no.13
on. . .
Pr i de
an,Gay, onalLesbi i nat er nt I ansgenderandQueer ,Tr sexual Bi on i sat gani udentOr handSt Yout
I GLYO ( ai sbl ) Ruedel aChar i t é17, B-1210Br ussel s,Bel gi um emai l :i nf o@i gl yo. com web:www. i gl yo. com
Pr oj ectCoor di nat or :J azzMunt eanu Edi t or s:LucyBr ookesandJ azzMunt eanu Cont r i but or s:Al an Bai l ey,Cat her i ne Sai ntJ ude Pr et or i ous, War r en Kunce, Ami t Lev, Szandr a Gonzal ez,Vi t o Ant oni o DeGugl i el mo,Anast asi a Dani l ovaandAgat aChaber Pr oof r eadi ng:LucyBr ookesandEst herPat er son LayoutEdi t or :Col et t eFar r ugi aBennet t Desi gn:Laur aVar zgal yt e ( www. cor of l ot . com/l aur a-va) Pr i nt er :UABI NV( www. f l exus. l t )
© 2010I GLYO.Repr oduct i onper mi t t ed,pr ovi ded t hatappr opr i at er ef er encei smadet ot hesour ce. Thi snewsl et t eri spubl i shed wi t ht hesuppor tof t heEur opeanYout hFundat i onandt heEur opean Commi ssi on.The i nf or mat i on cont ai ned i nt hi s publ i cat i on does not necessar i l y r ef l ect t he posi t i onoropi ni onoft heEur opeanCommi ssi on oroft heCounci lofEur ope.Theyar enotl i abl ef or anyuset hatmaybemadeoft hi si nf or mat i on. I GLYO on. . .
DearReader s,Fr i ends,andPar t ner sof I GLYO, Wel comet ot hi si ssueofI GLYO on. . . ! I nt hi si ssue,wef ocuson Pr i deevent s, and t hei ri mpor t ance f or t he LGBTQ yout h communi t y. They come i n al l shapes and si zes:a par t y,a par ade, pol i t i calmar ch oract i on,whet herl oud and col our f ul ,orsmal land si l ent .Our exper i ences of t hem ar e di f f er ent , dependi ngonourr eal i t y,ourcount r yor our own per sonalbel i ef s or expect at i ons.Somet i mes,asi mpl eactofcomi ng outand bei ng pr oud on t he st r eetcan cause us danger , and somet i mes, i n somer eal i t i es,oursi mpl eact i onofPr i de i s pr event ed f r om t aki ng pl ace by our owngover nment s. The i ssue ofPr i de i sbecomi ng amor e pr eval entone,ani ssueofHumanRi ght s, bot hi n Eur ope and beyond.I ti s our humanr i ghtt oassembl e,asoneLGBTQ communi t y,t oshow al lourdi ver si t yand ourdemand ourequal i t y.Thi s human r i ghti sof t ennotr espect edandwemust comet oget heri n sol i dar i t y,asagl obal communi t y,wi t h young peopl e att he f or ef r ont ,t ot aket her i ght swedeser ve.
Cont ent s Recl ai mi ngPr i de 4 CapeTownPr i de 6 I nt er vi ew wi t h Vi ce Di r ect or of I nf or amt i on Cent er Gender Doc-M 7 Tr ansgenderandPr i de 9 Fi nal l y,aFr eeSpace! 11 APr i det oRecr ui tYou! 12 Pr oudf oraChange 13 TheMi l kandHoneyMar ch 14 Sur vi vi ng Hungar y:BudapestPr i de 15
I nt hi si ssue ofI GLYO on. . .you wi l lbe abl et or eadaboutot her sexper i encesof Pr i de,and t hei rhopesf ort hef ut ur eof Pr i de i nt hei r communi t i es and t hei r count r i es.I GLYO wi l lbepar t i ci pat i ng i n manyPr i deevent st hi syear ,andwehope you can j oi n us at bot h Bal t i c Pr i de ( 7th-9th May)i n Vi l ni usand Eur opr i dei n War saw onJ ul y17th. I nPr i de,Onbehal foft heI GLYO Boar d, Lucy
Pr i de
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Al an Bai l eyi s23,or i gi nal l yf r om Car di f fi n Wal es,and st udi esi nt he Uni ver si t yofSal f or d,hei sact i vel yi nvol vedi nt heNUSLGBTcampai gn
andwasoneoft hef ounder sof‘ Recl ai mt heScene’whi chwor kst of i ght t hecommer ci al i sat i onofpr i de.
