Homotropolis | Pride Issue 2018

HOMOTROPOLIS

COPENHAGEN

PRIDE ISSUE 2018

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Get the highlights of Copenhagen Pride Week.

Free concerts, performances , shows, debates, workshops and so much more.

Prides in hostile areas, the queer hip-hop artist headlining this year's Pride Show, Copenhagen 2021 and the aftermath of Pride in London.

Three influential women from the pride movement, the founder of Tunisia's first LGBT+ radio station and two lovers finding pride in front of a camera.

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it's pride time. bring out your best mood, send a smile to your neighbour and share some love

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A look inside 06

Zebra Katz: Headlining this year's Pride Show Meet the openly queer rapper Zebra Katz who will take over Pride Stage at Copenhagen City Hall Square during Copenhagen Pride Week 2018.

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Three influential women in the pride movement Read our interview with three inspiring, strong women with a significant voice in the pride movement. Common for all three is their long track record of working with LGBTQI rights and their natural thrive for equality.

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Theme: Copenhagen Pride Week 2018 All you need to know about activities, concerts and performances during Copenhagen Pride Week from 14. - 19. August 2018.

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Contours of a mega-event In 2021 both WorldPride and EuroGames will be celebrated in Copenhagen.

Get in on the details of the 11-day event, which is set to put inclusion on the agenda in the Danish capital.

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Fighting for the right to pride Fearless freedom fighters are putting their own safety at risk in order to organize and carry out pride events around the globe. Get an insight into the fight for basic human rights, equality and the freedom to be who you are.

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A photographer – and two lovers Follow Mark and his boyfriend Oliver on their journey to find pride in themselves through the lens of a photographer in Berlin.

CONTENT Thomas K. Rasmussen (editor in chief) Helle Bjørnstrup Martin Xaver Dover Gry Josefine Løvgren

COVER Zebra Katz Photo by Bjorn Jonas

PRINT Johansen Grafisk A/S

DISTRIBUTION Homotropolis is a free magazine available at cafés, shops, restaurants, bars and organisations in Copenhagen. The magazine is targeted at LGBTQ tourists and citizens in the Greater Copenhagen region.

For a complete distribution list please contact crew@homotropolis.com All articles are available online at www.homotropolis.com

HOMOTROPOLIS Issue #2 2018

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Dear reader

Welcome to this Pride Issue of Homotropolis which comes out just as Copenhagen Pride Week 2018 is coming up.

From 14. to 19. August the Danish capital will once again light up in every colour of the rainbow by celebrating the steps toward equality and freedom that have already been taken and bringing attention to those steps that still need to be taken.

Inside the magazine you will find a number of articles and stories related to pride, and we also dive into the Copenhagen Pride Week program to make sure you don’t miss out on anything.

Highlights of this year include openly queer rapper Zebra Katz who is on our cover and will be headlining the Pride Show on Saturday August 18 alongside legendary DJ Robin Skouteris and Danish artists such as Iris Gold, Ida Corr, Kill J and L.I.G.A. Copenhagen Pride has also managed to book one of Denmark’s biggest names within the music industry, the legendary Anne Linnet, who will go on stage on Thursday August 16 for a full concert.

The diverse human rights program includes seminars, workshops and debates for every taste, and with more than 100 different activities to take part in this year chances are that there will most definitely be something out there for you as well.

The full program for Copenhagen Pride Week 2018 can be obtained in hardcopies from the infotent on Pride Square (Copenhagen City Hall Square) throughout Pride Week, and you can also find the program online by visiting copenhagenpride.dk.

We hope you enjoy our selection of proud stories and our best attempt to make sure you know where to be and when to be there during Copenhagen Pride Week 2018.

Homotropolis wishes you a happy pride.

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headlining this year's Pride Show Queer hip-hop artist Zebra Katz is gracing the cover of this special pride issue of Homotropolis – and that is no coincidence. The openly queer rapper, best known for his 2012 single Ima Read, will take over Pride Stage at Copenhagen City Hall Square on Saturday 18. August.

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Photo: Bjorn Jonas

ZEBRA KATZ

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jay Morgan is better known by his artistic alter ego and stage name Zebra Katz. An openly queer rapper and hip-hop artist who is not really a big fan of the categorisation “queer rap” himself. The music should speak for itself.

The character of Zebra Katz was created back when Ojay Morgan went to college, but in 2012 – with the release of the single Ima Read – Zebra Katz quickly became a very well-known name not only within the world of hip-hop but also amongst indie fans and within the more mainstream music scene. The instant success of the track was further fueled by fashion designer Rick Owens who used Ima Read as the soundtrack to his 2012 show during Paris Fashion Week.

One of the first things you will undoubtedly notice when listening to Ima Read is the impressive number of times the word “bitch” comes up. “I’ma read that bitch, I’ma school that bitch”. In fact, the word “bitch” is being used no less than 87 times throughout the track, and this is for a reason.

Zebra Katz wants to reclaim and neutralize the word.

“It's seen as a very misogynist word in hip-hop but we're trying to numb it,” Morgan explained in an interview with The Guardian.

Ima Read is also an homage to American drag culture and draws obvious references to the famous 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning and the ball culture of New York.

The track has been remixed by some of the biggest, including Busta Rhymes, Tricky and Grimes.

Zebra Katz will perform on Pride Stage on Saturday 18 August, and while it might be Ojay Morgan landing at Copenhagen Airport, rest assured that it will be his powerful, colorful and sexy alter ego Zebra Katz who will take the stage and make the proudest crowd in town scream for even more.

“Creating a strong, black, other, queer male is something that really needed to happen because you don’t see that that often, especially not in hip-hop. But it’s terrifying standing up as a queer man. People are getting attacked all over the world, but you have to use your sexuality as a tool, instead of having them use it against you”, Morgan said in an interview with The Guardian.

In 2015 Zebra Katz released the EP “Nu Renegade” and in 2017 he appeared on several tracks on the Gorillaz album Humanz.

Creating a strong, black, other, queer male is something that really needed to happen because you don’t see that that often, especially not in hip-hop.

Ojay Morgan, Zebra Katz

WHEN & WHERE Saturday 18. August 2018 / 21:00 Pride Stage, Copenhagen City Hall Square

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influenTial women in the pride movement

Homotropolis has had the pleasure of interviewing three inspiring, strong women with a significant voice in the pride movement. Common for all three is their long track record of working with LGBTQI rights and their natural thrive for equality.

BRITTA DAVIDSOHN Britta Davidsohn is the Chair of Stockholm Pride.

Britta joined Stockholm Pride at the age of 24 and has been involved in other LGBT movements before where she initially got involved through her work at the Young Women's Shelter and Empowerment Center.

Britta was born in 1986 in a town with 7,000 inhabitants close to Stockholm. She grew up in a partly Jewish family in a working class area. Her family lived in the workers quarters of Scania, where her father was emplyed while her mother worked on the railroad. She had two older siblings.

Main goal to reach through pride More inclusion within the pride movement and LGBT movement.

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ANE RINDOM Ane Rindom is the Vice-Chairperson in the board of Copenhagen Pride.

Ane got involved with Copenhagen Pride in 2015 and has previously been a board member of LGBT+ Ungdom – a Danish LGBT+ organization for young people.

Ane is 29 years old, born and raised in Copenhagen by parents who both come from different provinces in Denmark.

She still lives in Copenhagen where she got a fantastic apartment in Christianshavn; one of the old areas in town.

Main goal to reach through pride The way we talk about gender and gender norms along with creating some political focus on the ongoing discrimination that LGBT+ people still experience in their everyday life.

KRISTINE GARINA Kristine Garina is the Chair of the advocacy organisation Mozaika working for protection of LGBT rights in Latvia and organizing pride in Riga. Kristine is also the President of EPOA – European Pride Organisers Association.

Kristine got involved in the pride movement by coincidence after joining a hostile pride parade in Riga back in 2005. Since then she has been an active part of Mozaika.

Kristine was born and raised in Riga, Latvia.

She has a mixed family background with a Latvian mother and a Russian father.

Main goal to reach through pride To increase the visibility of LGBTQI people in Latvia.

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Please tell us a bit about yourself.

Where did you grow up and what is your family background?

There were thousands of people who had gathered to protest. They were yelling, throwing things, cursing, they had totally surrounded the area where the pride people were gathered.

