no. 7
on. . .
I nt e r ge ne r a t i ona l Di a l ogue
I nt er gener at i onalDi al ogue:Chal l enges andPot ent i al s byLucyNowot t ni ckandSyl viPaul i ck
LucyNowot t ni cki st heCo-chai r per sonoft heI GLYO Boar dandt heCo-or di nat orf or I nt er cul t ur aland I nt er -r el i gi ousdi al ogue.Shest udi esGenderSt udi esand I sl ami c Sci encei nBer l i nandwor ksasast udentr esear chassi st antf ort heQUI NG-pr oj ect . Syl viPaul i cki st hecoor di nat oroft hej oi ntI GLYO/I LGA-Eur ope–AgePr oj ectandst udi esGenderSt udi esand Eur opeanEt hnol ogyi nBer l i n.Herr esear chi nt er est si ncl udesexual i t y,i nequi t i es,i nt er sect i onal i t yandhuman r i ght sf r om ani nt er cul t ur alper spect i ve.
I GLYO’ smai nconcer ni st heempower mentof LGBTyoungpeopl eandt her epr esent at i onof LGBTQ yout hi ssues.Youngpeopl ei nal lt hei r di ver si t yhavet her i ghtt obeabl et oexpr ess and def i ne t hei rown genderi dent i t i es and sexual or i ent at i ons, and t o be abl e t o par t i ci pat ef ul l yi n al laspect sofl i f e,r i se t o t hei rf ul lpot ent i al ,and enj oy r espect and 1 posi t i ve r ecogni t i on. I n 2009, I GLYO wi l l cel ebr at ei t s25t hanni ver sar yandwef acet he phenomenont hatouror gani sat i oni sasol das wear enow.Thi smeanst hatt her emusthave been peopl e bef or e us who st ar t ed t hi s or gani sat i on,young LGBT act i vi st swho bui l t t he gr ound f or t he wor k we cont i nue and enhance t oday.The act i vi st s oft hose days have become ol der .And by gr owi ng ol der , t heydr oppedoutofI GLYO. Emphasi sed by t he r eal i sat i on of our own boundar i escausedbyage,t hei deaofwor ki ng
ont hi sver yi ssuecameaboutandhasr esul t ed i naver yf r ui t f ulcol l abor at i onbet weenI GLYO and I LGA-Eur ope.Wehavej ustunder t aken a j oi nt pr oj ect on age and i nt er gener at i onal di al ogueamongstLGBTpeopl ei nEur ope.Thi s Age Pr oj ect i s f unded by t he Eur opean Commi ssi on and pur suesa var i et yofgoal s. Themosti mpor t antgoaloft hepr oj ecti st he vi si bi l i t y ofand suppor tf ort he hi dden age gr oups of t he LGBT communi t y. Si nce i nvi si bi l i t yi sahugepr obl em f ormovement s i ngener al ,weasyout hact i vi st swantt omake ol derLGBT peopl e vi si bl e.Fur t her mor e,t he pr oj ect ai ms t o assess t he desi r ef or and pot ent i alofani nt er gener at i onaldi al ogue,i . e. adi al oguebet ween LGBT peopl eofdi f f er ent ages.I nt er gener at i onaldi al ogue wi t hi nt he LGBT communi t yt o dat ei sever yt hi ng buta mai nst r eam t opi c.I n or dert o do t hi s,i ti s i ndi spensabl et obeawar eandi nf or medabout
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I GLYO’ svi si ondef i nedi nt heSt r at egi cPl an2008-2010.
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t he par t i cul ar i ssues oft he r espect i ve age gr oups. I nt hi sr egar d, i ti si mpor t ant t o hi ghl i ght t hat age cl ear l y i s a cul t ur al const r uctand t o bel ong t o a par t i cul arage gr oupdoesnotmeant of or m ahomogenous gr oup whi ch has t he same i nt er est s,needs andr eal i t i es.However ,i nor dert obeabl et o gai ni nsi ght sand t o actupon t hem,ar ough di st i nct i oncanbemadebet weenyoungerand ol derLGBT peopl e.Ascan beseen f r om t hi s di st i nct i on,mi ddl e-aged LGBT peopl ei snot expl i ci t l yt ar get ed by t hi s appr oach.Thi si s duet ot hef actt hatt hi sgr oupf or mst hemost vi si bl epar toft heLGBTmovementandhasi t s i nt er est s and needs r epr esent ed i n a huge numberofl obbygr oups,mai nl yf ocusi ng on l egal i ssues such as same-sex mar r i age, adopt i on r i ght s and pr ot ect i on f r om di scr i mi nat i oni nt hewor kpl acear ena. I nt hecaseofLGBTyout h,however ,t hesear e nott hemostur gentst r uggl esascanbeseen byt he j oi ntI GLYO /I LGA-Eur ope r epor ton “ Soci alExcl usi on ofLGBT young peopl ei n Eur ope”( Apr i l2006) .I thi ghl i ght s how t hi s par t i cul ar age gr oup exper i ences di scr i mi nat i on and soci al excl usi on i n ever yday l i f e. School and t he educat i on syst em i n gener alar e char act er i sed by an absence of LGBT mat t er s. Thi si nvi si bi l i t y hi nder s LGBT yout hf r om devel opi ng t hei r i dent i t yand under st andi ng oft hemsel vesi n posi t i ve and heal t hy ways. Fur t her mor e, school i s exper i enced as a pl ace wi t hout pr ot ect i on f r om bul l yi ng and di scr i mi nat i on bypeer sandt eacher s.Oneoft heout comesof t he r epor ti st hatmor et han 60% ofyoung peopl e al l over Eur ope have negat i ve exper i encesatschoolwhi chi sr el at edt ot hei r LGBTst at us.Thi sexper i enceul t i mat el yl eads
t o under - achi evementand schooldr op-out as wel las l ow sel f -est eem.The r epor tal so showed t hatLGBT yout hi s athi gh r i sk of ment ali l l -heal t h.Der i vi ngf r om t hepot ent i al ofr ej ect i onbyf ami l yandf r i endsandt hel ack of posi t i ve r ol e model s,LGBT yout hi s at hi gher r i sk of dr ug abuse and depr essi on whi chhasnegat i veef f ect sont hei rf ut ur eand i nhi bi t st hem t obeabl et of ul l yenj oyt hei rl i f e. I nf act ,t hought sand at t empt sofsui ci dear e pr oven t o be si gni f i cant l y hi gher amongst LGBT yout ht han amongstt hei rhet er osexual peer s.Ther ef or e,t he act i vi sm oft he LGBT yout h communi t yi smai nl yt ar get ed att hese i ssues. Si mi l ar l yt ot he i ssues of LGBT yout h,t he speci f i cneedsofol derLGBT peopl e ar e not r epr esent ed i n mai nst r eam LGBT act i vi sm. Academi cs and l obby gr oups al i ke have hi ghl i ght ed t he t r emendousl ack ofr esear ch i nt ot hi spar t i cul aragegr oup.However ,what r esear cht odat ehasshowni st hatr esi dent i al homes and heal t h car e ser vi ce pr ovi derar e notabl et or espond t ot he speci f i c needs. I mpl i ci tand di r ecthomophobi abypeer sand st af ff or cesmanyol derLGBTpeopl ebacki nt o t hecl oset .However ,t hi sonl yappl i est ot hose whohad comeouti nt hepastand whohave hadahi st or yasl i vi ngopenl yasLGBT.Ther e ar e al so a consi der abl e number of peopl e whi ch,duet ot hehomophobi cexper i encei n t hepast ,del i ber at el ychoosenott obeoutand who ar ei ndeed pr oud ofpassi ng.Mor eover , t her e ar e al so a cer t ai n number of ol der peopl e who despi t e of l i vi ng out t hei r same-sexdesi r esdonotconsi dert hemsel ves t o be LGBT si mpl y because t o acknowl edge one’ s sexualor i ent at i on i s not seen as a possi bi l i t y. Anot hermaj ori ssuei st hedi f f er entnat ur eof soci al suppor t and net wor ks. Due t o di scr i mi nat i onf r om f ami l yandf r i endsandt he r educed l i kel i hood ofhavi ng had t hei rown chi l dr en meanst hatLGBT ol derpeopl epl ace mor eemphasi son f ami l i esofchoi ce,wi t ha cl osenet wor koff r i endsand t hecompanyof most l yot herLGBT peopl e.Thi si seven mor e i mpor t anti nl i ghtoft heagei ngpr ocesswhi ch i schar act er i sed byaf earofi sol at i on,bei ng dependent on hel p by ot her s and bei ng conf r ont edwi t hi l l nessesanddeat h.