I n1970’ s,t heGayLi ber at i onFr ontwer e mar chi ng on t he st r eet s of t he UK, demandi ng equal i t yf or LGBT peopl e. Pr i def est i val swer eat oolofr esi st ance agai nstahomophobi cand t r ansphobi c soci et y.Overt heyear s,Pr i deevent si n t he UK have l ar gel yl ostt hei rpol i t i cal f ocus, mar ches have become f un‘ par ades’ ,pl acar dsdemandi ngequal r i ght shavebeenr epl acedwi t hsponsor shi pofbusi nesses. AnumberofPr i deEvent schar gemoney t ogeti n,andsomeevenchar gemoney f orgr oupst ot akepar ti nt hemar ches or‘ par ades’ .Thi smoneyof t endoesnot got obenef i tt heLGBTQ communi t y,but benef i t sbusi nessest hat‘ suppor t ’pr i de. Thi s busi ness t akeover t ake di dn’ t happen over ni ght ,t her e was no bi g bat t l ef or t he meani ng of pr i de, i t happened sl owl y,one st ep ata t i me. The r eason f or t he l ack of pol i t i cal messagei sn’ tbecauset her ei snot hi ng l ef tt of i ghtf or– t her e ar er i ght sf or LGBTpeopl et of i ghtf or ,bot hi nt heUK and ar ound t he wor l d. I ti s mor ea sympt om ofhow peopl e’ ssexual i t ycan bebr andedandusedt ogai npr of i t . But LGBT and Queer peopl e ar e no l ongersi t t i ng byand l et t i ng ourpr i des been t aken over by busi ness.Peopl e have st ar t ed t o st and up agai nstPr i de 4
bei ngnot hi ngmor et hanapar t yusedt o makemoney.I nBi r mi ngham;whent he annual pr i de par ade was cancel l ed; youngpeopl eandst udent sor gani seda new pr ot estmar ch t or epl acet hecancel l edpar ade. Nowher ei nt heUK i st hecommer ci al i sat i on of pr i de mor e vi si bl et han i n Manchest er . Themar ch hasbecomea par ade. ThePr i def est i vali shel di na l ar gef enced of far ea,and you havet o buyat i ckett oent ert he‘ GayVi l l age. ’ I n 2009 a Manchest er gr oup cal l ed ‘ Recl ai mt heScene’ ,mai nl ymadeupof young peopl e and st udent s, campai gned agai nstt he commer ci al i sat i on of Manchest er pr i de t hr ough pr ot est , di r ectact i onandevent s.Wemar chedi n t he par ade wi t h pol i t i calsl ogans and pl acar ds,dr oppedbanner sof fbui l di ngs i nandar oundt heedgeofManchest er ’ s Gay Vi l l age,and f i ni shed wi t h af r ee eventout si det hewal l edof fvi l l age. Themai n eventwasal ar geal t er nat i ve eventt hatunl i ket he‘ of f i ci alpr i de’ ,was f r ee,cent er ed ar ound abi g pi cni cwi t h f r eef ood,abar ,f i l ms,speaker s,poet s and musi ci ans.The i dea oft hi s event wast ochal l engehow pr i dewasor gani sed,and pr ovi de a saf e,wel comi ng, accessi bl espacet oever yoner egar dl ess oft hei rabi l i t yt opay,andt opr ovet hat I GLYO on. . .
af un and pol i t i caleventcan be r un wi t houtanent r ychar ge. Thegoalofgr oupssuchasRecl ai mt he Scenei st hatweshoul dnotbef i ght i ng agai nst pr i des, but r ecl ai mi ng t hem, changi ng how t heyar e or gani sed,and br i ngbackpowert ot heLGBTQ communi t y.We wantt or emi nd peopl et hat t her e st i l lar et hi ngs t of i ghtf or .We wantpr i det obeapr ot estagai n.
Pr i de
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Cat her i neSai ntJ udePr et or i usi s20 year sol d,and a3r d year Under gr aduat eatt heUni ver si t yofCapeTown.Shei svi ce-chai r ofRai nbow UCTandco-chai roft heCoal i t i ont oEndDi scr i mi nat i on ( CoED) .She i s passi onat e aboutt he r i ght s ofLGBTI peopl e,i npar t i cul art hei ssuesf aci ngwor ki ngcl assl esbi ansi n Sout hAf r i ca.
Sat ur day,6 Mar ch 2010,mar ked t he begi nni ng ofCapeTownPr i det aki ng a mor e pol i t i calst ance on i ssues f aci ng t heLGBTIcommuni t y. Thousandsofpeopl egat her edi nGr een Poi nt ,t he“ pi nkdi st r i ct ”ofCapeTown, t ocel ebr at et hei rr i ghtt osexualdi ver si t y and t ot ake a st and agai nstt he cr i mi nal i zat i on of homosexual i t y i n many Af r i can count r i es. Cape Town Pr i de had i t s f l oat ador ned wi t h power f ul messages ur gi ng Uganda, Mal awiand Kenyat or epeali t shomophobi cl egi sl at i on and t o br i ng an end t ot he soci alexcl usi on of t he LGBTI communi t y.Per hapst hemostpower f ul oft hesewast hel ar gemapofAf r i caon t he pr i de f l oat ,wi t h ar r ows poi nt i ng t owar ds count r i es wher e vi ol ence agai nst t he LGBTIcommuni t yi sr i f e. Thi sdi dnotexcl udeSout hAf r i cawhi ch doesnotdi scr i mi nat e agai nstgayand l esbi anpeopl ei nl aw,buti sf acedwi t h t heser i ousi ssueofl esbi an“ cor r ect i ve” r ape whi ch hasescal at ed overt he l ast f ew year s.ThePr i deMar chf ol l owst wo weeksofevent shost ed byCapeTown Pr i de i ncl udi ng t he Pr i de Beach Pi cni c, t hePr i deFul lMoonHi ke,t hePr i deBook Fai randt hePr i dePageant .
