Condiciones de vida de la comunidad lésbica de origen montubio en la ciudad de Quevedo. Vulnerabilidad y estrategias colectivas de sostenimiento

Abstract

This essay analyzes the vulnerability of lesbian women who live in Quevedo after migrating from nearby rural areas. Based on a set of interviews, a workshop and observations, the text discusses three aspects that make up this vulnerability: the migration process for sexual and gender reasons associated with the family of origin, the economic conditions of these women and the sexual links and affective that they establish in Quevedo. The results show how the structural inequalities that affect the lives of these women should be read taking gender, sexuality and ethnicity into consideration. Phenomena such as gender violence and sexuality, the precariousness of work associated with lesbianism, the commitment to a female partner that provides support in adverse conditions, the need to legitimize oneself through the children or the re production of violence as a way to strengthen the feminine and masculine roles of these lesbians help to characterize the inequalities and vulnerabilities they experience. Faced with this problems, women affirm the possibilities of building mutual support networks based on their experiences.