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Fi nal l y,and si mi l ar l yt ot he exper i ence of LGBTyout h,ol derLGBTpeopl ear enotvi si bl e i n t he mai nst r eam medi a. Thi s, however , becomeseven mor e so pr eval entwi t hi nt he LGBT movement i t sel fi n whi ch i mages of beaut y gener al l y r evol ve ar ound yout h. Especi al l yf orol dergaymen,yout hobsessi on andf earofagei nghi ndert hedevel opmentof aheal t hyper cept i onoft hemsel ves. I nt er gener at i onaldi al oguef acest hechal l enge oft aki ngi nt oaccountal loft hesei ssuesand of cr eat i ng a common gr ound f or mut ual exchange and act i vi t i es acr oss t he age gr oups.Todat e,t her ei sanappar entl ackof communi cat i onbet weent hevar i ousLGBTage gr oups.Oner easonf ort hi sgener at i onalgap bei ng mor e pr onounced i n t he LGBT communi t i esi sseen byUS-based academi cs i n“ [ …]t hedr amat i cspeedwi t hwhi chmat t er s per t ai ni ng t o LGBT l i f e[ …]have changed i n 2 s gener at i onalgap i s r ecent decades”.Thi char act er i sed by a knowl edge gap wher eby LGBTadul t sdonotknow anymor eaboutt he exper i ence of LGBT youngst er s t han t he 3 young peopl e know t hemsel ves. Communi cat i on bet ween t he di f f er ent age gr oupsi shi nder edbyawi der angeofbel i ef s andmi sconcept i ons.Forexampl e,LGBTyout h of t en def i nes i t sel fapar tf r om LGBT adul t s and as not havi ng much i n common wi t h
t hem.Ol derLGBTpeopl esomet i messeem t o sol el y expect r espect and gr at i t ude f r om young peopl ef orenabl i ng t he emanci pat ed l i f et hey enj oy.Thi si s pr obl emat i ci nt wo ways;f i r st l y,i tappear sasi fol derLGBTpeopl e per cei ve t he l i f e ofLGBT yout h aseasy and f r ee f r om any di scr i mi nat i on and t end t o compar ei tt ot hei r own yout h whi ch was char act er i sedbyt hei rsexuali dent i t yi nmany casesbei ngacr i mi nalof f ence.Secondl y,t hi s appr oachcoul dhei ght ent hegener at i onalgap evenmor easi tmi ghtl eadt oLGBTyout hnot bei ngwi l l i ngandabl et oseeanoppor t uni t yt o l ear nf r om t he exper i ence ofol derpeopl e. However ,on t he ot hersi de oft he equat i on, LGBTyoungpeopl e,especi al l yf r om count r i es wi t hahi ghl evelofaccept anceofLGBTr i ght s, can t end t o be unawar e oft he movement ’ s hi st or yandt her oot soft hei rl i ber at i on. Af t eral l ,i ti si mpor t antt o know abouteach ot her ’ ssi t uat i onsandci r cumst ances,notonl y i n or dert o cr eat e a space wher e ever yone f eel s comf or t abl e and accept ed,butal so i n or dert of aci l i t at e ar espect f ulexchangeand f r ui t f uldi al ogue.Andwear econvi ncedt hatan i nt er gener at i onaldi al oguewoul dbef r ui t f uli n manyways!OnanNGO l evel ,t her eal r eadyar e some i ni t i at i ves whi ch pr act i ce i nt er gener at i onaldi al ogue wi t hi nt he LGBT communi t i es.I n Scot l and,adul tvol unt eer i ng
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Bohan,J ani sS. /Russel l ,Gl endaM. /Mont gomer y,Suki( 2002) :GayYout handGayAdul t s:Br i dgi ngt heGener at i onGap.J our nalof Homosexual i t y,Vol .44( 1) .pg.15-41( her ep.20) . 3
I bi d.
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and ment or i ng pr oj ect s have been set up whi ch open up t he oppor t uni t y f or i nt er gener at i onal di al ogue and pr ovi de posi t i ve r ol e model s.I nt he Net her l ands,a buddysyst em hasbeeni ni t i at edwhi chbr i ngs t oget herLGBTpeopl eofdi f f er entagegr oups and pr ovi des t he space t ol ear nf r om each ot heri nani nf or malset t i ng.Theseexampl es al r eady show t he posi t i ve gai ns ofsuch a di al ogue.An exchangeoft hi ski nd can bea beaut i f ul l ear ni ng exper i ence f or ever yone i nvol ved. LGBT yout h can l ear n f r om t he t r emendous exper i ence ofol derpeopl e and devel opmor esensi t i vi t yf orol deragewhi chi n t ur n wi l lenr i ch t hei rown agei ng pr ocess.At t hesamet i me,LGBTyout hhasal ott osayand canof f ert hei rper cept i onofl i f et ool derLGBT peopl e who mi ghtbe abl et o see t he many changes and not i ce a posi t i ve pr ogr ess of LGBTi ssues.Anot herconsi der abl el eveli st he pol i t i cal f i ght f or LGBT r i ght s whi ch wi l l benef i tf r om col l abor at i ve f or cesand gi ve a f or um t ot hevoi cest hatr emai nedunhear di n t he past . Al so, i nt er gener at i onal di al ogue
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cont r i but es t ot he awar eness ofa common hi st or ywhi chi soft r emendousi mpor t ancef or t hedevel opmentofaposi t i vei dent i t yofever y communi t y member as wel l as f or t he movement ’ s cont i nui t yi t sel f . Fur t her mor e, t he i ncr eased vi si bl e di ver si t y of t he LGBT movementwi l lcont r i but et ot her ef l ect i on of i t s own bl i nd spot s whi ch woul d di mi ni sh dr op-out s f r om t he movement . Si mi l ar l y, i nt er nal i sed mechani smsofexcl usi on can be addr essed and t he over comi ng oft hese wi l l make t he whol e communi t y mor ei ncl usi ve and enabl et he est abl i shmentofmor e saf e spacesf ort hosei nneedoft hem.Thr ought he endeavourofan i nt er gener at i onaldi al ogue, t he LGBT movementi t sel fcan emer ge as a best -pr act i ce exampl ef orsoci et yi n gener al whi chf acesphenomenasuchasdemogr aphi c change and whi ch wi l lal so have t o addr ess age i ssues wi t h a huge di ver si t y ofact or s i nvol ved.
Get t i ngt hedi al oguest ar t ed bySyl viPaul i ck
Syl viPaul i ck i st hecoor di nat oroft hej oi ntI GLYO/I LGA Eur ope–AgePr oj ectand st udi es GenderSt udi esand Eur opean Et hnol ogyi n Ber l i n.Herr esear ch i nt er est si ncl udesexual i t y, i nequi t i es,i nt er sect i onal i t yandhumanr i ght sf r om ani nt er cul t ur alper spect i ve.