Af r i can’ s,ast heonl yci t i zensi n Af r i ca t oenj oyequalr i ght sf oral l ,t obevocal aboutant i -homophobi cl egi sl at i onand t o cal lf or an end t o t he wave of homophobi aandt r ansphobi asweepi ng t he Af r i can cont i nent . The mar ch f ol l owed a r out e al ong Cape Town’ s CBD wher e di f f er entLGBTIor gani zat i ons, gay and l esbi an cl ubs/r est aur ant s,andor gani zat i onsi n sol i dar i t y wi t ht he LGBTIcommuni t y di spl ayedcr eat i vef l oat st hatcaughtt he at t ent i on of hundr eds of onl ooker s. ThousandsofLGBTIpeopl ewal kedand danced al ong t o musi ci n a col our f ul cel ebr at i on of sexual di ver si t y. The mar ch wasf ol l owed byt hePar adeDay Fai rwhi ch mar ked t heend oft het wo week l ong f est i vi t i es of Cape Town Pr i de2010. CapeTownPr i de2010wasgr eat l ysuccessf uli n hi ghl i ght i ng gayand l esbi an i ssues i n Af r i ca and hopef ul l y wi l l cont i nue bei ng a pl at f or m t hatcampai gnsf ort her i ght sofal lLGBTIpeopl e t hr oughoutt he Af r i can cont i nentand beyond.
CapeTown Pr i dehasbeen cr i t i ci zed i n t he pastf or gr adual l y becomi ng l ess pol i t i calaf t er gay and l esbi an Sout h 6
I GLYO on. . .
1.Tel lusa l i t t l eaboutyouror gani zat i on' s r ol e i n or gani zi ng pr i des i n Mol dova. How do you t hi nk pr i des pr omot e yout h act i vi s m i n your count r y? Gender Doc–M i s non-gover nment al or gani zat i on,whi ch pr omot esr i ght sof LGBT peopl e i n Mol dova. We al so or gani set heMol dovanLGBTPr i deever y May.I ti san i mpor t anteventf orLGBT movement s notonl yi n Mol dova,but al so f or t he LGBT movementi n post sovi etspace. Al ar genumberofvol unt eer sandact i vi st sar ei nvol ved i nt heor gani zat i on of Pr i de,and of t en i ncl udes many young act i vi st s of t he LGBT movement and wi derhumanr i ght smovement . 2.Poi nt out t he mai n hi ndr ances t o hol di ngpr i desi nMol dova? I ti samat t erofconcer nt hatt her ei sno ant i di scr i mi nat i on l egi sl at i on i n Mol dova despi t et he hi gh l evelofdi scr i mi nat i on f aced byLGBT peopl e.One ofourpr i mar ygoal si st oachi evepr eser vat i on i nt he l aw pr ot ect i on agai nst di scr i mi nat i onbasedonsexualor i ent a t i on.Ther ef or e we cannot al ways be pr ot ect edwhi l sthol di ngPr i de.
Pr i de
Negat i ve at t i t udes of t en come f r om aggr essi ve and r adi calneo-Pr ot est ant r el i gi ousgr oups,whocal lhomosexual s si nner sanddonotwantust obeaf ul l y i nt egr at ed par tofsoci et yand t husbe equal l y pr ot ect ed by l aw.These r el i gi ouscommuni t i esar guet hati ti st hei r r i ght t o di scr i mi nat e agai nst anot her gr oupofpeopl e. I n 2008 t he par t i ci pant s oft he Pr i de Mar ch,i nsuppor toft heant i di scr i mi nat i on l aw wer e bl ocked by aggr essi ve count er demonst r at or sassoon ast hei r busuponar r i vedt ot hepl acewher et he mar ch wast ot akepl ace.Thei nact i vi t y ofCi t ypol i cedur i ng t heconf r ont at i on bet weenmar chpar t i ci pant sandcount er demonst r at or swasshocki ng.Pol i cedi d notmeett hei robl i gat i ons,t heydi dnot pr ovi de condi t i ons f orcar r yi ng outof t he peacef ul demonst r at i on and l ef t par t i ci pant soft hemar ch wi t houtpr ot ect i onagai nstaggr essi vevi ol ence.The demonst r at i ondi dnott akepl ace. Lastyeart hepeacef ulmar ch wascancel l ed by t he or gani zer sf or saf et y r easons.Thi syearwepl ant ocar r youta publ i c act i on wi t hi n ourPr i de and we hope t hat t he new gover nment wi l l r espectourr i ght s.
