On International Lesbian Day, we are proud to announce the launch of the first ever Global Lesbian Coalition (GLC). The GLC unites five lesbian feminist networks from Asia, Southern Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Central Asia and Europe.
These are the five networks:
The Asia Feminist LBQ Network (AFLN)
The Central Asian Feminist LBQT Network Anora (Anora Network)
The EuroCentralAsian Lesbian Community (EL*C)
The Southern African Diversity Community LBQ Network (SADC)
The Global Lesbian Coalition has already made its presence felt at the UN and held events on the socio-economic impact of anti-gender movements on LBQ communities during CSW68 2024 in New York.
In July 2024, lesbian activists from all five regional networks arrived in Almaty, Kazakhstan, to support the local community and activists in their right to hold the first Lesbian Kyryltay. This act of solidarity is a clear demonstration of the Global Lesbian Coalition’s commitment to standing together for lesbian rights.
Furthermore, the GLC will actively raise awareness and provide support wherever lesbian rights are under threat, ensuring a strong presence in regions facing the greatest challenges. The GLC will attend the EL*C conference in Rome in April 2025, where they will stand in solidarity with Italian lesbians in their fight for justice and human rights. Afterward, the Global Lesbian Coalition will travel to Latin America to support local lesbian activists in confronting violence, lesbicide, and the persistent neglect by authorities.
The Global Lesbian Coalition is at the forefront of a new historical wave, pursuing ambitious aims with unwavering commitment. It is dedicated to securing global recognition of lesbian rights and increasing the visibility, influence and capabilities of the lesbian community worldwide.
For press inquiries and additional information, please contact:
Today, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) approved the first-ever resolution explicitly addressing the rights of lesbian, bisexual, and queer (LBQ) women. This marks the first time an international organisation has legally recognised the unique issues and needs of these women, who, in addition to facing gender-based violence and inequalities, also experience discrimination and violence based on sexual orientation.
Beatrice Fresko-Rolfo, Rapporteur of the resolution and General LGBTI Rapporteur at PACE, stated, “This report aims to make the voices of LBQ women heard, to contribute to the visibility of their struggle for equal rights and to ensure that the difficulties they face are dealt with effectively. It has an intersectional and inclusive approach because this is how rights can be effectively protected. We are in 2024, and we should be able to live together in all our diversities, to move forward and to ensure that everyone can form a family if they so wish”.
The report accompanying the resolution condemns lesbophobic policies in certain member states, including LGBTI “propaganda” laws and the Italian government’s decision to revoke the birth certificates of children born to lesbian families. It focuses on lesbophobic violence in all its forms and highlights the impact of discrimination against lesbians in various areas such as employment, housing, healthcare, and family life. Notably, it adopts an intersectional approach, addressing the specific challenges faced by racialised and trans lesbians as well as bisexual women. Crucially, it calls for concrete measures to combat lesbophobia, protect lesbian families, and support LBQ civil society.
Kim Van Sparrentak, a member of the European Parliament and chair of the LGBTI Intergroup, also welcomed this ground-breaking resolution by PACE. “In the European Parliament, despite the rise of the far-right, we will continue to work to ensure that LBTI women do not fall through the cracks and receive the protection, representation and recognition they deserve”, she said.
The resolution denounces the actions of anti-gender movements, particularly those attacking access to sexual and reproductive rights and those attempting to create an artificial conflict between trans women and lesbians. Kate Osborne, Member of PACE and Member of the UK Parliament, stated: “This report is much needed; it highlights the very real discrimination LBQ women face across Europe and focuses on the worrying rise in Lesbophobia and attempts to roll back on our rights. I welcome the report calling on member states to ensure LBQ women have the rights and protections they need and deserve. I particularly welcome the intersectional approach taken, and we must not be distracted by the fabricated conflict between trans women and lesbians, which only serves to divide and undermine the fight for equality within our communities “
“Given the rise of the far-right in many elections this year, this is a huge step in the right direction towards achieving full equality for lesbians in Europe and a real opportunity to advance women’s rights and LGBTI rights,” said Ilaria Todde, Advocacy Director of the EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community (EL*C).
