In expanding the article, I hope to detail Morán’s early life, introduction into politics, views, advocacy, involvement in political organizations, and campaign and election to Congress. I intend the primary focus of the article to be on her activism and the main ways in which she has impacted Guatemalan society, but I also intend to provide context for Guatemala’s political climate and the general state of the communities for which Morán advocates. Ultimately, my goal is to give readers an understanding of one of Guatemala’s most influential political figures for social equality and reform.

Bibliography

Jeffries, Fiona. "Resisting Fear with the Politics of Indignant Possibility: An Interview with Sandra Moran of Guatemala's Women's Sector." Women's Studies Quarterly, vol. 35, no. 3/4, Fall/Winter2007, pp. 38-48. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db= a9h&AN=27474349&site=ehost-live.

I selected this primary source primarily because it is an interview with Morán herself, the most reliable source for information about her own life and work. The introductory paragraphs and the interview itself actually focus primarily on the feminist movement in Guatemala itself, rather than on Morán’s personal life. This is helpful because it provides context for Morán’s work; we cannot understand her impact on the movement without first understanding the movement itself and the political and social climate surrounding it. Through this article, readers are given an inside look at Guatemala’s primary feminist and LGBTQ activist groups in order to gain a better understanding of how these organizations were formed, how they operate, the struggles they have faced, and the changes they have enacted, and what Morán’s role in these changes was. I plan to use this source to add to the sections on Morán’s career in social activism. I will detail the organizations and their functions, as well as Morán’s role in their movements.

Lakhani, Nina. "'In Guatemala to be a feminist is not welcomed, a lesbian, even less so. I am a lesbian feminist'" LGBT change. Guardian News and Media, 11 Feb. 2016. Web. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2016/feb/11/guatemala-feminist-lesbian-sandra-moran

This article details Morán’s life, including her background and the grassroots movement that began her political career. The article also contains several quotes from Morán about how her identity as a lesbian feminist has impacted her life in Guatemalan society and her work as an activist. Morán notes in the article that while she is often publicly defined by her sexuality, most of her activism has centered around advocacy on behalf of women and the indigenous community, so I plan to use this source to highlight her work on those fronts. In addition, this source can be used to build up a section on Morán’s early life and the beginning of her career, as well as a section on her political views.

MCVICAR, JACKIE. "Guatemala Elects First Feminist, First Gay Politician." Herizons, vol. 29, no. 2, Fall2015, pp. 10-11. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db= a9h&AN=111162399&site=ehost-live.

This source, an article in a news magazine, focuses on the events leading up to Morán’s election to congress, including a fraud scandal that prompted and influence, as well as the campaign itself and the election process. The article details Guatemala’s history of political turmoil, primarily a fraud scandal that revealed deep-seated corruption; Morán was active in protests and reform attempts at the time, and was asked to run for congresswoman at an assembly that met to address the fraud scandal. The article then focuses on Morán’s campaign, including her platforms and her involvement in the Convergence of Democratic Revolution (CDR) party, and the result of the elections. The information in this portion of the article can be used to build a section on Morán’s political background as well as her campaign and election to Congress.