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3. Ar e t her e any par t i cul ar event s pl annedf ort heMol dovaPr i de2010? Thi syearwe wantt o pay at t ent i on t o t hr ee i mpor t ant poi nt s: adopt i on of Ant i -di scr i mi nat i on l egi sl at i on,obser vance of f r eedom of assembl y; and t r ansgenderi ssues.Wepl anf orPr i det o i ncl ude:l ayi ngf l ower satt hemonument of vi ct i ms of r epr essi ons, an awar d cer emony f orpr omot i on oft ol er ance, wor kshopson gender ,an i nt er nat i onal conf er ence on t r ansgender i ssues,an exhi bi t i on aboutsexualor i ent at i on,a pr i de house and a peacef ulmar ch t o suppor tant idi scr i mi nat i onl aw.
4.Whatar eyourgener alexpect at i ons f ort hi syear ' spr i de? Ourmai nexpect at i onf ort hi syeart hat t he gover nment wi l l aut hor i ze a peacef ul mar ch and wi l l pr ovi de a pr omi seofsaf et yt opar t i ci pant sdur i ng t hi sevent .Fort hef i r stt i mei n 9 year s wewi l lbeabl et o go outand demand equal i t y.Weal so expectt hatt heconf er enceont r ansgenderi ssueswi l ldr aw at t ent i ont ot hedi scr i mi nat i onf acedby t r ansgenderpeopl ei nMol dova.
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I GLYO on. . .
War r en Kuncei s24 year sol d.Hei sor ni n Mi ssour ibutst udi ed i n Denmar k on a Ful br i ghtschol ar shi p bef or e movi ng t o Sweden.He St udi esanMSci nBi ol ogyatUppsal aUni ver si t yandl i veswi t hhi sboyf r i endi nUppsal a.Hei si nt heboar dofRFSLUppsal aandSFQ Uppsal a andhei smai l nyanTr ansact i vi stbecauseofhi sownFTM i dent i t y.
I t ' sdi f f i cul tt ot al kaboutt hei mpor t ance of pr i de wi t hout t al ki ng about t he shamemostt r ansgenderpeopl eexper i ence.A si nki ngf eel i ngi nt hest omach. Cheeksf l usheddeepr ed.Al umpi nt he t hr oat .The desi r et o sl i pt hr ough a cr acki nt hef l oorort o si mpl ybecome ver yver ysmal l .Unnot i ceabl e.Theangr y f r ust r at i on t hatf est er s wi t hi n,f ed by per si st ent , r epeat ed, unavoi dabl e shame.Andt hati sbef or ecomi ngout . Weal lknow t hi ngsaboutour sel vesand t hoset hi ngst hatweknow makeuswho we ar e.Iknow t hatIpr ef erchocol at e over vani l l a, hi ki ng over swi mmi ng, booksovermovi es,open r el at i onshi ps overmonogamyandsexwi t hmenover women.Ial so know t hatIpr ef ermy br ai nf unct i oni ng on t est ost er one over est r ogen,a deep voi ce overa hi gher one,mostoft hecl ot hi ng f ound i nt he men' s depar t ment over t he women' s depar t ment ,shavi ng my f ace overmy l egs,andt hebol dl i nesofamal ef i gur e overt hecur vesofaf emal ef i gur e.Thi s second setofpr ef er ences,however ,i s gender ed. They ar e most l y hel d by peopl ewe,asasoci et y,cal lmen.These gender edpr ef er encesar econsi der edso i nnat east oover l apwi t ht hedef i ni t i ons ofgender st hemsel ves.I samanaman because he exper i ences t he gener al l y consi der ed mal esetofpr ef er ences?Or doeshehavet hosepr ef er encesbecause Pr i de
hei saman?Ei t herway,t her ei sagr eat dealof di scomf or t , di sgust , out r age, shock,concer n and mosti mpor t ant l y, f ear , evoked i n member s of soci et y when i tbecomesappar entt hatababy bor n wi t hf emal er epr oduct i ve or gans, l i ke me,becomes a per son wi t h mal e pr ef er ences,l i keme. Thegi r lwhoconf essesherl ongi ngf ora peni sdoesn' tr eal i zet hesewor dsar ea conf essi onunt i lt her eact i oni mpl i esshe hassi nned.Thatshehast houghtsomet hi ng naught y. Somet hi ng wr ong. Somet hi ng t hatot hergi r l sdon' tt hi nk. Her desi r ei s pur e and nat ur alf or a t r ansgenderboy.I ti snor malf oraboy wi t houtapeni st ol ongf oroneorf ora bear doraf l atchestorsi mpl yt ober ecogni zed as hi msel f .Hi s honest y set s hi m apar t ,mar ks hi m as di f f er ent ,as st r ange,assomehow l esst hanever yone el se.Hel ear nst hatt het hi ngsheknows abouthi msel far econsi der edunaccept abl e." Pl ease! "Theot her sbeg," yourl i f e woul d bemuch easi eri fyou woul d be nor mal . "He mustl ear nt o speak not whathewi shest o saybutwhatot her s wi sh t ohearorr emai n si l ent .When he gr owsi nt oanadul twoman,hewi l lnot gr ow i nt o aconf i dent ,happy,pr oduct i vememberofsoci et ywi t hdr eamsand goal sand pl anst or eal i zet hem.Buta shel lofaper son,dependentf or everon f l at t er yf or sel f -wor t h and advi ce f or 9
sel f -wor t hand advi cef ordi r ect i on,hi s owni nt er nalcompassbur i edbeneat ha l i f e-t i meofshame. I ti snotnor malt ol ooki nami r r orand notseeyour sel fbutani magescul pt ed byt heopi ni onsofot her s;adesper at e and pai nst aki ng ef f or tt o concealt he shamef ult r ut ht hat you ar e not nor coul dyoupossi bl yeverbewhatsoci et y hast r i edt omakeyou.Noonechooses t obet r ansgender .Butsomet r ansgenderpeopl e do choose t o unear t h our i nt er nal compass and f i nd our sel ves agai n.Thedayar r i veswhen wecan no l onger sl eep-wal kt hr ough our l i ves. When t he shame becomes t o bi g ofa bur dent obear .Thati st hedayt het r ut h comesout ,shamei sshovedasi de,and pr i dewal ksi nt oourl i ves.