Af t eran i nt enseper i od ofr esear ch aboutal l t he i ssues and i nt er gener at i onal di al ogue i t sel f ,we had col l ect ed a br oad scope of quest i ons and cont act ed a gr eatvar i et y of peopl ewhowor ki nt hef i el d.Wewer er eadyt o gett he di al ogue st ar t ed on an i nt er nat i onal l eveland f i nal l y under t ook an exper tr ound t abl e di scussi on i n Ber l i n, Ger many, on August7-8,2008.I twasent i t l ed “ Expl or i ng gener at i onalgapswi t hi nLGBTQ communi t i es: Ani nt er gener at i onaldi al ogue”andgat her eda t ot alof28exper t sandmember soft heLGBT communi t yf r om al lovert heEU.I navar i et yof wor kshops,par t i ci pant sdi scussed t hei ssues f aced by younger and ol der LGBT peopl e, expl or ed t hecommonal i t i esand exper i ences of t he di f f er ent age gr oups and r ef l ect ed about t he desi r ef or and pot ent i al of an i nt er gener at i onaldi al ogue.Whatbecamecl ear wast hatdespi t et he f actt hatt he i ndi vi dual ci r cumst ances of younger and ol der LGBT peopl ear eofcour seuni que,t hedi f f er entage gr oups shar e many exper i ences and t he i ssuescanbequi t esi mi l ar .Forexampl e,whi l e
t he di f f er entage gr oups come acr oss ver y di f f er entset t i ngs( youngerLGBTwi l lbemor e f ami l i arwi t h educat i on syst ems,whi l e ol der LGBT have mor e exper i ence wi t hr esi dent i al homes orheal t h ser vi ce pr ovi der s) ,t hey al l shar ed t heexper i encet hathet er osexual i t yi s a pr esumed and unspoken assumpt i on l eadi ng t o subt l eorbl at antdi scr i mi nat i on of LGBT peopl e. Si mi l ar l y, t he di f f er ent age gr oupsst at edasenseofdependency,cl osel y l i nked t o a sense of vul ner abi l i t y. Fur t her mor e,t he di f f er entage gr oupsshar e t heexper i enceofi nst i t ut i onaldi scr i mi nat i on, pr obl emsr el at i ng t o ment alheal t h( e. g.t he exper i enceofdi scr i mi nat i on whi ch mayl ead t o depr essi on) ,t he f act t hat comi ng-out chal l engesot herpeopl e’ sassumpt i onsabout aper son and t he quest i on ofr epr esent at i on ( i . e.t he quest i on ofhow t he di f f er entage gr oupscanspeakf ort hemsel vesandnothave deci si onsmadeby“ out si der s” ) . Never t hel ess,t he r ound t abl e al so ai med at pr ovi di ng t he space t oi nvest i gat e whatt he
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di f f er encesar ebet weent heagegr oupsandi t became cl eart hatt her e cer t ai nl y ar e some. Forexampl e,t he age gr oups have di f f er ent access t o sexual heal t h i nf or mat i on and educat i on,t heyal sodi f f eri nt hei rcommuni t y i nvol vementandar edi f f er ent l yr epr esent edi n t hemedi awi t hyoungerpeopl ebei ngpr esent whi l e ol derLGBT ar e not .Fur t her mor e,t he i ndi vi dual ’ sr el at i ont oi nst i t ut i onswasst at ed t obequi t edi f f er ent :wi t houtdenyi ngt hatt he educat i onsyst em mar ksaver yl ongper i odi n ayoungper son’ sl i f e,i twasst i l lconsi der edt o beshor t -t er m asi ti sal i mi t edper i odoft i me. Homesf orol derLGBT peopl e,however ,can becomeamuch mor el ong-t er m per i od i na per son’ sl i f e,t hus,ar eaver yi mpor t antpar tof i t .Fi nal l y,t he i mpor t ance oft he wor kpl ace envi r onment mi ght di f f er si gni f i cant l y dependi ng on t he per son’ si ncl usi on i nt he l abourmar ket . Cl ear l y,si mpl y di scussi ng t hese ver yi ssues wasan i nt er gener at i onaldi al ogue al r eadyi n i t sel fandpar t i ci pant swer ever yi nt er est edt o l ear n about t he i ssues of t he ot her age gr oups.However ,t he r ound t abl e was al so i nt ended t o di r ect l y addr ess t he benef i t s of and t he pot ent i al bar r i er s t o an i nt er gener at i onal di al ogue and par t i ci pant s pr ovi dedamul t i t udeofanswer s.Forexampl e, wi t hr egar dt ot heper cei ved gai nsofsuch a
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di al ogue par t i ci pant s st r essed t he f actt hat knowl edge and exper i ence woul d be passed on, however ,t hi s woul d go bot h ways: youngerand ol derLGBT can l ear nf r om each ot her ,maki ngt hi spr ocessmut ualr at hert han one-way.On t he one hand,younger LGBT peopl e coul d benef i tf r om t he ol der LGBT peopl e’ s exper i ence, whi ch woul d enabl e t hem t odevel opt hei ri dent i t yi naneasi er ,l ess pai nf ulandheal t hi erway.Ont heot herhand, ol derLGBT coul d benef i tf r om cont actwi t h youngerpeopl easi tcan beemot i onal l yand spi r i t ual l yr ef r eshi ngt ogi ve,notonl yt ogai n, exper i ence.Ol derpeopl ecoul dal sol ear nhow t heyoungergener at i onswor kwi t ht hemedi a andobt ai ni nf or mat i on. On a di f f er ent l evel , i nt er gener at i onal di al ogue mi ghtenabl e youngerLGBT peopl e t ounder st andwhatl i f ewasl i kebef or emany oft oday’ s har d-ear ned r i ght s had been i n pl aceandwoul dshow t hem t hatt hef i ghtf or LGBTr i ght swi l lhavet ocont i nue.Ul t i mat el y,a di al ogue woul d al so l ead t o mor e cont i nui t y and a sense of hi st or y wi t hi n t he LGBT communi t yandpeopl ecoul dl ear nf r om ot her peopl e’ sexper i encesandnothavet of i ndout ever yt hi ng al lover agai n by t hemsel ves.A senseofsol i dar i t ymi ghtdevel op wher ebyi t becomescl eart hatt opi cssuchascomi ng-out ar enotonl yani ssuef oryoungerbutf orol der
LGBTaswel l .Andofcour se,st er eot ypesand myt hsaboutt he ot herage gr oupscoul d be di spel l ed, f ear s and pr obl ems be bet t er under st ood and t he f earofbecomi ng ol der can getdi smant l ed.I tqui ckl ybecomescl ear t hati nt er gener at i onaldi al oguewoul dbr i nga t r emendousamountofr i chnesst ot heLGBT communi t y,ort o sayi ti nt hewor dsofone par t i ci pant , “ a non-i nt er gener at i onal l i f e woul dbeani mpover i shedl i f e” . Nonet hel ess, t her e ar e some per cei ved bar r i er st osuchadi al ogueandi ti si mpor t ant t o know t hem i n or dert ot ackl e orpr event t hem.The par t i ci pant s of t he r ound t abl e expl ai ned t hat pr ej udi ce and st er eot ypes about t he ot her age gr oups mi ght be a hi ndr ancet of i ndcommongr ounds,aswel las t he per cept i on t hat t her e ar e a l ack of commonal i t i es.Aspar toft hi s,someyounger LGBT peopl eper cei veol derpeopl et obest i l l f i ght i ng ol df i ght s and somet i mes f i nd i t di f f i cul tt ot r ul y under st and ot her peopl e’ s exper i encesand t he wayt hese shaped t hei r l i ves. Fur t her mor e, some par t i ci pant s ment i onedt hatol derpeopl ear enotpor t r ayed i n t he medi a, whi ch cont r i but es t o t he per cept i on t hat ol der LGBT si mpl y do not exi st .Assuch,apar tf r om anappar entl ackof exi st i ng common pr oj ect s,i nt er gener at i onal wor k was descr i bed as wor k bet ween t wo hi dden popul at i ons. Fi nal l y, par t i ci pant s cr i t i quedt heunwi l l i ngnessofaut hor i t i esand deci si on-maker st osuppor ti nt er gener at i onal pr oj ect swhi chcl ear l ymakessuchendeavour s evenmor edi f f i cul t .