The EL*C is a network of lesbian organisations across Europe and Central Asia. It represents over 150 organisations led by and focused on LBQ women and individuals in the region, with activities ranging from political advocacy to community building and regranting.
The European Election’s Campaigns are about to start, and election periods being particularly challenging times for minorities, this edition’s focus has been set on violence against more visible lesbians (such as politicians, journalists, athletes, and human rights defenders) as well as lesbians’ representation in media.
This edition analyses cases of violence against lesbians collected in the past year ranging from violence based on gender expression, including cases of state-sponsored lesbophobia, such as the court cases against the recognition of lesbian mums in Italy.
While the visibility of lesbians is politically essential, it also constitutes an undeniable risk.
Because lesbophobia is a distinct form of discrimination and bias that encapsulates the misogyny and stigma directed towards non-heterosexual women, this report highlights some of the many forms it can take. It shows how thin the line can be from invisibility to harmful tropes in media and how easily lesbian identities can be used to further exclusionary agendas.
Today, during the 11th European IDAHOT+ Forum held by the Council of Europe and the Ministry of Education of the Netherlands in The Hague, EL*C Executive Co-Director Dragana Todorovic declared: “We lesbians know that silence will not protect us. Last month, we signed together with many other CSOs a Lesbian manifesto were we called for a true Union of Equality. Public authorities, researchers and journalists can do much more to fight lesbophobia and ensure diversity and freedom in our society.”
Read the full report:
-> Observatory on Lesbophobia
See also:
Observatory on Lesbophobia 2019-2022
Lesbians from across Europe will demonstrate in Rome this Saturday 27 April 2024, to support lesbian mothers and more broadly all Italian women and trans people, threatened by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her far-right majority.
This March, the Court of Padua ruled in favour of lesbian mothers, rejecting the Italian Prosecutor Office’s request to remove one of the two lesbian mothers, the non-biological one, from the birth certificates of 38 childrens.
A few days after, on March 12th, the Ministry of the Interior challenged the decision and presented an appeal. This court action, which comes after a year of political attacks, threats and (il)legal pressure, is yet another attempt by Meloni and her majority to make our lives and families the battleground of the next European elections.
This Friday, 26 April 2024, on the occasion of the International Day of Lesbian Visibility, the Italian and European lesbian movements will present the fight and resistance against this extreme right-wing government during the PRESS CONFERENCE scheduled at 11 a.m. at the headquarters of Arci Nazionale, via dei Monti di Pietralata 16, Rome.
The protest “MADRI FUORI LEGGE (Outlawed Mothers), Lesbians united for the full recognition of motherhood” will be held on Saturday 27 April 2024, at 5 p.m., in Piazza dell’Esquilino in Rome.
We lesbians know that silence will not protect us. These continuous political attacks show that this government will not stop, not even in front of childrens. Lesbians will not stop either and will take to the Esquiline Square in Rome on 27 April stating forcefully:
#anchenoisiamomadri
#lesbiansaremotherstoo
PRESS INVITATION
The press conference will be held on Friday, April 26 at 11 a.m. at the headquarters of Arci Nazionale, Via dei Monti di Pietralata 16 in Rome, to provide further details.
RSVP
For press inquiries and attendance confirmation, please contact:
silvia.casalino@lesbiangenius.org
+33 6 64 99 23 49
Speakers:
Natascia Maesi, president of Arcigay
Genny Sangiovanni, Rainbow Families, Italy
Chiara Piccoli, president of ALFI
Silvia Casalino, Executive director of EL*C
Lucia Caponera, Lesbian Difference, Rome
The protest is organized by ALFI, Arcigay Roma, Differenza Lesbica, Arcigay Transfeminist Women’s Network, Arcigay Modena “Matthew Shepard,” Famiglie Arcobaleno, Lesbiche Bologna, Associazione Luki Massa, Associazione Liberas, and Lista Lesbica Italiana, the EuroCentralAsian Lesbian Community (EL*C) and joined by Arci Roma, Azione Gay e Lesbica, Gay Center, NELFA (Network of European LGBTIQ* Families Associations), RGR (Rete Genitori Rainbow), Cattive Ragazze.