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I GLYO on. . .
Fel i x Desi r eé Köni gi s 23 year s ol d,l i vi ng i n St ockhol m, Sweden.He i st he pr esi dentoft he nat i onalLGBTQ yout h or gani sat i on,RFSLUngdom.Hehasbeeni nvol vedi nLGBTQ act i vi sm si nce2004,andi smemberoft hef i nanci alcont r ol commi t t eeofI GLYO.
I n St ockhol m wecel ebr at ePr i dei nt he endofJ ul yeachyear .I thasbeengoi ng onf oral otofyear s,andst ar t edast he homosexuall i ber at i on day.Yearaf t er year ,t hecel ebr at i onhaschangedf r om onedayt ot endays–dur i ngt heEur opr i de2008 t hef est i valwast en days– and f r om homosexual t o homo, bi , t r ans, queer ,i nt er , what ever , I dont car e,Idontknow,st r ai ght . . .TheSt ockhol m Pr i def est i vali sal sot hecombi nat i onofpol i t i csandpar t y,andcr eat esa saf eandf r eespace. Buti ncl usi on al so l eadst o excl usi on – and t hat ’ st he di l emma f ort he LGBT movementi n Sweden.When cr eat i ng a common gr ound and common i dent i t y, i ti shar d,oreven i mpossi bl e,t o do i t wi t houtexcl udi ng peopl e.When does t he saf e space go f r om bei ng saf et o bei ngcl osed? I nt he Pr i de par ki n St ockhol m Pr i de, t her ear ebeert ent sal lovert hepl ace. Ar oundt enorel eveni nt heeveni ng,t he peopl eol dert han18( whi chi st hel egal aget odr i nkal coholi nSweden)getki nd ofdr unk and al so maybe a bi thor ny. And t hePr i depar kt ur nsf r om bei ng a saf espacef orever yonet oasaf epl ace f oradul t sandanotsomuchsaf espace f oryoungpeopl e.
Pr i depar kt hati sal coholandadul tf r ee, and i ti sf ul lof young peopl e ever y eveni ng.I tbecomesasaf espacewi t hi n t he saf e space.We usual l y ar gue wi t h ot heror gani sat i ons and compani es i n t hePr i def est i valabouthow al coholcan excl udeal otofyoungpeopl e–di scussi onst hatr ar el yl eadanywher ebecause t heywantt omakemoneyandt hei rcust omer s want beer . Our s dont . The r at i onalt hi ng i nt hi scase i sofcour se nott ot r y and change somet hi ng but i nst eadcr eat eabubbl eandwai tf ort he ot her st or eal i sewhatweal r eadyknow. Maybe t hey wi l lr eal i se i t some day, maybet heywont .I nt hemeant i mewe excl udet hem andcr eat eourowni ncl usi vespace. The di scussi on aboutexcl usi on ver sus i ncl usi on,f ori nst ance r el at ed t o Pr i de f est i val ens,i s needed.I tneeds t o be consi der ed i nt he aspectofcr eat i ng a pl acef orami nor i t yorpeopl ewhobr eak t he nor m –because i n or dert o cr eat e t hespacef orsomeoneyouneedt ot ake i tf r om someoneel se.And who shoul d maket hatdeci si on?I si tal wayst her i ght t hi ngt odo?
RFSLUngdom usual l yhasat enti nt he Pr i de
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Vi t oAnt oni oDeGugl i el moi sanact i vi stf r om I t al y.Hehasbeenact i ve i n sever alor gani zat i onsf orLGBT r i ght si n sout her nI t al y,and Mar i o
Mi el iqueercul t ur alassoci at i oni nRome.He' snow i nvol vedi nayout h or gani zat i oni nMi l an,t heMI LK.Vi t oi sabooksel l erspeci al i zi ngi nar t
booksandexhi bi t i oncat al ogues.Hei sst udyi ngar thi st or yandt heor y.