Ther ound t abl et r ul ywasan i mpor t antst ep t owar ds gai ni ng bet t er i nsi ght si nt o how i nt er gener at i onaldi al oguecoul dwor kandt he ent husi asm oft hepar t i ci pant sconf i r med t he i mpor t anceand necessi t yoft heAgePr oj ect . However ,si mi l ar l yt ot hewayt hatsci enceand r esear ch hast o cr i t i cal l yr ef l ecton i t sel fand i t s bi ases,so does t he Age Pr oj ecthave t o acknowl edgespeci f i cchal l enges.Under t aki ng suchapr oj ectonanEU-wi del evel ,bear st he dangerofr epr oduci ngWest er neur ocent r i sm. Eur opeanr eal i t i esar ehi ghl ydi ver seandwhen i tcomest oLGBTr i ght s,l egi sl at i on,pr ot ect i on aswel lassuppor tf orand vi si bi l i t yofLGBT peopl e var i es t r emendousl yf r om count r yt o count r y. As a r esul t of t hi s, needs and i nt er est sofLGBTpeopl evar yaswel l .Thi shas t o beacknowl edged and r espect ed.Assuch, when i tcomest oi nt er gener at i onaldi al ogue, t hest ar t i ngpoi ntwi l lbever ydi f f er entf ort he act or si nvol vedandwi l lbever ymuchl i nkedt o t hegeogr aphi caland pol i t i calci r cumst ances. Thei ncl usi onofal lEUcount r i es,r egar dl essof t he di f f er ent st ages i n t he empower ment pr ocess of LGBT peopl e, i s of ut most i mpor t ancet ot heAgePr oj ect .Thi si ncl udes maki ngal lt hevoi ceshear d. Assuch,i nt er gener at i onaldi al oguer equi r esa gr eatdealofopennesson manyl evel sf r om ever yonei nvol ved.Wewi l lhavet obeopent o t el l our st or i es and speak f r om our own exper i ence.However ,wewi l lal sohavet obe opent ol i st en,t ol ear nt ol ookatt hi ngsf r om di f f er ent per spect i ves and t o acknowl edge di f f er entki nds ofknowl edge.I tmi ghtt ake ef f or t ,i tmi ghtbedi f f i cul tatt i mes,buti twi l l al sobequi t eanexci t i ngexper i ence!
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Per spect i vesf r om anOl derGayMan byRogerNewman
RogerNewmani sa67yearol dr et i r edt eacherf r om Mar gat e,UK.Asar esul tofcar i ngf or hi spar t nerwho had Al zhei mer sDi sease,heco-f ounded t heLGBT Car er sGr oup oft he Al zhei mer sSoci et y.I n2007hewasawar dedanMBEbyQueenEl i zabet hI If orhi schar i t abl e wor k.
I wor k wi t h an LGBT or gani sat i on whi ch suppor t scar er sofandt hosewi t hdement i a;i n ourgr oupwear emost l yol derpeopl ebecause dement i at endst o besomet hi ng t hatcomes wi t hagei ng.I twassogoodt her ef or et ol eave t hatwor l df orawhi l eandt obeapar toft he i nt er gener at i onal r ound t abl e i n Ber l i n because i ni tIr eal i sed agai n how younger LGBTpeopl eener gi seme;t heyl i f tmyspi r i t s, t heymakemesmi l eandevensomet i mest hey l i st ent omyl i f est or i eswi t hi nt er est . AtLondon Gay Pr i de t hi s year t he ol der LGBTgr oupwaschosent obeatt hef r ontof t he par ade and i twas so movi ng t o see peopl e appl audi ng us and hear some shout i ng‘ t hankyou! ’ .Whatadi f f er entwor l d f r om whenIwasi nmyt went i es–whenbei ng gay was har dl y ment i oned excepti n some scandalmonger i ng news paper s;when you f el tso gui l t y aboutyoursexual i t y and j ust pr ayedt hati twoul dgoaway;whenyoumi ght have gotmar r i ed,i nt he nai ve bel i eft hati t woul d change t hose f eel i ngs;and when t he f eel i ngsdi dn’ tgo you l i ved i nf earofbei ng f ound outand exposed.So on t hatday i n 1968whenwebecame‘ l egal ’Ir emembert hat i tf el tasi fahugebur denhadf al l enf r om me and I al so r emember t hat f i r st t er r i bl e/wonder f ulmoment when Isai dt o someone,‘ Iam ahomosexual ’ . Si ncet henIhavebeeni ncr easi ngl yexci t edby whathashappenedt ousasagaycommuni t y i n Br i t ai n. We now have l egal pr ot ect i on agai nstdi scr i mi nat i onbot hatwor kandwhen r ecei vi ng goods and ser vi ces;pr ot ect i on by t he pol i ce f r om homophobi c act i vi t y; t he i nt r oduct i onofl egalci vi lpar t ner shi ps;andal l t hesehavegi vengaypeopl eofmyagesucha f eel i ng ofwel l bei ng,butsadl y however so manyr emai nf ear f ulabout‘ comi ngout ’bot h, because oft hei rpastexper i ences and al so because ofa l ur ki ng f ear t hatt hese good t i mesmi ghtnotl ast .
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I nt er gener at i onal cont act s wi t hi n our communi t y can be of such val ue.Humour acr oss t he gener at i ons i s a gr eat and somet i mesnecessar yl evel l er .Lear ni ng f r om peopl e’ sexper i encesdoesnothave t o be a one wayact i vi t y–bot h ol d and young have somet hi ng t ot each.Aski ng quest i ons and l i st eni ngt oever yonear eski l l swhi chneedt o be r ef r eshed by al lage gr oups;butget t i ng ol derdoesbr i ngauni quevul ner abi l i t ywi t hi t , and suppor tf r om t hose who ar e younger becomesmor enecessar y.I ncr easi ngl yIneed peopl ewho hel p meouti ft hi ngsar enotso easy i nt he house,and when cr eat i ng my powerofat t or neyar r angement ,Ir eal i sedt hat Ineeded f r i ends who wer et wo gener at i ons youngert han me,r at hert hen peopl e ofmy own age gr oup,because t hey woul d be t he mostabl et omeetmyneeds.Whenyouar eol d t her ei s mor et i me t of eelyourl onel i ness; t her ear ememor i est ocopewi t h-per hapsof deadpar t ner s;andt hef earoft hef ut ur ehi t s you becauseyou know you mi ghtevent ual l y bef or cedt or el yont heser vi cesofanongay wor l d whi ch maynotunder st and yourneeds asanLGBTper son. Iam notconvi nced t hatourpr esentLGBT communi t y t r ul y accept s t he r eal i t y of agei ng,nei t heri si tyetpr epar ed t omobi l i se i t sel ft oser vet heneedsofi t sol dermember s, asi tdi d dur i ng t hoset er r i bl edayswhen t he AI DS pandemi c was at i t s wor st .St at i st i cs publ i shedl astweeki nt heUKshowedt hatt he numberoft hoseover65wasnow mor et han 1 Thi nk of t he f ut ur e t hose under 16. i mpl i cat i onsf oragaycommuni t ywhent hose over55mayal r eadynumbermor et hant hose i nt hei r20s. Whatar et hei mpl i cat i onsofal lt hi sf ort oday’ s LGBTQ yout h?Wel lwhoam It ot el lt hem what 1
ht t p: //www. st at i st i cs. gov. uk/cci /nugget . asp? I D=949
t odobutIam f ear f ult hati nsomecount r i es wear el et t i nggoofabel i efi nt heconceptof an LGBTQ communi t y. Our pr esent l egal f r eedoms and economi c wel lbei ng may be endanger i ng t hat‘ f ami l y’f eel i ng whi ch has beensuchast r engt hi nt hepast .Wecoul dbe i n dangeroff or get t i ng t hatt her e ar et hose whocannotsoeasi l yt akeadvant ageof‘ gay’ f r eedom and may be abl et ot ake onl y ver y smal lst eps i nt he pr ocess of‘ comi ng out ’ . Ourcommuni t y’ sconcent r at i ononyout hi s l eadi ngnotonl yt oaf ai l ur et oacknowl edge event heexi st enceofol dgaypeopl ebuti s al so l eadi ng t o a par anoi a amongst t he mi ddl e aged t hatt hei rt i me i nt he sun i s now r api dl yf i ni shi ng.Ther ei smuch t o be done t o ensur et hat we est abl i sh st r ong syst emswhi chensur et hatal lofus,what ever ourages,havear ecogni sedpl acewi t hi nt hi s wonder f ulgaywor l d.
Dur i ng ourt i met oget heri n Ber l i n wevi si t ed t he gay hol ocaustmemor i al .I tst ands as a r emi ndert hatsome,butnotyetal lofus, havecomeal ongwaysi ncet hosedr eadf ul t i mes.Howevert hej our neyi snotoverand weshoul d notal l ow ot her st oper suadeus t hati ti sf i ni shed.Weneedconst ant l yt obe vi gi l antandal wayspr epar edt of i ghtwhen pr ej udi ceanddi scr i mi nat i onappear . The r ound t abl e had i t si mper f ect i onsbuti t gave me pr eci ous moment st o admi r et he cour ageofot her s;i tl ef tmei nspi r edbywhat ot her s i n t he LGBTQ communi t y wer e achi evi ng;andi tgal vani sedmet oencour age usi nt heUKt opur suef ur t hert heundoubt ed benef i t sofi nt er gener at i onalact i vi t y.