Kristine Garina, Chair Mozaika

Ane: I'm 29 years old, born and raised in Copenhagen by parents who both come from different provinces in Denmark. I still live in Copenhagen where I've got a fantastic apartment in Christianshavn, one of the old areas in town.

Britta: I was born in 1986 in a town of 7,000 inhabitants close to Stockholm. I grew up in a partly Jewish family in a working class area. We lived in the workers quarters of Scania, where my father was emplyed while my mother worked on the railroad. I have two older siblings.

Kristine: I was born and raised in Riga, Latvia. Funny how, when the pride movement started in Latvia, we were accused of "foreign import" and "western influence" and it's all "run by foreigners", but I had always lived in Riga and got my education at the State University of Latvia. I am a Riga kid all through!

My family was one of the "mixed" families in a very difficult geopolitical situation. My mum is Latvian and my dad was Russian. He came to Latvia when he was 3 years old right after the war and therefore he was never granted Latvian citizenship when the country became independent again.

There was this tension between Latvians and Russians and I could never understand it, being half Latvian and half Russian myself it didn't matter at all to me. I don't get nationalism and nationalities. We're all human!

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If I had to define myself I am probably European because of geography and cultural heritage, but it all seems a little silly to me. I could totally be a citizen of the world. My dad passed away a few years ago, never been accepted in the country where he lived his entire life and where he married and raised children. I am fully aware of the terrible history that led to that but surely it wasn't a 3 year old child's fault. It always felt unfair and unjust.

And unkind!

How and when did you get involved in the pride movement?

Ane: I got involved with Copenhagen Pride around 2015 when I had just left the board of LGBT+ Ungdom – a Danish LGBT+ organization for young people. I got involved after the chairperson of Copenhagen Pride, Lars Henriksen, sat down with some colleagues and I and told us about the organization and their work.

I've been involved in LGBT+ work since around 2010 so I've spend a great deal of my time working with different LGBT+ issues and I could probably have ended up in another organization just as well, but I was intrigued by the possibility to work for greater representation and inclusion in an event that has been seen as a party for gay men primarily.

Britta: I had been involved in other LGBT movements before I joined Stockholm Pride at the age of 24.

In the first two years I was involved through my work at the Young Women's Shelter and Empowerment Center. I then started as a week volunteer

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working with security at Stockholm Pride and did that for two years. I have now been in the board for four years.

Kristine: By coincidence! I had travelled a lot and seen prides in different countries and when the first pride came along in Riga in 2005, I was naturally curious and wanted to go and see. I had no idea what was gonna happen. I read about it in a paper a day before and just went. I had planned to watch it from the street like they do in cities where I had previously seen pride parades. But when I got there it was completely different. It was suddenly NOT the city I grew up in and thought I knew. It was hostile, hateful, loud and angry. There was a handful of people gathering for the parade.

Around 50 I guess? Eventually we were 70 marching. And there were thousands of people who had gathered to protest.

They were yelling, throwing things, cursing, they had totally surrounded the area where the pride people were gathering. I was on my own. I squeezed through the crowd and joined the pride group. I felt that there was no other choice.

The pride marchers were heavily outnumbered, they looked scared and confused. I decided to join them pretty much immediately. That was a turning point.

Firstly, I suddenly saw a different face to our city and our country. I had no idea we could be so hateful and aggressive.

I didn't agree with it and I didn't want to just live with it. I wanted to change it.

Secondly, I met wonderful people at that pride march and we bonded over the whole experience. It was hostile, and at the end we literally had to run and hide. I exchanged phone numbers with those I was walking with and got invited to a meeting afterwards to discuss what to do and how to change this. That's how it began. 6 months later we founded Mozaika, an advocacy organization that was going to work towards equality for LGBT people in Latvia. We took over the organizing of pride the following year. Here we are, 12 years later, still organizing prides. (among other things!)

What is your current role in your pride organization?

Ane: I am the Vice-Chairperson of the board of Copenhagen Pride. I work with organization and structure within the organization, e.g. trying to reorganize the organization.

Besides that I work with trying to create even more inclusion and representation in both the organization and in our

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events. The organization has moved a lot in previous years in terms of inclusion, but we are not quite there yet, so we still need to work on creating a more inclusive and safe space for everybody.

Britta: I am the Chair of Stockholm Pride.

Kristine: I am currently the Chair of the board of Mozaika.

We have set up an informal group within Mozaika that only works with pride and I am Co-Chair of that group together with my colleague Kaspars Zalitis (who also walked at the first Pride in Riga in 2005 although we didn't know each other back then). The two of us and a small group of very dedicated people formed a core team that put together a pride event.

I am also the president of EPOA - European Pride Organisers Association. EPOA is a network of European Pride Organizations and the licensor of EuroPride.

What are the primary pride related issues you want to change?

Ane: I’m really interested in trying to change the way we talk about gender and gender norms. I think a lot of the issues we have are a result of the norms and expectations that society has created regarding gender.

Besides that I hope we can create some political focus on the ongoing discrimination that LGBT+ people still experience in their everyday life whether it happens at work or in the streets or anywhere else.

Britta: I want to work for inclusion within the pride movement and LGBT movement. A lot of community groups are being questioned and people from many groups do not feel they are totally included. That is the main thing I want to work on.

Kristine: In Latvia the biggest issue is visibility of LGBTQI people. A majority of people are sadly still in the closet.

There are many goals to pride but my personal main goal with pride is to give those people a chance to see other LGBTQI people and know that they are not alone. With every year as the pride grows they will also grow more confident and will eventually come out and be part of the community,

Vice-Chairperson of Copenhagen Pride, Ane Rindom, at Montpellier Pride Parade promoting the bid to host WorldPride in 2021. The parade took place following the InterPride's Annual General Meeting, 2016.

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engage, or just live their lives openly without fear. That's in my opinion the main goal. Of course there's lack of legislation and legal protection that basically doesn't exist in Latvia, blah blah, but all that will be so much easier to achieve when there are open and visible LGBTQI communities out there in society.

Being a woman who actively engages in the pride movement, how would you describe your power of voice?

and I think it has been difficult for people from other representations to feel heard and included in those groups.

I still feel overlooked and taken out of voice when sitting in a room full of male pride organizers – they don’t see me and what I can bring to the table.

I can also say that raising my voice about the misrepresentation has opened a lot of my colleagues' eyes and has helped a lot in creating a more inclusive space and an awareness of the problem.

Ane: I do think I have power of voice – but I also think that I have had to fight more for people to listen to me than if I had been a man. And I have to fight for my right in every new encounter with new people.

All the pride organizations I know of have an overrepresentation of men

Britta: My experience is that women are taking a bigger and bigger role in the pride movement. Just over the few years I have been involved there has been a development. But I still find myself in situations where men learn the names of other men but not of the women, where men are referring to

Chair of Stockholm Pride, Britta Davidsohn, is interviewed about EuroPride in Stockholm 2018.

TV4.

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men by their names and to women by their sex or their looks or where men don't say hello or talk to me at all until they find out I'm the chair.

Kristine: Mozaika and the pride movement in Latvia in the last 10 years have been very strongly dominated by women. Quite the opposite from pride movements elsewhere in Europe. In Latvia we actually struggle to get men on board. I can safely say that women and non-male identified people in our organization have no problem in having a voice. I had never felt lack of power due to my gender in this movement until I joined EuroPride and found myself at some point the only nonmale on the board of 8 people.

When I look around at the pride movement in general in the Western world it is still a 'man's world'. A white,

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gay man's world. I know that prides struggle to change that, but it is a long process and sometimes painful to realise that it needs to change. Somehow it's been different in Latvia. Women took power. I think it made us into a better organization.

I think my biggest achievement has been helping Copenhagen Pride turn into a more normcritical and inclusive organization.

I think we can go a lot further if we try to question the norms in our society – both within and outside the LGBTQIA society.

Ane Rindom, Vice-Chairperson Copenhagen Pride

Women seem to be a minority in both pride events and pride organizations in general. What do you think is the reason for that and does it have any consequences?

Ane: I believe the male dominance in pride organizations is a result of more than one thing. First of all I think it stems from the culture in which gay men have historically had a position of power – just as in the rest of society – and this power has created an environment where there’s a tendency for men to choose or look for other men when a position is to be filled.

That has reinforced the tendencies for men to take positions in the organizations – just as men do in the rest of society, where men still hold most of the positions in boards and the like.