Asar ebor nact i vi st ,I ' m usedt odef i ni ng mysel ft hatway l at el y,I ' m wonder i ng aboutt hesenseofa Pr i deasademonst r at i onofLGBTr i ght s.I si tpossi bl et o br i ng ouri ssuesand cl ai mscl osert o peopl e who l i ve geogr aphi cal l y and ment al l y so f ar f r om t hem? I si tst i l l possi bl et or ecr ui tpeopl et oourcauses - no mat t erwho t heyar e orwho t hey l ove? I t al y has a sad l ong t r adi t i on ofLGBT r i ght s vi ol at i ons and di scr i mi nat i on agai nstpeopl e because oft hei rsexual or i ent at i on orgenderi dent i t y.Reasons f ort hi s si t uat i on ar e pr i mar i l y cul t ur al and r el i gi ous. Onl yi n t he l ast t wo decades a st r ong LGBT movementhas gr ownupi nt heLGBTcommuni t yandi n t heyounggener at i on. Si nce2008ayout hor gani zat i oni nMi l an exi stwhi ch i sone oft he bestexpr essi onsoft hi sgr owt h,ani mat edbyyoung act i vi st swhot r yt ogi veananswert ot he quest i ons above. I t ' s cal l ed MI LK, i nspi r edbyt hef i gur eofHar veyMi l k,an Amer i canact i vi stwhosemot t owas“ My name i s Har vey Mi l k and I ' m her et o r ecr ui t you! �I nt hese wor ds can be r esumedal lt het eam spi r i toft hi sor gani zat i onwhol eadt hewayt owar dsanew pr ospect i veofact i onf oraPr i de mar ch. MI LK wi l lor gani ze nextJ une t he f i r st 12
gay Pr i de i nI t al y hel di n a pr ovi nci al t owncal l edTr evi gl i o. TheTr evi gl i oPr i de2010wi l lshow how usef ulaPr i decanbei napl acewher eno onecoul d havei magi ned i twoul dt ake pl ace.Thi sPr i dewi l lbet her eact i ont o homophobi a, i n t he new spi r i t of meet i ng bet ween t he LGBT communi t y andal lt hosewhol i vei nsmal lt owns,or any pl ace wher e i t i s i mpossi bl e expr essone' sowni dent i t yandbepr oud ofi t .I twi l lbe a Pr i de f ort hose who won' t have t he chance t o be t her e becauset heyar est i l li nt hecl oset .I twi l l beapr i def oral lt hosepeopl ewhowi l l beabl et omar chatt henextone. Pr i dei nbi g ci t i esar et henat ur alwayt o gi ve vi si bi l i t yt ot he LGBT movement , butIt hi nk t hata gl obalchal l enge f or t he f ut ur ei st of ace t hose r eal i t i es beyond t hebi g ci t i es,wher et hel i f eof LGBTpeopl ei smor edi f f i cul t . To t hose who st i l lhave no chance t o comeout :bepar toft hemovement .Do notf eelal one,spr ead awar eness,and r ecr ui tanyonewhowi l lunder st andour st r uggl esandcauses.Thesewi l lbet he goal soft hi sf i r stdi f f er entI t al i anPr i de, aPr i det or ecr ui tyou. Formor ei nf or mat i on:
www. t r evi gl i opr i de. i t www. mi l kmi l ano. com I GLYO on. . .
Agat a Chaberhas been a yout h wor keri n Campai gn Agai nstHomophobi a ( KPH)si nceOct ober2008.Cur r ent l yshe' si nvol vedi ncoor di nat i ngvol unt eer s
f r om t heWar saw br anch,t hewor koft heYout hGr oupandt heLesbi anGr oup. She' spar t i al l yor gani zi ng Pr i de House f orEur opr i de 2010.Pr i vat el yshe' sa psychol ogyst udenti nt er est edespeci al l yi npr ej udi ce,genderandeducat i on.
WhenLechKaczyński–f or merMayorof War saw banned t he Equal i t y Par ade i n 2005,some ofsoci et yf el tt hey coul d br eat hef r eel y.Thef agsar en’ tgoi ngt o pouroutont ot he st r eet s,hal fnaked andhavi ngsex.Thei rchi l dr enar esaf e. Thei rmor al i t yi sl ef ti npeace.Andt her e won’ tbeanyt r af f i cj ams.Butot her sf el t f ur i ous–andcamet omakeal i t t l econgest i oni nt heci t yanyway–bypr ot est i ng i nf r ontofCi t yHal l .Why?Because t he Mayor ’ s behavi our showed t hem t hatPol and needst o show some sol i dar i t yt owar dsLGBTQ peopl e.J ustt ol et Kaczyński know t hat many peopl e bel i eve LGBTQ peopl e deser ve t he humanr i ght st hatal lci t i zensenj oy.
now i st he Pr esi dentofPol and.Pol i t i ci anscanf r eel ysayt hathomosexual i t y i sa“ di seaseoft hebr ai n” . LGBTQ act i vi st si n Pol and gi ve ever yt hi ngt heyhavet oshow t hatwedeser ve equalr i ght s,butt he pr ogr essi ssl ow. Eur o Pr i dei si mpor t antf orus.I tgi ves hope.Maybe i t wi l lal l ow t he pol i sh peopl et oseet hatWest er nEur opei sn’ t mor al l y wr ong and r ecogni ze what “ equal i t y” and “ non di scr i mi nat i on” r eal l yst andf or .