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MySt or y byRegi neSt ar ck
Regi neSt ar cki s45 year sol d,mar r i ed butsepar at ed and hast wo chi l dr en.Shest udi es soci aleconomyi nHambur g.Oneyearago,shecameoutasl esbi anandhasbeeni nvol ved i nt hel esbi anor gani sat i on“ I nt er vent i one. VHambur g”eversi nce.
M y namei sRegi neand Iam 45years ol d.Las tyearIhadmycomi ngoutasa l es bi an woman,al t hough I had been marri ed f or 24 years and have t wo chi l dren:an 1 8 year ol ds on and a 1 4 yearol ddaught er. vemys el fasayoungl es bi anand Ipercei al t houghIam notat eenageranymore, Is omet i mesf eell i keone.If eell i ket hat becaus eIs eem t o experi encet hes ame t hi ngst hatIus edt owhen Iwas1 4and f el li n l ove f or t he f i rs tt i me.I am s i mi l arl y i nexperi enced, t hi s t i me however,becaus e Idon’ tknow how t o f l i rtwi t h a woman and how t obehave i n t he l es bi an communi t y – s i mpl y becaus ei ti sal lnew t ome.Nonet hel es s , t o have s uch an experi ence i s qui t e exci t i ng becaus ei ti swonderf ult of eel al i veandnotl i keal i vi ngghos tasIhad bef oreIhavehadmycomi ngout . Therei ss omucht odi s coverasal es bi an woman. To s pend t i me wi t h ot her l es bi ans or t o go t oa l es bi an caf e or part ywasatf i rs tal i t t l ebi tdi f f i cul tf or me.Si nce January 2008 I have been at t endi ng meet i ngs at t he l es bi an organi s at i on “ I nt ervent i on” i n Hamburg,Germany,and i ti sgreatt o be a part oft hi s communi t y.W e,f or exampl e,havea caf éwhi ch i sopen t o everywoman,regardl es sofwhet hers he i s het ero or l es bi an, young or ol d. Anot herway t ogeti nt ouchwi t hot her women i s our “ di al ogue bet ween t he generat i ons ” .Thi si s an open meet i ng f orwomen ofeveryageandt akespl ace every s i x weeks .Somet i mes t here are t hreegenerat i onsofl es bi ansbet ween 1 5 and 69 yearsofage.Every meet i ng i s moderat ed by a s oci alf aci l i t at or and
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t oget herwedi s cus st opi csl i ke“ my f i rs t l ove”or “ my comi ngout ” .Some young l es bi ansarea bi ts hy atf i rs tbutaf t er havi ngl i s t ened t os omecomment sf rom ot hers t hey open up t ot he di s cus s i on bet ween generat i onsand t hey can f eel t ot al l y f ree t o as k ques t i ons . For exampl e,t hey as ked me,“ Regi ne,what i si tl i ke t o be a l es bi an wi t hal at e comi ngout ?” , or “ Do your chi l dren know t hatyouareal es bi an?” . ThenIexpl ai nt ot hem t hatmychi l dren know t hatIam a l es bi an.However,I have nothad a l es bi an rel at i ons hi p as yetandIt hi nkt hati tmi ghtbehardf or my chi l dren when Ievent ual l y dohave one.However,wewi l lcros st hatbri dge when i tcomes .Asyoucan s ee,Ihavet o f acet hes ameques t i on t hatyou havet o f ace:W i l lmy f ami l y acceptt he way I LOVE?-wi t ht hemi nordi f f erencet hat my f ami l y does not onl yi ncl ude my parent sbuti ndeedal s omychi l dren. Thi si swherei nt ergenerat i onaldi al ogue becomes my very pers onalreal i t y.I n many ways I go t hrough t he s ame proces s es as you as young peopl e do, namel yt he s t ruggl et of i nd outwho I am and t o f i nd ways t o l i ve t hat . Si mi l arl y,Iexperi enced t he proces sof comi ngoutandt hef earsandhopest hat come al ong wi t hi t .And ofcours e,t he very s i mpl ebutatt hes amet i mevery di f f i cul tt hi ng of f al l i ng i nl ove wi t h s omeone,of expres s i ng your emot i ons andt herebymaki ngyours el fvul nerabl e ands omet i mesexperi enci ngrej ect i on i s notany eas i erf ormet han i ti sf oryou asyoungs t ers .Asyou can s eef rom al l t hi s , I am real l y a t eenager at t he momentwi t h a whol el otofexperi ence
asa mi df ort y yearol d woman.On t he one hand,Ibel ong t ot he young LGBT communi t y wi t h al li t s“ f i rs ts t eps ” , whi l e on t he ot her hand my peersare el derl yl es bi ans .Is hares i mi l ari t i es ,but al s o have di f f erences wi t h bot h age groups —whi ch i s why I gai ns o much f rom i nt ergenerat i onaldi al ogue,where al l my needs and ques t i ons can be adequat el yaddres s ed. Ihopet hatot herLGBT peopl ewi l lhave s i mi l ar experi encesand wi l lbeabl et o l i ve happi l y wi t h t hei r s exual ori ent at i on, and havi ng f ri ends or
f ami l yt ot al kt o.Ihad a f el l ow s t udent wi t hs i mi l ar experi encest o mi ne,who was al s o marri ed,has t hree chi l dren and t oday l i vesa l es bi an rel at i ons hi p. She wast he f i rs tpers on It rus t ed and whom I t ol d about my s exual ori ent at i on.Af t er t hat ,i twaseas y,i t t ook a l oad of f my mi nd.Now i ti s normalf ormet ot el lcol l eaguesorf el l ow s t udent s about my s exualori ent at i on. Thank you f or your i nt eres t , and hopef ul l y you wi l lal s obel ucky enough t omeetdi f f erent l y aged peopl e,asi ti s t rul yagreatgi f t . Bes twi s hes , Regi ne
Look outf ort he next i ssue of I GLYO on. . .
25Year sofLGBTYout h andSt udentAct i vi sm 13
TheMi ssi ngLGBTGener at i oni nLi t huani a byLaur ynasPl i uškys
Laur ynasPl i uškysi s21year sol d,andst udi esbi ochemi st r ywi t habusi nessmi noratBr i st ol Uni ver si t y,Uni t edKi ngdom.Hehasbeeni nvol vedi nLGBTact i vi sm si ncehewas17.Thr ee year sago,hewasoneoft hef ounder soft heTol er antYout hAssoci at i on,Li t huani a’ syout h or gani zat i onf orLGBTandot hermi nor i t i es.
Li t huani ai soneoft hel astcount r i esi nEur ope st i l lst r uggl i ng wi t ht he accept ance ofLGBT peopl e. Ever y mont h we, get homophobi c st at ement s—even f r om Member s of t he Par l i ament . LGBT peopl e ar e st i l l ver y cl oset ed,andf eeldi scr i mi nat i oni never yf i el d oft hei rl i f e.Ther ef or e,ourLGBTact i vi st sar e f i r stofal lbusywi t hi mpr ovi ngt hesi t uat i oni n gener al : educat i ng peopl e on t he st r eet s, l obbyi ng par l i ament ar i ans, expl ai ni ng t o soci alwor ker swhyLGBTpeopl ear et hesame as ever yone el se. The r ound t abl e f or i nt er gener at i onaldi al ogue f el tl i ke a f r esh br eeze of new i deas and i ni t i at i ves.Never havi ng t hought of age-r el at ed i ssues, i t seemed t o be a ver yi nt er est i ng new t opi c; however ,soon back i n ourl ocalgr oups we encount er edar ock-har ddeadend.
deeperi nsi ghti ni nt er gener at i onali ssues,a di al oguei mpl i est wosi des.Ther ewer eal i sed t he el der gener at i on was mi ssi ng. Why? Li t huani ai sst i l laver yyoung count r y,whi ch gotr i doft het i ghtSovi etUni ont ent acl esj ust 18 year s ago—wi t h i t s i deol ogy and i t s t r eat ment of homosexual i t y as a ment al di sease.Becauseoft hat ,gaypeopl ei nt hose days wer ef or ced t o mar r yi n or dert o hi de t hei rsexualor i ent at i onandi nawayt heysuppr essedt hei rneeds.Mostol dpeopl est i l ll i ve i nt hesamenot i on,mar r i ed t o opposi t esex par t ner s, even t hough t he r egi me has changed.Homophobi ahast akenr oot si nt hei r mi nds,andi tcanbever yhar dt ochanget hei r vi ew poi nt s.Consequent l y,wecanhar dl yf i nd anyel derLGBTper sonwi l l i ngt ot al kandst ar t suchabr i t t l edi al ogue.
