This chapter theorises a concept of activist translation, understood as a political, and often oppositional, act, capable of producing social transformation. It takes inspiration from the reception of the translation into Italian by Zappino of Butler’s Notes Toward a Performative Theory of Assembly (2015), translated as L’alleanza dei corpi (2017) (The Alliance of Bodies), a book that places particular emphasis on public protests. Firstly, by drawing on the idea of the performativity of bodies gathered in public demonstrations, the author looks at this translation’s performative aspect. Secondly, this chapter considers the extent to which one can theorise translation in activist scenarios as an ‘alliance. Concepts like ‘alliance’ and ‘solidarity,’ as in the use made by Butler, were, at times, criticised by Zappino and by the Italian queer transfeminist groups and individuals. This chapter uses this criticism to explore its applications for current understandings of activist translation, warning against ideas of solidarity and horizontality (Baker 2016a) which might not take sufficiently into account the power differentials among oppressed groups and countries.