Now ,whenevert heLGBTQ communi t y or gani zes t he Equal i t y Par ade or t he Mar chofTol er anceadi scussi onar i ses; i s“ pr omot i ng per ver t sexual behavi our s”mor al ?Dowehavet oaccept“ t hi s west er n di sease” ?Mustwe“ bow t ot he homosexuall obby” ?and “ whatdo t he homosexual s need t hei r par ade f or – t her e’ snohomophobi ai nPol and” !
Maybe t he pol i t i ci ans wi l lunder st and t hat havi ng homophobi c hat e speech cr i mi nal i zedi snotanat t emptofgi vi ng mor epr i vi l egesf ort he‘ gayl obby’but assur i ngmor esaf et yf orLGBTQ peopl e. Maybe t hey wi l lsee t hatt he het er osexual f ami l ymodeli snotso nor mal andst ar t sbei ngj ustoneofmanypossi bi l i t i es.Fi nal l y,maybei twi l li nt r oduce t he r ealmeani ng ofdi ver si t yont o our st r eet s and mi nds.I nst ead of si mpl y het er onor mat i vi t y, di scr i mi nat i on and f ear .
When announci ng t hatEur o Pr i de wi l l t akepl aceonJ ul y17th wewer eaccused oft r yi ngt osabot aget he500th anni ver sar y of t he Pol i sh Vi ct or y over t he Teut oni c ar my i n Gr unwal d. Nobody evenknew t her ei sgoi ngt obeananni ver sar y. The man who showed how cl osed mi nded i shi st hi nki ng i n 2005
So wher everyou ar e and whoeveryou ar e – vi si t us i nJ ul y. We wi l lshow ever yonet hatqueerWar saw exi st s.We wi l lacquai ntPol and t ol esbi ans,gays, bi sexual s,t r ansgender sand t he whol e l abel -f r ee var i et y.We’ l lhave f un and make a change.Thati s whatpr i de i s about .
Pr i de
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Ami ti sa Yout h Counsel ori nI GY ( I sr aelGayYout h)and al so i n char ge of t he or gani zat i on' s soci al medi a pr esence. He was f or mer l yspokesper sonoft heJ er usal em OpenHouse,andcur r ent l y wor ki nf undr ai si ngf ornon-pr of i tor gani zat i ons.
Pr i de par adeshave been hel di nI sr ael f ort he past11 year s,and ot herPr i de event swer eevenhel di nt hesevent i es. Never t hel ess,Pr i dei sst i l lnotanoni ssuei nI sr ael ,eveni nt he" GayCapi t al " TelAvi v. I t ' snoteasyhol di ngPr i deout si deoft he " gaycapi t al " ,TelAvi v.I n2005,3peopl e wer e st abbed by an Or t hodox J ew dur i ng t he J er usal em Pr i de and Tol er ancemar ch.Hai f aPr i dei sal wayssentt o mar chi nasmal lst r eetawayf r om publ i c eye, and st i l li s bei ng const ant l y t ar get ed by pr ot est or s. But st i l l , we mar ch. Myf i r stexper i encewi t h Pr i dewasnot l ong ago,i n 2006,i nJ er usal em.That year ,Iwasl i vi ngi nJ er usal em and vol unt eer i ngi nt heJ er usal em OpenHouse f orPr i deandTol er ance.Wef acedsever e t hr eat sf or want i ng t o hol d a si mpl e pr ot esti nt hecent r eoft hesecul arpar t oft hecapi t alofI sr ael .Andyet ,wecont i nued wor ki ng t owar ds bui l di ng a year l ymar ch.We t r i ed al lwe coul dt o maket hemaj or i t yofJ er usal em under st andourgoal s,we wantequal i t y,and wemeannohar m butwantpr ot estf or ourr i ght si nt he capi t alci t y ofI sr ael . Never t hel ess,wef oundour sel vesf or ced t o hol dt he eventbehi nd f ences,i na st adi um,i nst ead ofdownt own J er usal em. 14
That was t he t i me when Ideci ded I coul dn' tl i vet hel i eanymor e-bei ngan act i vi sti nJ er usal em,f arawayf r om my par ent swhol i vei naci t ynearTelAvi v,I coul dn' tsee mysel ft aki ng t he bar r i cades whi l el yi ng t o my par ent s.The pr ot est s,and t he at t empt st o st op us, wer et he l astst r aw t hatgave me t he hammert o sl am open t hecl osetdoor s and st ar tl i vi ng myl i f easapr oud gay man. Thi si swhyPr i demeansal ott ome-be i ta par t yl i ke i n TelAvi v ora si l ent pr ot estandacal lf orourvi si bi l i t yi none oft hemostdi vi ded ci t i esi nt hewor l d, J er usal em.Pr i de i st he pl ace wher eI mar ch,i ndayl i ght ,pr oudofwhoIam.I mar chi nt hest r eet ,sendi ngamessage t o peopl e who t hi nk we ar ef r eaks.I mar cht osendamessaget opeopl ewho know deep i nsi det hatt heyar epar tof ourcommuni t y,t osayt hati ti sal r i ght , t hatnot hi ngi swr ong,t hatt heycanl i ve a happy l i f e,despi t e what t hey hear ar oundt hem. I mar ch t o send a message t o our l eader s, t hat t hey cannot i gnor e or demean us,t hat we exi st and we' r e ever ywher e, a par t of t hi s col our f ul soci et y,andt hi syear ,Imar chi nhonour of2peopl eki l l edi nagayyout hcl ubi n TelAvi vi n August2009,t o show t hat evenbul l et swi l lnotst opus. I GLYO on. . .