Fi r stofal l ,cont r adi ct i onscanbef oundwi t hi n t heLGBT communi t y.Young peopl e,l ooki ng f or f r i ends and f un,r ar el y under st and t he needandpur poseofsuchdi al ogue.Eveni fwe f ound a gr oup of youngst er s who had a
Secondl y,pr obl ems ar i se f r om out si de t he LGBTcommuni t y.Eveni fwedeci dedt ol aunch a pr oj ectencour agi ng t hi s di al ogue,soci et y woul dbeaski ngwhyweneedi t .Thi squest i on ar i ses f r om t he under st andi ng t hat one’ s
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t hesexualor i ent at i oni sonl yr el at edt o sex.I n ot herwor ds,l esbi an and gay peopl e ar et he same asanyone el se, j ustwi t hadi f f er entsexualpr ef er ence. I ft hi si sr i ght ,t hequest i on t hatul t i mat el yf ol l ows i s:‘ Why do el dergay peopl ewantt ol aunchadi al oguewi t h younger gay peopl e? – I sn’ tt hi s ‘ di al ogue’onl yacamouf l agef ort hei r sexualact i vi t i es? ’ Iknow,manypeopl ewi l ldi sagr eeand sayt hi si san over l ysi mpl i st i cwayof t hi nki ng.However ,mostoft hesoci et y i nLi t huani ast i l lhasnounder st andi ng aboutwhatt heLGBTst uf fi sal labout andt heunder st andi ngi sassi mpl i st i c ast hi s.I ti sno sur pr i set hen t hati ti sof t en mi xedwi t hpedophi l es,zoophi l esandot her s as‘ oneandt hesameper ver si on’ . To sum up,we f eelver y happy aboutsuch ext r aor di nar yhi gh-l eveldi scussi ononi nt er gener at i onal di al ogue at an i nt er nat i onal l evel .Theyar er eal l yneeded and i ti sgr eat
t hi sdi al oguei sar i si ng f i r st l yf r om t heLGBT communi t ymember s.However ,t hi si sast ep t oogr eatf orusi nLi t huani a.Bef or ecover i ng such speci f i c LGBT-r el at ed i ssues,we f i r st have t or ai se gener alawar enessaboutLGBT i ssuesi nbot h,t heLGBTcommuni t yi t sel fand i nt hesoci et y.
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I nt er gener at i onalDi al ogue:I t ’ snotour pr i or i t y byJ anSwi er szcz
J anSwi er szczi sayout hwor kerf orCampai gnAgai nstHomophobi a( KPH)i nWar saw.He i saPhD st udenti npsychol ogy,andal sowor ksasat eacherandt r ai ner .Hel eadst he KPHYout hGr oup,andpr ovi deshel pandsuppor tbyor gani si ngevent s,par t i es,f est i val s andr egul armeet i ngs.
WhenIhear dmyf r i endsayi ng,sar cast i cal l y:“ I don’ tt hi nkwehave60yearol dgaypeopl ei n Li t huani a” ,Iknew exact l ywhathemeant .I ti s r at herdi f f i cul tt omeetagayper sonoverf or t y i nt he Pol i sh LGBT movement ,and t r yi ng t o f i nda50+ per sonoutoft hecl oseti smi ssi on i mpossi bl e.Ofcour se,wear eal lawar et hat t hese peopl e exi st , but t her e ar e many r easonsf ort hem bei ngi nvi si bl e. At f i r st ,i t has t o be st r essed t hat ol der gener at i ons ofLGBT peopl ei n Pol and and most West er n Eur opean count r i es ar e i ncompar abl e. Gay r i ght s movement s i n post -sovi et count r i es ar e qui t e young— appr oxi mat el y18year si nt hecaseofPol and. Bef or et hef i r stgayor gani sat i onswer esetup, andt hef i r stPol i shgaymagazi nespr i nt edi n t he 1990s,t her e was a ver yl ong per i od of deni al of basi c l i ber t i es. The l i ber al at mospher e of t he sevent i es, t he sexual
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r evol ut i on and t he AI DS cr i si s wer e phenomenat hathar dl yr eachedPol and,andi f t heydi d,t heywer e pr esent ed asa decayof West er ndemocr aci es.Thest at econt r ol l edt he l i ves ofci t i zens,and oppr essed t hose who st ood out .Ther e was onl y one meani ngf ul eventf orgayhi st or ydur i ngcommuni stt i mes: i nf i l t r at i on, bl ackmai l i ng and humi l i at i ng i nt er r ogat i ons ofgay peopl e by t he pol i ce dur i ngt he“ Hi acynt ”campai gn,bet ween1985 and 1987. Whi l e gay peopl e i n t he Net her l ands,SwedenorFr ancewer ebui l di ng t hei r i dent i t i es and f or mi ng t hei r LGBT movement s,gay peopl ei n Pol and t r i ed t o bl end i n soci et y,orsuppr ess t hei rf eel i ngs. Now,atat i mewhenagei ngLGBTgener at i ons i nWest er nEur opecomeupwi t hi deassuchas r ai nbow nur si nghomes,t hei rpeer si nPol and ar est i l lat t achedt ot hei rspouses,chi l dr enor gr andchi l dr en, who never suspect ed t hem bei nggay.Thosewhonevergotmar r i edspent
most of t hei r l i ves hi di ng t hei r sexual or i ent at i on, and devel oped st r at egi es t o “ sur vi ve”i nahet er onor mat i vewor l d.Theydo notneed r evol ut i onar yact i vi st swhodemand t o mess up t hei rl i ves.They got used t o homophobi asi ncet heyhadnochoi ce.Dur i ng t hei ryout h,t her ewasnopl acef ordi scussi on, and pr act i cal l yno chance t o cont r i but et oa meani ngf ulchangei nt hesyst em.Asar esul t , t hei deaofadi al oguewi t ht hest at eand t he meani ngofsoci alact i vi sm i sest r angedf r om t hem.I ti snot ewor t hyt hatPol i shseni or sar e passi vei n mostsoci alar easexceptr el i gi on. Mor eover ,shoul dt hey come out and f ace homophobi a,t heywoul d haveal otmor et o l ose t han LGBT young peopl e. Anot her i mpor t antmat t eri st hatol derLGBTpeopl ei n Pol and had no oppor t uni t yt ol ear n about homosexual i t y,par t i ci pat ei ngaycul t ur e,and devel op genderand sexualawar eness.Bei ng homosexualmaymean no mor et han havi ng sex wi t h one’ s same gender ,whi ch i s not i ncompat i bl e wi t h homophobi a or sexi sm. Tr yi ngt of i ndol dergaypeopl ei nPol and,we shoul dnotbel ooki ngi ncl ubsorgay-f r i endl y caf es,butpar ks and ot hercr ui si ng pl aces. The si t uat i on of l esbi an women i s mor e di f f i cul tt o por t r ay,because women r ar el y benef i tf r om t r adi t i onalsoci et y’ s at t ent i on. One can assume t hat l esbi an women l i ve t oget her as a coupl e, wi t hout r ai si ng t he suspi ci onofhomosexual i t y:i nt hepubl i ceye, i ti saccept abl ef orwomen t o shar ehousi ng, f orexampl ef oreconomi corsaf et yr easons.