Besides that, I think that the male dominance has a lot to do with the experience that a lot of LGBT people have had, where they have been bullied or held out of power when they where young. When they later get to be at the top of the power scale in an environment where they are the majority, that can make them – without noticing – maintain or use the same structures or suppress other groups to remain in power. I think we need a revolution where men step aside and let other people take their positions – that be from all letters of the acronym.

I think the underrepresentation of other people than men has a lot of consequences. I think the most important job for a pride organization is to create an event that covers the entire acronym of LGBTQIA+. When people are not included via representation it is a lot harder to create an event thats takes in all aspects of these people. The lack of both female and other representations is a big problem in terms of creating a pride where everybody feels and truly are included.

Britta: I think role models play a big part. When I saw women my age taking a big role in our organisation was when I understood I could as well. Women need to be visible but also to be able to make an impact. Diversity needs to be both seen and experienced. For women to take part women need to be welcomed and visible.

The consequences of a non-diverse pride movement and festival will be – and is – a pride with less colors, fewer and

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more simple debates and a lack of what pride is and should be.

ization is also something I am very proud of – and I know it is a struggle that will continue.

Kristine: What I just said to the question above. I don't know why, but we seem to be an exception from the rule here in Mozaika. Also, in more hostile and homophobic environments it's often straight females who take charge.

Maybe because it is a little easier for them. There is no fear of being outed, being fired or hurting your family because of your sexuality or being discriminated. Straight women are amazing allies to the movement in places where LGBTQI people don't feel safe enough yet to become visible and open leaders themselves.

As for the Western world pride movement and the LGBT movement in general – I guess we are no different from the rest of the world, where men have been in charge and dominated every public space for centuries. Of course it influences the LGBT movement as well. We are part of the bigger picture where gender equality has been seriously addressed only recently. Okay, it's more complicated when you realize the world is actually not binary, but getting rid of male dominated boards/management/power structures is a no brainer!

Kristine: I think pride itself is an amazing achievement.

We have a small team (a very small team) and just witnessing what we can do is quite overwhelming. The highlight?

I guess after a decade of struggles with pride being banned several times, many court cases and negotiations with the police and the city, when the parade in Riga finally for the first time stepped on to the main central street (Brivibas street which translates into Freedom Street) in 2015, 10 years after the first pride in Riga, that was very emotional for everyone. We did it!

Tell us about your biggest achievement in terms of pride.

Ane: I think my biggest achievement has been helping turn Copenhagen Pride into a more normcritical and inclusive organization. I think we can go a lot further if we try to question the norms in our society – both within and outside the LGBTQIA society.

Britta: A big achievement is how our international work and network has grown. The growing diversity in our organ-

Tell us about your worst experiences related to pride.

Ane: I think my worst experiences have to do with being invisible. Being a young female working in organizations dominated by white gay males, I’ve experienced not being seen, not being listened to, and simply being forgotten. I unfortunately think it is a product of organizations where the search for a partner or the like takes up a lot of the attention.

Britta: My worst experiences are about the discussions inside the movement when people want to block out people from other community groups. I've been in discussions on whether sex workers, trans people (because trans being a choice of lifestyle and not about sexual identity, because of trans people looking to cis), kinksters or LGBT people with specific professions should be welcome at pride. It makes me both sad and angry and it makes me fear whether we are losing what the whole pride movement is about.

Kristine: I don't want to do that! I think it's not helpful

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to anyone. I was in Moscow when they first attempted to organize a pride.

I was part of Amnesty International pride security team in Belgrade when it got really bad. Loads of terrible things have happened. I can tell you the funniest one though. At the Baltic Pride in Vilnius protesters threw a smoke bomb into the crowd. But they didn't calculate in the strong wind and ended up throwing all that smoke at themselves.

That's my way of dealing with it. With a sense of humour. Without it you can't do this job.

Who is your role model in terms of activism and who is your inspiration?

Ane: I’m not sure I have a role model in terms of activism. I admire so many activists and their work. Everybody who takes a stand and tries to change the world is a source of inspiration for me – especially people who dare to give power and voice to others in their fight are my heroes.

Britta: I have to give the answer my mother. She was involved in the women's rights movement in the 70's and

80's and I discuss a lot of these issues with her.

I also look up to and try to always keep in mind the people I meet who are one of the first or one of a few activists within their country, city or political area. People who have a much bigger fight to take and who somehow manage to do it much on their own. I am amazed and moved.

Kristine: I don't have one. I don't really believe in role models. I think us, activists, we all do the best we can, always. Cause we're not in it for the money (ha! definitely not!), and we are our own inspiration. It is incredibly satisfying to be part of a movement that brings change. That itself inspires me.

All our volunteers who give their time to the cause, they inspire me!

Did we forget to ask you anything important? Please feel free to ask yourself that question that we forgot to ask.

Chair of Mozaika, Kristine Garina, to the right.

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Britta: I would like to add the importance of network. To have other people from your minority groups (which ever that might be) to turn to when things get tough. You need to have people to talk to when you experience bad things – where you know you won't have to start by explaining why you are feeling the way you do, why what happened is problematic and where the problem won't be questioned. It is also much easier to find strength and to find a way to move forward with people who know what you are talking about and are experiencing the same thing.

Kristine: I think it's quite important to ask where we're going and what is the end goal. And I always say there is no end goal because we'll never be done. Not in our lifetime anyway. We are only as strong and as free as the weakest link. So as long as there is a gay person afraid for his life in Chechnya or an LGBT kid executed in Iran, we are not done. We are all in this together and we shouldn't leave anyone behind and say we're done because things have improved tremendously in Scandinavia or Canada.

In some places in the world that we considered to be progressive we are now discussing if women have rights to reproductive health choices. So progress is very easily undone. We are not even half way yet if you look at the world. Don't leave anyone behind!

HAIRMAGAZINE

Ane: I think an important aspect of the lack of representation in pride organizations has to do with the way we put our organizations together. If we don’t go out and look for relevant people from other representations and if we believe that it’s not the organization that has a problem if there’s an underrepresentation of specific groups – then we as organizations have a problem. I think everybody can bring something to the table – sometimes the table is just not made for all, so we as organizers has to change the chairs in order to make them fit the people we

want in. We should never try changing people in order to make them fit into our chairs.

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P ride n e g a h n Cope r o p p u s o t d u o Pr

copenhagen pride week 2018 Tuesday 14 August — Sunday 19 August Copenhagen Pride has revealed a program that once again breaks previous records when it comes to the number of activities. This year extra focus has clearly been put on expanding the human rights program even further, and with a strong line-up on Pride Stage throughout the week it seems that Copenhagen Pride Week is once again ready to light up the Danish capital in every colour of the rainbow.

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verything points towards yet another record-breaking year for the annual Copenhagen Pride Week.

The registration for the parade was closed earlier than usual out of necessity, when more than 170 groups had already signed up to participate in the march. The human rights program has added three new venues this year and now includes a total of five different venues and around 100 debates, semi-

nars and workshops. The festival is supported by more proud sponsors and partners than ever before, and for the very first time one of the official pride speakers to take the stage after the parade on Saturday 18. August will be the Danish prime minister.

Pride Square & Rainbow Square Copenhagen City Hall Square and the adjacent Rainbow Square (Regnbuepladsen) with the permanent rainbow flag waving proudly all year round make up the very heart of the Copenhagen Pride Week celebrations. On Tuesday 14. August the City Hall Square (Rådhuspladsen) will open up to the public as Pride Square with pop-up shops, rainbow stands, quirky activities and lots of love and pride throughout the day. During evenings the main attraction is Pride Stage – situated right on the City Hall Square – from where the organizers are serving free concerts every night from Tuesday to Saturday.

On stage during Copenhagen Pride Week is everything from groundbreaking queer hiphop served by Zebra Katz to a full concert by legendary Danish singer Anne Linnet who also happens to be one of Denmark’s biggest lesbian icons. True to tradition Friday night is dedicated to drag when the hugely popular Drag Night goes down on Pride Stage, this year celebrating Madonna and other queens of pop.

Parties galore On Saturday August 18 at exactly 1 pm the Copenhagen Pride Parade takes off from Frederiksberg Town Hall Square and heads towards the City Hall Square.

Throughout the afternoon and evening the hardest thing you will have to do

is picking the party that fits you. Pride Square will be dancing and partying until midnight, and meanwhile street parties take place in both Studiestræde, Sankt Peders Stræde, Regnbuepladsen (the Rainbow Square) and Kattesundet (just outside the bar Centralhjørnet).