Szandr ai swor ki ngatt heHumanRi ght SI ni t i at i ve( HRSI ) ,ayout hnon-pr of i ti n Budapest .Shehasbeenact i vel yi nvol vedwi t hLGBTQ act i vi sm si nce2007,and
hasbeenpar toft heOr gani zi ngCommi t t eeoft heBudapestPr i desi nce2009. Shei sal so i nvol ved wi t h Labr i szHungar yand i n or gani zi ng t he2012 Eur o-
Games.Sheenj oysQueerswi mmi ngcompet i t i onsandl ongwal ksont hebeach.
2010wi l lbet he15th anni ver sar yoft he Budapest Pr i de. I t began as a smal l pi cni cofaf ew peopl e,andt ur nedi nt oa mar ch f or Human Ri ght s ofappr oxi mat el y3000peopl ei n2009.Thoughi t hashad many upsand downs,mai nl y wi t ht he vi ol entat t acks of2007 and 2008,i ti st hemosti mpor t antandmost vi si bl e LGBTQ event of t he year i n Hungar y. Ist i l lr emember t he exactmomentI deci dedt obepar toft heBudapestPr i de Or gani zi ng Commi t t ee: some of my f r i endsand Ideci ded t o be par tofi t s adver t i si ng vi deo.We f i gur ed we wer e f or ei gner s( Iam onl yhal fHungar i an)so i twoul dn’ tmat t eri fpeopl er ecogni zed us;we woul d be l eavi ng soon anyway. Aswewer ef i l mi ng,onaSundayaf t er noon,i noneoft hemai npubl i csquar es of t he ci t y, a dozen of t al l , bal d, t at t ooed,neo-nazil ooki ng men came upt ous( sel f -i dent i f i ed“ MagyarGar da” -unof f i ci alHungar i an“ pol i ce” )andsur r oundedus. Theyt ol duswewer edi r t yf aggot sand weneededt ol eavet hei r“ t r ueHungar i an squar e. ”We di dn’ tmove.Ever yone was scar ed.They spi ton one ofmy f r i ends.Someonecal l ed t hepol i ce.We l ef tt hesquar ebutwekeptf i l mi ng.Ihad neverf el tsot hr eat enedi nmyl i f e,soI deci ded t o make sur e Iwoul dn’ tf eel Pr i de
t hatagai n.Ij oi nedt hePr i deOr gani zi ng Commi t t eet henextday,t ost andupf or t hosewhodi dn’ tdar e. I si thar dt obeayoungact i vi stor gani zi ngt hi shugeevent ?Yes.Why?Because mostoft heCommi t t eehasbeen t her e si nce t he begi nni ng and as a young per son i ti ssomet i mesdi f f i cul tt o be hear d.Ido i tbecause no mat t erhow f r ust r at i ngi ti satt i mes,nomat t erhow t i me consumi ng i ti s,i ti sal lwor t hi t when you see t hat 60 met er s-l ong r ai nbow f l ag on t he mai n st r eet Budapestand t hemusi ci spl ayi ng and ever yone i s danci ng.You pr et end t he hundr edsofpol i ceof f i cer swal ki ngnext t oyouar en’ tt her e,andyoupr et endnot t o not i ce t hose MagyarGar da gr oups who ar e yel l i ng t hi ngs atyou f r om 3 bl ocksaway.Youcannotheart hem,and youdon’ tcar e.Becauset heent i r eweek, youwer eabl et oact ual l yf eelt hatt her e i s some ki nd ofLGBTQ communi t yi n Hungar y. Bei ng an LGBTQ act i vi st l i vi ng i n Budapestori n Hungar y,i sn’ teasy.I t means somet i mes wal ki ng wi t h a pepperspr ayi n yourpocket .I tmeans bei ng scar ed when you hol d your par t ner ’ shand i nt he st r eet .Butwhen youseet hosepeopl esmi l i ngatbot hof youandappr ovi ngofyoursmal lpol i t i calst at ement ,i tgi vesyouhope. 15
I GLYO wi shes everyone a safe and happypri de whereveryou are. . .