Ther e have been a f ew cases ofol dergay peopl e cont act i ng Campai gn Agai nst Homophobi a,and we wer e abl et o pr ovi de hel p byof f er i ng counsel l i ng wi t hr egar dst o l egal i ssues concer ni ng t hei r wi l l and i nher i t ance,or act i on agai nst bl ackmai l i ng. When t al ki ng wi t h LGBT act i vi st si n Pol and aboutpossi bi l i t i es t o bui l d a di al ogue and i nt er gener at i onalbr i dge,Iwast ol dt hati twas not our pr i or i t y.“ We ar ef i ght i ng a l ot of homophobi a her e,t r yi ng t o educat e yout h, changet hel aw,andsoon. ”Somet i mes,Isaw ami xt ur eofent husi asm andpessi mi sm i nmy i nt er l ocut or s,whent al ki ngaboutI LGAEur ope and I GLYO’ sAge Pr oj ect .How can we r each peopl ewhohavebeeni nt hecl osett hei rent i r e l i f e,who do notpar t i ci pat ei n LGBT cul t ur al l i f e,who do notuse t he I nt er netorgo t o cl ubs?How canwei nvol veagr oupwhi chdoes not want t o be i dent i f i ed wi t h LGBT or gani sat i ons,doesnotunder st andourai ms, and,whenspeaki ngupoccasi onal l y,cr i t i ci ses ourpol i ci es? However , despi t e i t bei ng di f f i cul t t o i mpl ementt hei deaofi nt er gener at i onaldi al og i n LGBT communi t i es i n Pol and f or t hese r easons, I st r ongl y bel i eve t hat our i nvol vementi nt heAgePr oj ectcant ur noutt o beval uabl e.Par t i ci pat i ngi nt hi spr oj ectatt he i nt er nat i onal l evel may open up Pol i sh act i vi sm t ot hei ssueofagei nourcount r y,and pr epar e us f ora bet t err ecogni t i on oft hi s i ssuei nt henearf ut ur e.
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I nt er gener at i onalLGBTWor ki nScot l and byNi coJ uet t en&Scot tCut hber t son
Ni co J uet t en i st he Pol i cyManageratLGBT Yout h Scot l and and has beenwi t ht heor gani sat i onsi nce2006.Recentpr oj ect si ncl udewor k oneducat i on,di scr i mi nat i onl aw andi nt er nat i onalLGBThumanr i ght s. Scot tCut hber t soni st heCommuni t yDevel opmentCoor di nat orf ort he Equal i t yNet wor ki nScot l and.Cur r ent l yhehel pst of aci l i t at et heOl der per sonsLGBTf or um.Hehasbeenwor ki ngwi t hLGBTYout hScot l and andAGEConcer nScot l andonacr oss-gener at i onalLGBTpr oj ect .
Wewoul dl i ket ot hi nkt hather ei n Scot l and, we ar e qui t e f ar on t he r oad of i nt er gener at i onalLGBT di al ogue;however ,i f t he t r ut h be known we ar e onl y at t he begi nni ng.We ar e,qui t er i ght l y,pr oud of whatwe have achi eved so f ar —butt her ei s l ot smor et odo. Backgr ound I n 2001, t he Equal i t y Net wor k and Age Concer nScot l andsetupt heOl derLGBTf or um asavoi cef orol derLGBT peopl ei nScot l and. Thef or um wor kedonar angeofi ssues,f r om agei sm t o housi ng,and i n 2004 pr oduced a r epor ton t he housi ng needs ofol derLGBT peopl e i n Scot l and. I n t er ms of i nt er gener at i onalwor k,i t was at an ol der per sons’f or um meet i ngi n2007t hatapr oj ect l i nki ngt hewor kt hef or um hasdoneonol der aget ot hewor kofLGBT Yout h Scot l and was f i r stment i oned;notl eastbecauset her ewasa r ecogni t i on t hat many of t he i ssues exper i enced byol derLGBT peopl eand LGBT youngpeopl eappear edt obequi t esi mi l ar .
Thepar t ner s TheEqual i t yNet wor kwor ksf orl esbi an,gay, bi sexualandt r ansgender( LGBT)equal i t yand human r i ght si n Scot l and.Ourmai n ar easof wor ki ncl ude: •i nf l uenci ngnat i onalpol i cyonLGBTr i ght s; l engi ngpr ej udi ce; • chal • bui l di ngst r ongLGBTcommuni t i es; • pr ovi di ng qual i t y i nf or mat i on f or LGBT peopl e; •r epr esent i ngandchampi oni ngt hedi ver si t y oft heLGBTcommuni t y.
Age Concer n Scot l and has wor ked t hr oughoutScot l andf orover60year st ohel p maket hel i vesofol derpeopl emor esecur e, comf or t abl e, di gni f i ed and enj oyabl e. Our pr i nci palai msar et oensur et hatol derpeopl e i nScot l andhave: •t hei rr i ght suphel d; hei rneedsaddr essed; •t •t hei rvoi ceshear d; • choi ceandcont r oloveral laspect soft hei r l i ves.
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LGBT Yout h Scot l and i s a nat i onalyout h or gani sat i onwor ki ngt owar dst hei ncl usi onof l esbi an,gay,bi sexualandt r ansgenderyoung peopl ei nt hel i f eofScot l andby: •pr ovi di ngdi r ectser vi cesandoppor t uni t i es, pr i mar i l yt oLGBTyoungpeopl e( 13-25) ; t i ng t he LGBT Nat i onal Yout h • suppor Counci l ,a r epr esent at i ve gr oup of el ect ed LGBT youngpeopl et hatr unscampai gnsand event s; nf l uenci ng nat i onaland l ocalpol i cy,car r y •i outr esear ch and pr act i cedevel opmentwor k as wel las cr oss-cut t i ng pr oj ect s,e. g.t he LGBTDomest i cAbusePr oj ect . ThePr oj ect I n 2007, wi t h f undi ng f r om t he Scot t i sh Gover nment ,t het hr eeor gani sat i onshel dt he Equal i t yofAge-TheLGBTWayconf er encei n Edi nbur gh.I twasat t endedbyLGBTpeopl eof al lages f r om acr oss Scot l and and a wi de r ange of t opi cs t hat ar er el evant t o LGBT peopl eofal lagegr oupswer edi scussed. Two f ur t her , smal l er event s wer e hel di n Gl asgow and Dumf r i es,a r ur alt own i nt he Sout h ofScot l and,agai n br i ngi ng t oget her member soft hecommuni t yf r om acr osst he
agespect r um.Att heseevent st hebar r i er st o i nt er gener at i onalLGBT wor k wer e expl or ed, wi t h af ocus on sol ut i ons t o make pr oj ect s acr ossageswor k. Bar r i er st oi nt er gener at i onalLGBT wor ki n Scot l and I nt er msofbar r i er st oi nt er gener at i onalLGBT wor k,someoft heemer gi ng t hemesf r om al l t hr eeevent shavebeen: t uni t i esf ori nt er gener at i onal • Lack ofoppor wor k–Oppor t uni t i esf orLGBT peopl e,wher e t heyexi statal l ,ar eof t ent ar get ed atcer t ai n age gr oups ( most not abl y at LGBT young peopl e up t o 25) ;whi l et hi smakessense i n many cases, i t may cont r i but e t o t he f r agment at i on of LGBT communi t i es. I nt er gener at i onalLGBT wor ki st hi n on t he gr ound i n Scot l and, and so i s i nt er gener at i onal wor k t hat i s not LGBT-speci f i c. • Access t o saf e oppor t uni t i es f or LGBT peopl eofal lagegr oupshasbeenr ai sedasan i ssue atal lt hr ee event s.Despi t e Scot l and’ s r el at i vel ysmal lsi ze,t her ear emanyr ur aland r emot ear eas,whi ch usual l ydo notof f erany saf e oppor t uni t i es f or LGBT peopl e; bad t r anspor t l i nks can make geogr aphi cal di st ance a maj or bar r i er . Di f f i cul t i es i n ar r angi ng chi l dcar e was al so r ai sed as a pr obl em,par t i cul ar l yf ort hemi ddl eagegr oup and ' ol der 'young peopl e,whi l et hepr esence ofal coholatmostwhol e communi t y event s can l ead t ot he excl usi on ofyoung peopl e under18.
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Waysf or war d Havi ngi dent i f i edbar r i er st oi nt er gener at i onal LGBT wor k,we asked eventpar t i ci pant st o consi derwhatal lofus,asacommuni t y,coul d do t o over come t hose bar r i er s.Acr oss t he boar d,and i ndeed acr osst hef ul lager ange, par t i ci pant sf el tt hatmor edi al oguebet ween LGBT peopl e of di f f er ent age gr oups i s desi r abl e,and agr eed t hati nt er gener at i onal pr oj ect s ar e def i ni t el y somet hi ng wor t h devel opi ngf ur t her .