The official Copenhagen Pride Afterparty is back in Pumpehuset in Studiestræde, just a stone’s throw away from Pride Square, and here the doors and dancefloors are open from 23.00 until 05.00.

On the following pages you can read much more about what’s on during Copenhagen Pride Week, and hopefully find lots of great stuff that you – just like us – do not want to miss out on.

You can also find the full program for Copenhagen Pride Week 2018 on copenhagenpride.dk.

What to expect Expected participants in the parade: 40,000 Expected number of people on the streets on August 18: 200,000 Expected number of drag queens on Pride Stage: 50 Expected weather forecast: Sunny but still full of rainbows.

Expected emotions: Love, freedom and joy.

Photo: Wilfred Gachau

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human rights & networking Debates, talks & workshops

Throughout Copenhagen Pride Week around 100 different seminars, workshops, activities and debates will take place with subjects ranging from queer representation in Danish litterature to bondage basics. Most of these activities are in Danish, but we have selected some right here that you can attend and understand without knowing the Danish language.

Wednesday 15. August Pride Walking Tour A cosy (hyggelig) walking tour through the streets of Copenhagen where you can hear the long and colourful history of gay Denmark including the evolution of the gay civil rights movement and how it shaped Copenhagen into one of the most LGBT friendly cities in the world. The tour will also highlight some of the bars and venues and the city’s best naughty places.

When: 17.00 - 18.30 Where: Meeting place at the steps in front of the City Hall (Pride Square). Look for the rainbow umbrella.

Price is 50 DKK.

Thursday 16. August Being LGBTIQ+ in Tunisia Islem Mejri, activist and counsellor in Mawjoudin (“We Exist”) – one of Tunisia’s first LGBTIQ+ organizations – and Abir Boukomine, co-founder of the organization and Project Manager in LGBT Denmark will talk about the situation of LGBTIQ+ individuals in Tunisia after the Arab spring as

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well as the reality of queer activism in a country where being LGBTIQ+ is illegal.

When: 14.00 - 14.45 Where: Hovedkassen, Copenhagen City Hall.

Use the main entrance from Pride Square.

Global wins in the struggle for LGBT+ rights In more than 70 countries it is illegal to be LGBT+. Even so, we see huge progress in many places thanks to a strong civic society fighting a tireless battle. In this debate focus will be on the civic societies. What works in different places around the world? And how is progress felt by the LGBT+ persons that it’s all about?

When: 15.00 - 15.45 Where: Debate tent on the Rainbow Square (Regnbuepladsen)

Friday 17. August Queer cinema and media in South Asia Guests Kapil Sharma and Yuvraj Parshar (filmstars and producers) will discuss why it is important to create visibil-

ity for queer and LGBT minorities through the medium of cinema. They will share their experiences behind the making of the first Indian mainstream gay love story Dunno Y Na jane Kyon in early 2010. Since then they have been making several other LGBTIQ+ projects. Also present is Waqas Aziz (activist and film festival producer) from Pakistan.

When: 14.00 - 14.30 Where: Debate Tent on the Rainbow Square (Regnbuepladsen) Human rights activists share their stories Today, LGBTI rights are under pressure on a global scale.

Facing discrimination, violence and legal persecution, activists all over the world are raising their voices and mobilizing to stand up and claim their human rights. For this debate, some of these activists are invited to share their stories and perspectives from their respective countries and regions.

When: 16.00 - 16.45 Where: Hovedkassen, Copenhagen City Hall.

Use the main entrance from Pride Square.

Fetish 101 What is a fetish? What does it mean to be a fetishist? How do you practice it? Where do you buy fetish gear? What happens at a fetish party? Can I practice a fetish without having sex? Is there a difference between straight and gay fetishism? What is the history of fetishism in Denmark? These and many more questions Sanne and Mads will try to answer during Fetish 101. The workshop is a safe-space workshop, where all LGBTQIA people are welcome to participate.

When: 19.00 - 21.00 Where: AIDS-Fondet, Vestergade 18 E, 1456 Copenhagen

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Photo: Sebastian Roblero Arellano

Take me back Tuesday Tuesday — 14 August The opening night on Pride Square will be a happy, swinging trip down memory lane with big band music, disco, amazing vocal performances and crooning.

Copenhagen Pride Week’s opening night on Pride Stage begins immediately after the official opening speech has been held by Copenhagen Pride’s chairperson Lars Henriksen. This night is all about revisiting all these classic hits that you know more or less by heart, and genres vary from swing, jazz and musical to disco, pop and schlager. The host this year is Danish journalist and theatre critic Jakob Steen Olsen.

Just like the last couple of years, the show is kicked off by Big Dipper Big Band who will make sure that this evening on stage will be off to a swinging start.

In between the two sets from Big Dipper Big Band you are in for some truly spectacular vocal performances when singers Annemette Vedel Augustesen and Sanne Amanda Sommer take the stage accompanied by pianist Rasmus Kjær.

To take you safely from swing to pop and disco, local all-girls band Me Jane will serve an hour of proud covers that are bound to make you both sing and dance along.

To finish off Tuesday night, Copenhagen Pride has invited the hugely popular Danish actor, singer and dancer Silas Holst to take the stage along with his Flamingo Orchestra for a performance showcasing the very best of Danish pop hits and international oldies but goldies.

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Annemette Vedel Augustesen performing on Pride Stage in 2017.

Line-up 18.30 - 19.10:

Big Dipper Big Band

19.10 - 19.30:

Pianist Rasmus Kjær with singers

Sanne Amanda Sommer and Annemette

Vedel Augustesen 19.30 - 20.15:

Big Dipper Big Band

20.30 - 21.30: Me Jane 21.45 - 22.45:

Silas Holst & the Flamingo Orchestra

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From hamburg with Love Wednesday — 15 August

For several years now Copenhagen Pride has invited an international pride to curate a show on Pride Stage throughout the week, and this year the stage will be taken over by Hamburg Pride on Wednesday.

The host of the evening From Hamburg With Love will be German singer, actress and dancer Annie Heger. As part of the band Zuperfly, Annie Heger created the official anthem for Hamburg Pride back in 2010 titled Around the World.

First live act on stage will be rising German artist Leopold who is both music and a strong statement. With heels, glitter, sequined aesthetics and distinctive vocals they are here to counter social norms and serve beautiful music and proud vibes.

Throughout the evening appearances on stage will also include the German ambassador to Denmark and a surprise act that could not be revealed before deadline of this magazine.

To finish off the night is one of Hamburg’s finest behind the turntables, DJ Berry E, who most recently played during the official Berlin Pride Show.

Photo: Linn Marx

Line-up 19.00 - 20.00:

Leopold

20.00 - 20.15:

The German Ambassador

20.15 - 21.30:

TBA

21.30 - 23.00:

DJ Berry E

German singer, actress and dancer Annie Heger will be hosting the show; From Hamburg with Love.

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9D KK 24 VOLT × COPENHAGEN PRIDE

CHARGER

INCL. A SUPPORT WRISTBAND Get your hands on our limited edition Volt × CPH Pride mobile charger bundled with a Copenhagen Pride support wristband.

The charger from Volt is pocket-sized and perfect for anybody who likes to be on the move and during Copenhagen Pride Week we all need a bit of extra power. The charger includes a micro USB and a Lightning cable that works with all mobile phones.

FREE SERVICE: The Charger includes our charging service during Copenhagen Pride Week, which provides you with free swapping of the charger to a fully charged one at all times at Copenhagen Pride’s information tent on Pride Square from 14. - 18. August 2018.

50% of all proceeds goes to Copenhagen Prides work for tolerance, equality and human rights.

You can get the charger at Copenhagen Pride’s webshop on miinto.dk/shops/b-2780-copenhagen-pride or via getvolt.dk from 9/7 or at the information tent on Pride Square from 14/8 - 18/8-2018.

Under the Rainbow Thursday — 16 August

Under the Rainbow is the very special concert night during Copenhagen Pride Week which showcases up-andcoming live LGBTQ artists on stage, alongside a wellknown headlining act. This year the headliner is bigger than ever before. It is no other than Anne Linnet, the legendary uncrowned queen of Danish music and one of the biggest lesbian icons in Denmark.