In July and August 2023, while Europe was in the grips of the hottest summer ever registered and under unprecedented storms, lesbians gathered to protest the State-sponsored lesbophobia of the Italian far-right government.
While we were there in solidarity with the Italian mums and their children, we all knew that this was not only about parental rights. It was about a Europe that could not represent us.
- A Europe struggling to protect women against violence because Member States can’t agree that sex without consent is rape.
- A Europe more and more locked in its own borders, that sends people to their death in the Mediterranean and in the Balkans
- A Europe that cannot speak up clearly against genocide, against patriarchal wars at its doorsteps and for peace and permanent ceasefire.
A Europe that now, more than ever, NEEDS LESBIANS.
We choose to look at Europe from our lesbian perspective, from the point of view of those outside patriarchal norms and unbound by cis-heteronormativity. From these margins, from our experiences as feminist, anti-racists, LGBTI, climate activists, we know that another Europe is possible.
A Europe where the rights of our children will be guaranteed. Where “freedom of movement” means also equal access to sexual and reproductive rights across Europe. A Europe where all women and non-binary people enjoy equality, justice and freedom from violence. A Europe where butch lesbians and trans folks are not attacked because of “what a woman should look like”. A Europe where we are not sexually harassed because we are “too feminine and we asked for it”.
Far-right governments, racists and white-suprematists want a Europe where the rights of Black and racialised people are denied, where human dignity is granted based on skin tone, ethnicity or religion. A Europe where expressing solidarity to Ukrainians means denying it to others. We do not fall for this trap, and we know that a Europe unable to deal with its colonial past is doomed to repeat it.
Capitalists, ultra-liberals, and climate-change deniers want a Europe where the South burns while the North drowns. A Europe where they speak about “ecology” to deny our rights, but not to protect our homes, our fields, and our lives. We can read between the lines, and we know that the price of climate change will be paid by the poorest and most vulnerable.
Patriarchy has tried to convince us that being lesbian was a challenge, a misfortune, something to be ashamed of. It has failed. Being lesbian is our superpower and we mean to use it.
In the European elections, from our elected positions, from our grassroot community work, because of our #lesbiangenius, we call for a European Union that:
- Takes into account all LBTI women and non-binary persons when protecting women and LGBTI people’s rights;
- Protects our children’s rights and ensures free movement for our families, because #lesbiansaremotherstoo;
- Dismantles borders and walls instead of contributing to build them;
- Makes our societies safer and more inclusive instead of more racist, lesbophobic, ableist and transphobic;
- Fights climate change instead of protecting capitalist interests;
- Supports the lesbian grassroot work in service of our communities.
Against the raise of the far-right we want more feminism, more anti-racism, more climate actions.
Against the raise of the far-right, we want a LESBIAN EUROPE.
EL*C is launching a call for tenders for services related to a research project on the lived experiences of Black LBQ women and people, women/people of color, Roma women/people, and Central Asian women/people (especially those living in Europe), as well as individuals marginalized due to racial markers related to religion or ethnicity, in addition to their gender and sexual orientation.
To ensure a diversity of viewpoints, three different tender procedures are being conducted, each focusing on different areas/lived experiences, with the objective of creating a team of researchers with complementary skills (hereafter referred to as “the team of researchers”). One application per person in the areas where you have the strongest expertise is recommended.
We are looking for candidates with:
- Demonstrated experience in conducting qualitative data collection and analysis with LGBTQI communities and/or other marginalized communities
- Demonstrated intersectional feminist background
- Good understanding of current and past struggles of LBTI women and non-binary persons
- Good understanding of the lived experiences of LBQ migrants, POC, and ethnic/religious minorities
- Excellent data analysis skills, especially in qualitative data analysis
- Demonstrated experience in the implementation of qualitative data collection tools
- Strong organizational, interpersonal, and project management skills
- Sense of initiative and ability to be self-supporting, including the ability to deliver under pressure and within tight deadlines
- Excellent English
- Good knowledge of other EU languages is a strong asset. In case you are applying for the Central Asian tender, good knowledge of Russian is a strong asset.