• Pr ej udi ce wasr ai sed asamaj orbar r i ert o i nt er gener at i onaldi al ogueatal lt hr eeevent s; agei st at t i t udes hel d by LGBT peopl e of di f f er ent age gr oups agai nst one anot her r esul ti n al ack ofengagementand soci al cont actacr oss age gr oups;negat i ve medi a r epr esent at i ons ofyoung peopl e and ol der peopl e wer e ment i oned as i mpor t ant cont r i but or st oal ack of i nt er gener at i onal under st andi ngacr osssoci et y.
Suggest i ons f or f ut ur e wor k i ncl uded whol e-communi t y event s such as conf er ences,j oi nt meet i ngs of gr oups and soci alout i ngs,mor ei ncl usi vePr i deevent s,as wel l as par t ner shi ps bet ween ol der LGBT gr oups and yout h gr oups wi t h r egul ar oppor t uni t i esf orj oi ntwor k.
• Or gani sat i onalbar r i er s–atpr esent ,t her ei s no nat i onal or gani sat i on f or ol der LGBT peopl ei nBr i t ai n;t her ear esmal ll ocalgr oups t hatof t enoper at eonsmal lornobudget s.I n addi t i on,f undi ng f ori nt er gener at i onalLGBT pr oj ect s can be di f f i cul tt o secur e f r om gover nmentandot her s,becauset her el evant f unds f or LGBT and age wor kt end t o be l ocat edi ndi f f er entdepar t ment s.
i evet hatevent houghwear est i l latt he Webel begi nni ng ofi nt er gener at i onalLGBT wor ki n Scot l and,ourt hr eeor gani sat i onshavel ear ned at r emendous amountf r om t he exper i ence. Whi l ewear eunsur ewhet hert hatl ear ni ng i s easi l y t r ansf er abl e t o ot her Eur opean count r i es,we woul d be happy t o shar e our exper i enceswi t hanyonewhoi si nt er est ed i n set t i ng up i nt er gener at i onal wor ki n t hei r count r y.I nt hemeant i me,wewi l ll ookatwhat wecan do t oget hert ot akei nt er gener at i onal LGBTwor ki nScot l andf ur t her .
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Bei ngaBuddy byJ uulvanHoof
J uulvanHoofi sadvi soronLGBTemanci pat i ont ol ocalDut chgover nment sandwor ks f orMOVI SI E,t he Net her l ands cent r ef orsoci aldevel opment .J uulal so wor ks as a vol unt eerbuddyatSchor er -Pr oj ect .Formor ei nf or mat i onont hement i onedLGBTbuddy pr oj ect ,vi si twww. schor er . nl .
We metaboutt wo year sago:a 72 year -ol d gayman,andme,a28year -ol dbi sexualgi r l . Coul dt wowor l dsbemor eapar t ?Har dl y,buti t t ur nedoutt obeagr eatmat ch. dn’ tmeeti nt hest r eetori nabar .Si mpl y Wedi because,asIsai d,weseem t obel i vi ngi nt wo di f f er entwor l ds.Nor mal l y,wewoul dpr obabl y neverhavemet .Thati sexact l ywhatmademe j oi n an LGBT speci f i c buddy pr ogr amme;t o meet someone and get t o know someone el se’ swor l d.Someone i n whose l i f e Icoul d make a smal l di f f er ence. The buddy pr ogr amme i s desi gned f or di f f er ent cl i ent s,al lLGBT:peopl ewhoar echr oni cal l y i l l , psychi at r i c pat i ent s, peopl e goi ng t hr ough gender t r ansf or mat i ons, or soci al l yi sol at ed ol der peopl e.Ofcour se, maki ng a choi ce i s har d:who deser ved my t i memor e?Forme,LGBT ol derpeopl ear ea gr oup Ii dent i f ywi t h.Wewi l lal lbecomeol d oneday,andwi t houtasoci alnet wor ki tmust
bever yl onel yi nar esi dent i alhome.Forol der peopl e,t hi susual l ymeanshavi ngt ocomeout oft he cl osetagai nt owar ds car et aker s and f el l ow r esi dent s.I nt hatcase,a buddy who doesn’ t aut omat i cal l y assumes a per son i s st r ai ghtf eel ssaf eand f ami l i ar .Thi sf or msa commongr oundt hatdoesn’ tneedemphasi s, butdoesn’ thavet obeavoi dedei t her . Hecoul dusesomeonet ospendsomet i me wi t h,andIhappenedt ohavet hatt i me. That ’ show wemet . Apar tf r om t he f act t hat he somet i mes i nt r oduces me t o st r anger s as hi s daught er ( whi chIconsi dermysel fal i t t l ebi tt ooyoung f or ! )orhi snur se ( do Il ook t hatst r i ct ? ) ,we f ound awayt o spend ourweekl yaf t er noons t oget her .Wewal k,andbecausehewal kswi t h awal ki ngf r ame,t hi sl i t er al l ymeansasl ower pacei nmyl i f e,atl eastf ort hatmoment .We
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si tdown f orcof f ees,and wet al k.Aboutt he weat her ,pr i cesi nt hesuper mar ket ,t her oyal f ami l y,dogpooont hest r eet sandt el evi si on ser i es. As i tt ur ned out , we bot h di sl i ke chi l dr en—a never -t o-be-under est i mat ed bi ndi ngf eat ur e.Andsomet i meswet al kabout men.Wewat chment oo,ont hest r eet soron bi kes.He especi al l yl i kest hem t al l ,chubby, nott ooyoungandpr ef er abl ywi t hal otofhai r . Ij oi ni nt heconver sat i on,despi t emyl i mi t ed exper i ence on t hi s par t i cul art opi c.We can of f i ci al l ysayt hatwheni tcomest oourt ast ei n men,ourwor l ds i ndeed coul dn’ tbe f ur t her apar t .Anyt hi ngf ort hef unofbei ngabuddy. . . Asf arasundi scover edwor l dsgo,Ii nt r oduced hi mi nt oonet oo:t hewonder f ulwor l doft he I nt er net .I t was a r eal i t y check f or me,a f r equentuser —orevenanaddi ct ,accor di ngt o some.Doubl e-cl i cki ng i shar dt o expl ai n,as wel lasmovi ng t hemouseand wat chi ng t he cur soratt hesamet i me.Doi ngi sl ear ni ng,f or hi m andf orme.Wear enotyetr eadyf ort he shor ti nt r oduct i oni nchat t i ngupt hemal epar t of t he LGBT onl i ne communi t y, but we’ r e sl owl yget t i ngt her e! Andj ustl astweek,wewentonaboatt r i p.At f i r st ,hedi dn’ twantt oaskme,hewasaf r ai dI woul df i nd i tcheesy.ButIhappen t ol ove cheesyever yoncei n awhi l e!So wewenton
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t hi sboatandsungol dAmst er dam songswi t h exci t edl adi eswi t hpur pl ehai r .Weagr eedt hat t he neckl i ne oft he wai t r ess’dr esswasver y l ow i ndeed,whi l e eat i ng away on sl i ces of Amst er dam sausages.And when t he capt ai n i nvi t edt hel adi esf oradance,Isaw agl i mpse ofa young cheeky gay man,and soon t he capt ai n wasi nvi t ed f oradancebya74-year ol dman. Aboutt woyear sagowemet .A 72yearol d gaymanandme,a28yearol dbi sexualgi r l . Coul dt wo wor l ds be mor e apar t ? Har dl y, buti tt ur nedoutt obeagr eatmat ch.
www. schor er . nl
I GLYO Conf er encesi n2008 Ber l i n-EmpowerThyPeer s-23-29J une
Tur i n - Bui l di ng and i mpl ement i ng ef f ect i ve st r at egi es i n combat i nghomophobi a-12-19Oct ober
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I GLYO –l i ber at i ng LGBTQ yout ht o l i veandl ovesi nce 1984. Readmor eaboutt hebi g25th anni ver sar ycel ebr at i ont hi s summer THI SI SWHO WEARE atwww. i gl yo. com
, ansgender ,Tr sexual an,Gay,Bi onalLesbi i nat er nt I on i sat gani udentOr h&St ,Yout Queer
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