Hearts, likes and shares were the immediate reactions when Copenhagen Pride back in July announced that Anne Linnet will be headlining Copenhagen Pride Week 2018. This is the first time that the iconic, openly bisexual Danish singer will perform at pride, and expectations are really high. If you are not Danish and therefore have a good excuse to not be familiar with Anne Linnet just yet, then head to YouTube for songs such as Barndommens Gade, Glor på Vinduer, Smuk og Dejlig, Tusind Stykker or Venus. And please, do head to Pride Square on Thursday night as well, simply to experience Anne Linnet live (and the Danish fans enter a state of euphoria). Anne Linnet will take the stage at around 21.00.

The host of this year’s Under the Rainbow is openly lesbian singer-songwriter Karen Sangvin, and first up on stage will be Danish X Factor star Sigmund.

The uncrowned queen of Danish pop, Anne Linnet, will be headlining Under the Rainbow.

Line-up 19.00 - 19.30:

Sigmund

19.30 - 20.00: Feel Freeze 20.00 - 20.30: Theo X

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20.30 - 21.00:

Jeanett Albeck, Ramona Macho & Rosa Lux

21.00 - 22.15:

Anne Linnet + band

22.15 - 23.00:

DJ Wonderboy Cph

The electropop duo, Feel Freeze, will perform on Pride Stage at 19.30 on 16. August.

LUNCHING & DINING at Café PetersborG Café Petersborg offers a selection of traditional Danish dishes at affordable prices.

We´re looking forward to serving you a delicious meal in one of Copenhagen’s oldest restaurants where you have the opportunity to be seated in our new and cozy courtyard.

See our menu and opening hours at www.cafe-petersborg.dk.

Café Petersborg | Bredgade 76 | 1260 Copenhagen | 3312 5016

Photo: Tore Juncher Jørgensen

At 19.30 you have a chance to experience one of the most talented up-and-coming names in Denmark right now.

Feel Freeze. Their dreamy, dazzling and optimistic electropop music is receiving praise from all directions, and the music video for their latest single Bridge to your Heart was released in late June.

Next up will be half an hour of amazing glam pop served

by Theo X who was earlier this year personally invited to play for the Crown Prince of Denmark at his private birthday celebration.

Just before the stage will be handed over to Anne Linnet, everybody is up for a very unique music experience when singer-songwriter Jeanett Albeck (aka O’Hara) teams up with drag queen Ramona Macho and renowned Danish DJ and producer Rosa Lux.

Drag Night #queensofpop Friday — 17 August The hugely popular Drag Night on Pride Square is one of Europe’s biggest drag shows and it usually draws a huge crowd who all show up ready for shade, serious lip sync and amazing outfits.

Copenhagen Pride’s annual Drag Night always comes with a hashtag. This year is no exception with the theme being #queensofpop on the occasion of Madonna turning 60 the day before the show.

"Madonna is the ultimate icon of the LGBTQ+ community. From timeless favorites like Vogue and Express Yourself to deep cuts like In This Life, Madonna’s catalogue has consistently addressed values that speak to us. Freedom of expression, rejection of stereotyping and questioning the status quo. Decades of AIDS activism, standing tall against threats from Putin and a force of nature even in the face of excommunication from the Catholic church. She tells us it’s okay to be different and to be yourself – all in the service of love”, said Copenhagen Pride when asked why Madonna was specifically selected as a theme this year.

An army of Danish drag queens will get into the groove and express themselves during the 4-hour show which has become an institution within Copenhagen Pride Week. Besides Madonna you can expect several other international queens of pop to be honoured on Pride Stage.

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Tinus performing at Drag Night 2017.

Photo: Anders Jung

Line-up Megan Moore Tinus Harley Queen We Do Madonna Denise Delight Di Di Cancerella Faux Phoenix Jaxie Chez Tity Disturbing Business Roxy Thyrune Mariah Freefall Ion Miss Bonnie Honey Betty Bitschlap Jezebelle May Daniel's Brynhildr Lucciana Chantal Al Arab Jumbo Jette Athena Lady Miss Lucky

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Parade, pride show & parties Saturday — 18 August

Photo: Wilfred Gachau

After a fully packed Pride Week of human rights debates, workshops, concerts, parties and activities the big day of the parade and the final pride show is up. All through and across the centre of Copenhagen the parade, pride show and numerous street parties and events mark the final day and night of Copenhagen Pride Week 2018.

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Zebra Katz (US) is headlining the Pride Show 2018.

Line-up 14.00 - 15.10:

Glitter Boys (DK)

15:10 - 15:20:

Award: Salmon of the Year

15.20 - 16.30:

DJ Gul (DK)

16.30 - 17.00:

Official Pride 2018 speeches:

Speakers include Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Copenhagen Pride's Vice-Chairperson Ane Rindom, Copenhagen Mayor for Culture and Leisure Niko Grünfeld, Alexandr Agapov of the Russian LGBT Sports Federation and more.

Photo: Bjorn Jonas

17.00 - 18.00: Lucas (S), Moody (DK), Housefrau (DK) 18.00 - 19.00: Ivy (S), Iris Gold (DK), Jonezy (DK) 19.00 - 20.00: Ida Corr (DK), Kill J (DK) Copenhagen Pride Parade Around 40,000 people are expected in the Copenhagen Pride Parade this year, making it yet another record-breaking event. More than 170 groups have registered beforehand and as always people join in on the day, marching along and celebrating love in all the colours of the rainbow.

The parade takes off from Frederiksberg Town Hall Square on Saturday 18. august at 13:00, and participants are urged to show up several hours earlier to prepare and get into position. From 11.00 DJ Wonderboy Cph will be behind the turntables in Frederiksberg Town Hall Square serving pride anthems right up until takeoff at 13.00.

If you feel like watching the parade rather than joining it, popular spots to gather along the route are Vesterbro Torv, Sankt Thomas Plads and at Vesterbrogade between Gasværksvej and Hammerichsgade. Expect the parade to take approximately 2.5 hours to pass by.

The complete parade route is Frederiksberg Town Hall Square - Allégade - Frederiksberg Allé - Vesterbrogade Hammerichsgade - Jarmers Plads - Vester Voldgade - Copenhagen City Hall Square.

20.00 - 21.00: L.I.G.A (DK), Copenhagen Queens -

Drag Show (DK) 21.00 - 22.00: Attention Whores / Mendoza (DK),

Zebra Katz (US) 22.00 - 23.45:

Robin Skouteris (GR)

Pride Square Copenhagen City Hall Square 1599 Copenhagen

Pride Show & street parties While DJ’s are playing on Pride Square all Saturday afternoon for those who prefer to hang out there, the real show kicks off once the parade arrives to Pride Square.

This year’s official pride speeches are being held between 16.30 - 17.00 and speakers include both the Danish prime minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and the international LGBT+ activist Alexandr Agapov from the Russian LGBT Sport Federation.

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Photo: Wilfred Gachau

In 2017 canadian singer Peaches headlined the Pride Show. On this photo she is taking a casual walk on the hands of the crowd.

The Pride Show on Pride Square from 17.00 is headlined by Zebra Katz and DJ Robin Skouteris alongside Danish artists Iris Gold, Jonezy, Kill J, L.I.G.A and Moody. The show will also include a special surprise performance of a certain Danish pop song that every Dane around and above the age of 40 will know. The song came out in 1988 and celebrates 30 years this year.

A big part of Saturday during Copenhagen Pride Week is also the various street parties around the City Hall Square.

As always the street Studiestræde is closed to all traffic and transformed into a long pride party, and you will also find open-air parties just outside the gay bar Centralhjørnet in Kattesundet, on Regnbuepladsen (the Rainbow Square) hosted by Oscar Bar & Café and in Sankt Peders Stræde hosted by Brøchner Hotels. In general, expect the inner city

36

to be more or less one big pride celebration on Saturday August 18.

Official Pride Party If you haven’t had enough of partying throughout the day and evening on Saturday, the official Copenhagen Pride Afterparty goes down in Pumpehuset, just next to Pride Square, from 23.00 - 05.00. The two Frankfurt-based DJ’s Cihan Akar and Mark Hartmann are in town to make you dance all night long.

Tickets are available both online and at the door subject to availability that is. An entrance ticket to the official Copenhagen Pride Party will set you back 140 DKK at the door and 120 DKK if bought online via billetto.dk.