In order to apply, please submit via email to procurement@lesbiangenius.org by May 5th 2024 at 23:59 CET, with the following documents:
– the Service Provider’s name and address;
– its VAT number;
– the full list of services;
– the fee per type of deliverables (in the local currency, tax exclusive);
– the total amount per type of deliverables (in the currency, tax exclusive);
– the quota should specify all costs;
– the total amount, tax exclusive, the applicable VAT rate, the amount of VAT and the amount VAT inclusive;
– the budget should include all costs related to this consultancy, including for example travel costs.
All the information about the 3 consultancies for this qualitative research focusing on the lived realities of 1) Black and POC LBQ, 2) Roma LBQ and 3) Central Asian LBQ individuals are available below:
ToR Black and POC LBQ
ToR Roma LBQ
ToR Central Asian LBQ
Template of the technical proposal
EL*C publishes today the report “Lesbianising the Istanbul Convention: Research on the Implementation of the Convention to Protect LBT Women”. The report aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of lesbian experiences within the legal frameworks and policies created by the Istanbul Convention, the main European convention focusing on violence against women.
In collaboration with legal experts from the University of Valencia and the University of Venice, we took a feminist approach to highlight the gendered aspect of violence against lesbians and advocate for their inclusion in policy discussions concerning violence against women and gender-based violence. Our analysis “lesbianises” the Istanbul Convention to reflect the realities of lesbian, bisexual, and trans women.
We assess the implementation of the Convention’s anti-discrimination clause across 28 countries, drawing insights from expert focus groups and civil society practices. In a political climate where feminist and LGBTI initiatives face constant attacks and backlash, we emphasize the importance of collaboration, sisterhood and allianceship with feminist NGOs and groups.
Our report does not create hierarchies of oppression but seeks to initiate a dialogue while providing an interpretative framework and recommendations to stakeholders who wish to have an inclusive approach in the fight against gender-based violence.
Disclaimer: A previous version of this report included references to intersex women, after consultation with OII Europe, we decided to remove such references, as well as references to sex characteristics. References to intersex women and “LBTI” included in GREVIO reports and other’s research have been maintained. Thanks to the expertise and knowledge that was generously shared with us, we consider that inclusion of intersex persons within the legal framework of the Convention of Istanbul is worth of a deeper discussion then what was possible within the limited time and resources that were available for this research. This is linked in particular with the limited data available concerning intersex persons lived experiences. EL*C hope to build upon this reflection and step up our collaboration with the intersex community in the future. We also deeply regret the lack of data concerning specifically intersex people and we encourage universities, research institutes and governments to do more.
Transform your visionary ideas into compelling realities and learn to celebrate your achievements with confidence. Join us for an exploration into the art of proposal writing and showcasing success, guided by the expertise of Magda Adamowicz, a luminary in grant-making and social change advocacy.
📅 Date: Wed, 13 & 20 March 2024
⏰ Time: 17:00 CET
2 practical sessions (90 minutes long + 30 minutes for reflection)
What You’ll Gain:
1. Expert techniques in transforming ideas into powerful proposals for funding
2. Strategies for effectively demonstrating your successes
3. Engaging practical sessions complemented by reflective learning opportunities
Facilitator Spotlight
Magda Adamowicz brings to the table over two decades of experience in human rights grant-making and activism. Formerly at the helm of several initiatives at the Open Society Foundations, she now empowers change-makers as an independent consultant and coach, focusing on human rights advocacy.
Workshop Essence:
Please note that these Ideas Workshops are not linked to the EL*C Grants Program, neither is it about training in applying for European Commission or other donor funds. This is a general skill-building opportunity through real-life examples, mutual learning, and leveraging our collective experiences and achievements.
Who Should Attend:
This is an exclusive opportunity for EL*C members who are keen to elevate their proposal writing skills and showcase their successes with pride and precision.
to transform your dreams into impactful deeds
[https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYrdeugrT4sGdzxfOJ_M7LuYkRr-UQrjvlz]