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Contours of a mega-event Copenhagen 2021 is in the making

I

n 2021, something spectacular is taking place in Copenhagen and Malmö. In that year, Copenhagen Pride will be hosting WorldPride, and Pan Idræt will be hosting EuroGames. Although 2021 is still a few years out, the organizers are hard at work putting together Copenhagen 2021, which is the name of this combined and global mega-event.

"At it’s core, Copenhagen 2021 is about three things: Pride, sports and human rights", says Lars Christian Østergreen, CEO of Copenhagen 2021. "We are combining the celebration of love and diversity from WorldPride with the celebration of sportsmanship and team spirit from EuroGames. And at the same time, we’re organizing a massive human rights conference to shine a light on LGBTQ rights around the world".

Diving into bid books outlining the visions for WorldPride Photo: Andreas Paulsson

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and EuroGames, one quickly realizes the extent of Copenhagen 2021, and it’s not easy to wrap your mind around how such a massive event can materialize in Copenhagen and Malmö in just a few years.

"Copenhagen 2021 is a celebration of our LGBTQ community covering eleven full days", says Lars Christian Østergreen. "Copenhagen 2021 will include 8 days of WorldPride festivities, 4 days of human rights debates and talks, and 3 days of EuroGames with sporting events".

He also mentions that Copenhagen 2021 is kicked of with an extra-ordinary opening ceremony by the harbor front at a so far undisclosed venue, and that the final closing cer-

emony of the event will take place at the City Hall Square.

Furthermore, several rainbow-colored villages will pop up throughout the city during Copenhagen 2021. One will focus on human rights and aim to lift some of the discussions from the human rights conference out of the conference venue and into the city, one will have a specific focus on the EuroGames and rainbow sports and serve as a meeting point for the thousands of participating athletes, and yet another square will serve as a designated women’s space to make sure that women do not feel neglected and overlooked in an LGBTQ space often dominated by men.

"We are mainly focused on getting ahead of the logistics and booking venues at this point", says Lars Christian Østergreen. "But once that has been taken care of, we will get into the details of the program and involve the LGBTQ community in figuring out the more specific contents of Copenhagen 2021".

He states that ideas in the air currently span everything from open air concerts on the WorldPride Square, LGBTQ focused film screenings, queer art exhibitions in galleries and museums, a specific youth pride event dedicated to celebrating LGBTQ kids and youth, and a festival for LGBTQ choirs from all over the world to LGBTQ historical city tours, speed-dating for polyamorous, morning yoga by the harbor front, sightseeing on roller skates, drag queens reading out loud to children at public libraries, and rainbow family play dates on playgrounds.

"Of course, we can’t make all this come true by ourselves.

So we’re looking at partnering with various stakeholders, organizations from the community and cultural institutions in both Copenhagen and Malmö", says Lars Christian Østergreen. "We would also love to hear more input from the community, so we will be hosting open brainstorming sessions in which we invite everyone to bring their ideas to the table".

"At the heart of Copenhagen 2021 is an ambition of inclusivity across all parameters", explains Lars Christian Østergreen. "Making sure that everyone feels included and welcome at all times is as much a hashtag used by the organizers as it is a daily commitment, one must understand: Our community is made up of all the letters of the acronym, so in 2021 we’re aiming to raise the bar for inclusivity. Inclusivity is something we preach, and it is something we try to practice at every step of this process that we’re in."

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Photo: Kelly Hansen

He mentions that it was a long and challenging process for him and his secretariat to find a suitable office space, because many buildings in the inner city of Copenhagen are not easily accessible for people in wheelchairs.

"With a commitment to inclusivity, I can’t have my staff working from an office that can’t be accessed by wheelchair users, he explains. But the commitment to inclusivity will also come through in the sporting tournament, where inclusion of trans, non-binary and intersex people will be a specific focus".

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Copenhagen 2021 is still three years out, but the organizers definitely seem to have a lot on their plates. If you want to follow their process in the years ahead, you can stay updated via copenhagen2021.com or social media.

"We’re running a marathon stretch in sprint pace", says Lars Christian Østergreen. "So there’s going to be many exciting news to report on as we inch closer to 2021".

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IN THE WAKE OF PRIDE IN LONDON D

uring the annual Pride in London parade on July 7, a small group of lesbian activists organized under the slogan “Get the L Out!” disrupted the parade with flyers and banners carrying anti-trans messages. After a short negotiation the group was subsequently allowed to march ahead of the parade with a banner stating “Transactivism erases lesbians” while handing out flyers saying that the “trans movement is coercing lesbians to have sex with men”.

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“I disagree with men saying they are women and that they are lesbians.

I’ve got nothing against people crossdressing or anything else, but I don’t believe that you can change sex”, one of the lesbian activists explained to Pink News.

Immediately after the incident organizers from Pride in London were heavily criticized for allowing the antitrans group to be present and march ahead of the parade. They since issued a statement condemning the protest

and apologizing to the trans community.

A divisive issue The unfortunate incident during Pride in London has brought renewed attention to a serious and divisive issue within the LGBTQIA community: A growing, internal conflict between transgender activists and lesbian, radical feminists. Voices from both sides seem to quickly go shrill and the online debates are far from pretty to read.

From one side of the gap some lesbian, radical feminists claim that trans women are simply men in disguise while on the other side some transgender activists call it transphobia if a lesbian is not sexually interested in trans women based on whatever they might or might not have between their legs.

The gap is very real and so is the struggle – on both sides. And the complexity of the issue and the whole debate around cannot be underestimated. Thankfully there are voices out there trying to calm the waters and bridge the gap. The outspoken, lesbian

feminist and singer-songwriter Beth Ditto, took to Instagram to publicly comment on the lesbian protest during Pride in London: “Don’t forget all the movements that came before.

We only can see the result of them. There was turmoil, infighting, debate, fall outs on the inside all the way. But still they pressed on. And succeeded. We have to do the same”, Ditto said.

Zero tolerance in Copenhagen The anti-trans protest during the parade in London has also sparked heated debate in Denmark where Copenhagen Pride Week is coming up. The organizers of Copenhagen Pride found it necessary to release a statement after having received messages from concerned trans people who asked whether they could feel safe during pride in Copenhagen.

Part of the statement from Copenhagen Pride reads: “The position of Copenhagen Pride is abundantly clear: We do not tolerate trans- bi- homo- or any other LGBTQIA+ phobia in our activities. This includes the Copenhagen Pride Parade and at the City Hall Square of Copenhagen which, during Copenhagen Pride Week from 14th-18th August once again will be transformed into Pride Square.

Transphobia, biphobia and homophobia is always unacceptable – regardless of whether it is propagated by people who themselves identify as LGBTQIA+ or from other individuals or groups. Copenhagen Pride Week must be a safe space for all LGBTQIA+ individuals, and we will defend the integrity of our festival as such.

Copenhagen Pride Week is a festival for inclusion and a celebration of diversity, and implicitly in these terms is embedded an expectation of those who choose to participate, that they are champions of these principles, that they celebrate diversity and the individual liberties, that they help create a safe environment for all and that they support the agenda of inclusion allowing all people to feel safe, despite differences in gender identity or gender expression and across sexual orientations.

Hateful messages directed at minorities, shaming, abusive behaviour and discrimination simply will be allowed no space in our festival, and we do in no way regard it as a mitigating circumstance that the perpetrators themselves belong to a minority.”

EXHIBITION: PRIDE PEOPLE Photojournalist Ari Mikael Zelenko is presenting a proud photo exhibition in Copenhagen showing the glorious participants of pride seen over a period of seven years.

In support of the Danish AIDS Foundation, Ari Mikael Zelenko’s proud photographs are exhibited at two different venues throughout the last two weeks of August. The photos are portraits of people celebrating Copenhagen Pride, mostly captured in and around the Latin Quarter and the street Studiestræde which is closed for traffic and transformed into the proudest street party in town every year on the day of the pride parade.

“There is no doubt now, that a historic gender change is beginning to happen in the Western hemisphere as a whole. But there is still a long way to go for the LGBT+ community and many problems are obviously still unresolved”, Zelenko explains, while emphasizing the feeling of empowerment, love and unity that is in the air during Copenhagen Pride Week.

“My hope is that the photographs give a feeling of

43

the triumph and the poetry, that I believe the pride and the people in it give to the world. On the day of a pride parade everybody come together to celebrate and express themselves and the love they have. That’s the point of the exhibition”, Zelenko says.

The photographs on display are portraying pride-goers in Copenhagen throughout the last seven years, a period during which Denmark achieved full marriage equality and removed transgender from its list of mental disorders. These victories, however, do not mean that all is good. The LGBT+ community in Denmark still suffers discrimination, hate crimes and a lack of acceptance. Maybe this is one of the reasons why the freedom to be yourself and celebrating love in all the colours of the rainbow is still such an overwhelming feeling during the annual Copenhagen Pride Week. A special feeling that Zelenko is fascinated with.

“I was fascinated by the freedom of expression here. So free that it becomes a glorious thing to behold and frame 44

into photography. It’s like everybody is thirsty for freedom, for this rainbow coloured juice of freshly squeezed fruits all served in one, colourful drink”.

The exhibition Pride People is being shown at two different venues – both with free entrance – from August 13 to August 31. Prints, postcards, originals and the official poster will be on sale in both places.

The exhibition runs from 13. - 31. August 2018 Next Door Café Larsbjørnsstræde 23 1453 Copenhagen

Gallery Fotografika Sønder Boulevard 68 1720 Copenhagen V

Get more information about the photographer on www.zelenko.dk

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support your pride

The perfect way to flash your pride and at the same time support Copenhagen Pride is by wearing this year’s official support wristband, which also gives you great pride deals throughout Copenhagen Pride Week.

Copenhagen Pride is still managing to give you a Pride Week loaded with absolutely free concerts and events for everyone - which is quite an accomplishment when you think about it.

A festival this big costs a lot of money, and while corporate sponsors and financial support from the City of Copenhagen might help a great deal, your support is still needed in order to keep the rainbows flying.

One of the easiest ways to show your support - and at the same time get great discounts in Pride Week - is by

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buying this year’s official support wristband for 50 DKK. The wristband is available in all bars and in the information tent on Pride Square, and can also be bought in 7-Eleven stores, Joe & the Juice cafés and Panduro shops all over Copenhagen among many. You can also drop by Oscar Bar & Café, My Fair Ladies or Homoware’s shop and get your wristband there.

You should also bear in mind that the bars on Pride Square are run by volunteers from Copenhagen Pride, which means that every time you buy your beers, shots or drinks from one of those bars you are supporting your local pride organisation.

For more information on the support wristband, discounts and benefits, go to copenhagenpride.dk.

FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT TO PRIDE Fearless freedom fighters have again this year put their own safety at risk in order to organize and carry out pride events around the globe. It goes without saying that waving the rainbow flag in countries where prejudice, oppression, hostility, violence and political instability are still a harsh reality takes a lot of courage. The fight is about basic human rights, acceptance, visibility, equality and the freedom to be who you are. In some areas the road is very long and full of danger, but that does not keep LGBT+ activists from stepping out and start walking.

Beirut Pride forcibly shut down The second Beirut Pride Week – which was scheduled to take place from May 12 to May 20 – was brought to a halt just a few days into the celebrations following the detention of the organizer and founder Hadi Damien.

During one of the planned events, an Arabic reading of the French queer play Ogres, Lebanon’s censorship bureau interfered, ordering the reading to stop immediately and 48

taking Hadi Damien to the police station where he was detained overnight. Damien was interrogated based on a fabricated Arabic version of the Beirut Pride Week Program which stipulated that the events were inducing debauchery and immorality. Despite proving that the Arabic version of the program obtained by the censorship bureau was strongly manipulated and misleading, the General Prosecutor of Beirut still decided that all events related to Beirut Pride Week were to be cancelled. Damien was released the following morning after signing a pledge acknowledging the verdict of the General Prosecutor. Subsequently Beirut Pride cancelled the rest of the planned activities and urged the LGBT+ community to refrain from acting against the decision for the sake of their own safety.

Interpride, the international association of pride organizers, condemned the clampdown, stating that “a peaceful celebration of diversity, organized by the local LGBTI community, should never be hindered.”

While article 534 of the Lebanese Penal Code prohibits having sexual relations which “contradict the laws of nature” and violations are punishable by prison, the law is rarely enforced. In fact, recent years have seen positive changes both politically and in public opinions. Just last month, in July 2018, a Lebanese appeals court ruled that homosexuality is not a crime. This ruling was immediately celebrated by Lebanon’s leading LGBT advocacy group Helem.

First pride ever in Swaziland On June 30 the very first pride took place in Eswatini, the nation formerly and more commonly known as Swaziland, and both organizers and participants describe the event as a massive success – despite the many severe threats that organizers were faced with.

Being a former British colony, the tiny kingdom of Eswatini in Southern Africa with a population of little less than 1.5 million people, still has laws criminalizing homosexuality – and a King who reportedly believes that gay people are colluding with Satan. Prime Minister Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini has called homosexuality “an abnormality and a sickness” and societal discrimination is widespread.

This, however, did not hold back the joy and the success of the very first pride which attracted several hundreds of participants who marched in the capital Mbabane with rainbow

flags and a big banner saying "Turn Hate Into Love".

Eswatini Pride was organized by local nonprofit The Rock of Hope and supported by international advocacy organizations Human Rights Campaign as well as AllOut who assisted with funding for the event.

Protests during Kyiv Pride

The theme for this year’s Kyiv Pride, which took place in June in the Ukrainian capital, was visibility. Surveys show that many Ukrainians still refuse to acknowledge that LGBT people exist in the country. Around 5,000 people joined the march, defying the threats from ultra-nationalist groups, and according to the organizers around 2,500 police officers were in place to protect the parade-goers.

Despite the heavy police presence, a group af 150 far-right protesters showed up and attempted to disrupt the parade.

The attempt was unsuccessful, however, since police forces were very quick to surround the anti-LGBT protesters. According to AFP, 56 protesters were detained and five police officers suffered injuries during the clash.

Earlier this year, in May, a meeting for LGBT activists in the region was to be held in Kyiv with participants from both Amnesty International, Kyiv Pride and Human Rights Watch. The event got cancelled when a group of far-right nationalists suddenly showed up, threatening with violence, and the authorities failed to intervene.

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IDAHOBIT cancelled in Uganda The Ugandan State Minister for Ethics and Integrity ordered the immediate cancellation of a planned event for the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) on May 17, just minutes before it was about to begin. The event, which was organized by SMUG (Sexual Minorities Uganda), had obtained all necessary permissions from the local authorities, but was still shut down with the reason that the gathering served the purpose of promoting homosexuality.

“We will not be intimidated. As members of Uganda’s LGBTI community, it is important to remain steadfast and resilient in the demand for the respect of our human rights and dignity, especially in the face of adversity”, said Dr. Frank Mugisha, Executive Director of Sexual Minorities Uganda.

Uganda remains one of the most dangerous places in the world to be LGBTQ, and violent attacks against LGBTQ people – also by state officials – are commonly performed.

Istanbul Pride banned once again The Governor of Istanbul banned the Istanbul Pride Parade from taking place on July 1 for the fourth year in a row, but this year almost 1,000 people showed up to march despite the ban. The activists gathered around Taksim Square and Istiklal Avenue, where they were met by heavy police presence.

After a short negotiation, LGBTQ activists were allowed to read out a press statement and unfold a large rainbow flag on the street Mis Sokak, before being ordered to immediately disperse.

Smaller groups of activists kept gathering in side streets, marching together when possible, trying to avoid the tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets that the Turkish riot police are quite keen on using.

“The Governor cited the excuse of security in its decision to ban the march, and in one word, this is comical. Our marches went on peacefully without being banned for 13 years”, said Istanbul Pride organizers in a statement.

Istanbul Pride has been celebrated since 2003, and in 2014 more than 100,000 people attended the march which went ahead peacefully and without disruption. In 2015 the Turkish police used water cannons and rubber pellets to disperse the parade, and this has been the case every year since then.

Istanbul Pride Parade 2017 when the LGBT+ community marched despite the ban put forward by the Governor of Istanbul a few days before the parade was planned to take place.

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Photo: Mathias Løvgreen

Bouhdid Belhedi is the director of the LGBTQ radio station Shams Rad. As a director he works hard to legalize homosexuality in Tunisia.

A New proud voice in the Arab world 52

Homosexuality is illegal in Tunisia. Despite threats the LGBTQ organization Shams has started a radio station to put focus on the topic and give a vulnerable group their own voice.

LGBTQ people's experiences, political challenges, traditions and culture. These are just some of the topics that are being debated on the radio station Shams Rad. The radio station is the first of its kind in the Arab world and has since December last year tried to create a free space for LGBTQ people in Tunisia.

"One of our programs is a cultural program called God of Heart. Here we discuss what is going on in cinema and theater and we discuss music and gender of music. We also have a program where we talk about violence in all aspects of life and why we are against it", says Bouhdid Belhedi and lights a cigarette.

Bouhdid Belhedi is the leader of the Shams organization, that since 2015 has been fighting for homosexuals’ rights in Tunisia. He is sitting at his office at the end of the rainbowcolored hallway. Next to the office is the small radio studio kept in red colours and on the back wall is a big banner displaying the text dignite egalite (dignity and equality), which clearly shows what they are fighting for.

“It is torture. Simply” Homosexuality is a crime in Tunisia and is punished by up to three years in prison. And if you are reported to the police as a man, you are subjected to an anal test.

"It is torture. Simply". Boudhid Belhedi shuts the cigarette into the filled ashtray and lights a new one.

"There are two steps in the anal test. First, the doctor sprays a chemical up to see if there is sperm or not, and afterwards he inserts his finger into the anus to feel the shape".

Homosexuality has been illegal in Tunisia since 1913, and is stated in article 230 of the Penal Code. And even though the law conflicts with the constitution, that calls for individual liberties and personal choices, article 230 is still enforced.

"The mindset of the politicians is homophobic and last year alone 993 people were arrested because of their sexuality", says Bouhdid.

The anal test is intended to act as evidence in the arrest, but according to Bouhdid Belhedi, the test is not only dis-

criminatory, it is also illogical.

"It is the sexual act between two people that is illegal. But with the anal test you only criminalize the recipient", he says, shaking his head.

Protected by international institutions Shams Rad has a total of 19 different programs, and they make a virtue of inviting people in the studio, who can discuss the subjects in an objective manner. Today the station has been busy with a debate due to the International Day against Homophobia. Later that evening I am going to an event that marks just that, and when I ask if people can be left alone at such public events, Bouhdid Belhedi replies promptly.

"That is not certain. We experience that people steal our things when we are attending public events".

Bouhdid explains how there is a big pressure on the Shams community and since the radio station went live, he has received 4,200 threats on Facebook. However, the chances that Bouhdid will get arrested are small. As the face of Shams he is responsible for the organization’s external relations, which include making sure that other countries are aware of Tunisia's discriminatory legislation.

"The state does not want their reputation in the international community to be ruined. So they can not arrest me. I am protected by international institutions".

While the struggle for a change of law is going on, Shams Rad tries hard to create solidarity. One way to do so is by broadcasting a program about the LGBTQ communities that exists in the 73 countries where homosexuality is a crime.

"Since we've created Shams, people are still afraid to come out. But we try to encourage them to create a safe space in the public room", Bouhdid Belhedi argues.

Shams Rad consists of 10 employees and can be heard daily from 9-23 on their Youtube channel, Shams Rad. The article was created by DIGNITY - Danish Institute Against Torture. DIGNITY is a Danish institution that works to prevent torture worldwide, and to provide rehabilitation to torture survivors.

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A photographer – and two lovers T

hat afternoon began with three silent knocks on our hotel room door. It could have been room 152 or 243 or 121 or 423. I don’t remember, but I do remember those three silent knocks. I don’t know why, but they still seem to ring out so loud. Maybe it was because I started to wonder what on Earth I’d gotten myself into. Knock. Maybe it was because I started to feel the heat rise from the thought of what would soon take place in this hotel room in Berlin. Knock. Maybe it was because I somehow knew that this experience would become significant to finding pride in myself. Knock. Either way, those three knocks marked the beginning of something.

It had started with a text on Grindr. Hey, how are you? Nothing spectacular, just a friendly greeting from one acquaintance to another. I’m doing good, thanks.

Oliver and I had talked about it before – doing a naked photoshoot, perhaps maybe even having sex in front of a camera. But we didn’t want to do porn. That would have been the easy thing. Blowing, rimming, fucking, cumming. That playbook had been refined and replicated by the porn industries throughout years, but that was not what this was about. We wanted to portray in front of a camera and through a tiny camera lens, the level of unbound intimacy, unconditional love and unlimited affection that had blossomed between the two of us since we met each other. We wanted to portray two unapologetically proud men, naked, evolving from two separate biological entities and – if only for a brief moment – into one pulsating organism. That was what we told him.

And he said that would be no problem.

He was tall. Tattooed. Handsome. But more than that, he was friendly, kind and funny, although in a somewhat morbid way. He told us about his works, his life, his recent trip to California. He had a slight German accent. I enjoyed his company. He soon enough made me feel comfortable, asked us to get a little more undressed. Could you 54

55 Photo: Florian Hetz

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Photo: Florian Hetz

please stand in that corner, Mark? And Oliver, could you get up close behind him, like, really close?

And so I stood up, walked a few steps across the room from the bed to that specific corner he’d pointed out. I could tell why.

The sun was peeking in through the windows and lit up that corner, lit up my body now as I was standing there. Oliver came up behind me. He put his right hand on my hip, and with his left hand he grabbed mine and held it tight. He leaned in, kissed me just below my ear and caused me to let out a silent moan.

I want to try out something, guys. Oliver, could you try to get inside Mark’s shirt? It didn’t make much sense to us, but we tried. My shirt sure was elastic enough for the both of us to be inside it, but we still managed to turn a situation that could have been perfectly beautiful into something that was more or less awkward. I bet he had some bold artistic vision of two bodies creeping into each other in a never-ending effort to get closer still. I liked the idea of that. But after a few whole-hearted tries and some liberating laughs, we all decided it wasn’t going to work out. After all, Oliver and I are not models. So instead of trying to get inside my now stretched-out shirt, Oliver held me tight from behind, took off my shirt, my underwear, the only two pieces of clothing I was still wearing. And so, we we’re standing in the corner of our hotel room. Naked. Vulnerable.

Loving.

Oliver held my hand tight once again and cupped it in front of my crotch. I could hear a snapping camera lens, but the sound of it became increasingly distant as I let go and gave into the moment. Lips. Hands. Touches. No words. Only the sounds one’s mouth instinctively makes when your mind is overflowing with pleasure. Things slowly drifted out of sight, out of mind.

It was just Oliver and I and of course the distant snaps of the camera that kept reminding us both that someone else was in the room with us, that someone else was sharing this moment of unhinged love and lust.

You just do what you feel like doing. He broke the silence.

Gave us his permission to just let loose. It wasn’t that we’d waited for him to let out those words, but as much as Oliver and I were objects of each other’s fantasies and feelings, the sum of us was the object of his camera lens and his art. And with him allowing us to break away from the corner of that hotel room, we soon found ourselves on the bed. Bare skin on white sheets.

A scent of sex mixed with detergent.

It was Oliver on top of me. Me on top of Oliver. Him moaning under my weight and thrusts. Me quivering as he hit my spot. It

Oliver came up behind me.

He put his right hand on my hip, and with his left hand he grabbed mine and held it tight. He leaned in, kissed me just below my ear and caused me to let out a silent moan.

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Photo: Florian Hetz

was eyes locked, hands wandering across chests, mouths whispering into ears, lips tasting, sweat dripping. Legs raised, laid around shoulders, muscles tightening up for a second and shortly after opening up. And through it all, the snapping sound of that camera produced a rhythmic soundtrack to the two of us making love.

It was intense, and it was only interrupted by him asking us to move into the light, adjusting our bodies a bit every now and then.

To me, it was a moment of pride, although not the rainbow-colored and flag-waving pride you find in parades and marches all over the world.

It was the pride of being unapologetically in love and defying the ways in which men like us are supposed to be. And it was the pride of documenting this and showing it to the world: We’re men. We fuck. We love. We lust. We find comfort and compassion in each other’s arms, and we give each other a sense of belonging.

It was pride in not giving two fucks about anything else than what we had and have together, what we found and find in each other’s presence.

Our bodies kept moving to the sound of the snapping camera. As our climaxes built up, I turned my head and looked straight at him and deep into his eyes.

Neither of us blinked. Then I moved my stare a few inches and looked into his camera, the snapping sound of it loud and clear. Snap. Snap. Snap. I bit my lip, closed my eyes, turned to Oliver. And then it gushed over me, and I felt it gush over Oliver. Two bodies, becoming one.

Two separate entities forming one proud organism.

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