Author: EL*C

Milena Marković, a nurse in a centre dedicated to the fight against the disease, and Dragana Todorović, co-executive director for development of the Eurocentralasian Lesbian* Community (EL*C), join us in reviewing the situation of lesbians in their country and in the region, and address the difficulties they face during this pandemic .

(This interview was first published by the French Association of LGBTI Journalists. The questions are from Marion Lefèvre. The translation is by Alice Coffin with the help of DeepL, aptly named translation site).

What is the situation for lesbians in Serbia and the Balkans?

Dragana Todorović: Today it is still very complicated for lesbians and more broadly for LGBTI people in Serbia and the Balkans. Lesbophobia is very strong there. On average, more than 70% of the population thinks that being gay is a disease. Almost every second a lesbian in the Balkans is a victim of psychological or physical violence. Throughout the region, lesbians do not have access to medically assisted procreation. Yet since the 1990s, lesbians have been at the forefront of women’s rights and peace movements. One of those early organizations, LABRIS, was founded in Belgrade and is still active today. But it is the exception that proves the rule: in other countries, lesbian organizations have little power. Many of them have had to close down due to a lack of funding. Today, the issue of lesbian rights and interests is very little visible and in our societies, even within the women’s rights and LGBTI movements.

In Serbia, the situation is paradoxical as we have a lesbian Prime Minister [Ana Brnabić]. But she belongs to a right wing party [the Serbian Progressive Party] that does not campaign on human rights, LGBTI rights or women’s rights. One can however imagine, hopefully having a lesbian in government will positively change the attitudes of the conservative supporters of that party. Milena has been in personal contact with the Prime Minister, perhaps she will talk about it better than I do.

Milena Marković: I don’t see the situation the way Dragana does, because I’m not working as an activist, surely. I don’t have any problem in Serbia to be a lesbian… Except with my parents! (laughs) I understand that for other people, however, it is complicated.

And yes, I met the Prime Minister because I wrote to her five or six months ago to ask her to help me create an organisation for gay and lesbian families, because we have many who have contacted us to ask for help. I’m the only person she wrote to about LGBTI rights.

DT: Yes, a lot of LGBTI organisations have written to her in the last few years, but she has only replied to Milena. They have exchanged several emails…

MM: And one day she invited me to meet her. I went, I wasn’t prepared at all… We had an interesting conversation, I enjoyed it. She was very open and ready to talk about the situation in the country for LGBTI organisations.

DT: She was very open and ready to take the initiative on several projects. But these meetings have taken place recently [early 2020], so we will see if it takes shape. I have a lot of criticisms of her but I would like her to stay on. Her party has a large majority, no one can dethrone her. I would rather it be her than any other man.

I think the fact that she is the head of the government gives us an opportunity. But I don’t like the way she reacts to criticism from LGBTI organisations. She should be able to accept public criticism. And apart from participating in Pride parades (a first for a head of government) and supporting Belgrade’s bid to host Europride in 2022, she has done nothing so far.

Precisely, the situation being the one you describe, Dragana, you have been fighting for several years for the rights of lesbians and LGBTI people in your country and in the rest of the region. What is the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on your activities?
DT: With ERA [LGBTI Equal Rights Association for Western Balkans and Turkey, in which Dragana is still active], since 2015 we have been trying to reach the most isolated people. Since the beginning of the health crisis, we have realised how difficult this situation has made life difficult for older people, especially lesbians over 65 years old. In Serbia, people of that age can no longer go out at all. It is very hard for them, especially for lesbians: the overwhelming majority of those we are in contact with have no family, no children, and of course they are not married [civil union and same-sex marriage are not allowed in Serbia].

I was talking to one of them recently: her friends are dead, she is completely isolated. Certainly the Serbian government has set up a volunteer system to help these people, with volunteers who can go shopping for them. But she does not feel comfortable with this system, because she fears lesbophobia, which is very present in our society. Another woman told me that she could no longer collect her pension because she or a family member has to collect it, and she had no family either.

Not only older lesbians are affected: we have received testimonies from younger lesbians through Locked-down Lesbians Listening [a daily virtual platform set up by the Eurocentralasian Lesbian Community]. Some of them lost their jobs, as many were employed in the service sector (bars, restaurants…). They can no longer pay their rent and sometimes have to return to their families, often lesbophobic. This is a dangerous situation for them because they are likely to be subjected to violence. We are in contact with more than fifty lesbians in these situations throughout the Balkans, but they are surely more numerous. Who knows how many lesbians dare not contact us. Some only call us when it is really a matter of life and death.

In addition to these difficulties, lesbians in the Balkans are also for some of them on the front line of the fight against the pandemic, like you, Milena. You are a nurse in a psychiatric hospital, outside of the pandemic, and have been working in a centre dedicated to the patients of Covid-19 since the beginning of the crisis. What does it mean for you to be a lesbian nurse in this context?

MM: I am far from being the only lesbian in this case! But the others aren’t out. I don’t think I’m special, I just do my job. But it’s true that this pandemic is forcing people to be more open to diversity, more tolerant, especially of different sexual orientations. Every day, I have to come out because all my colleagues talk about their children, and I talk about my family too. It’s a completely different situation, but they accept it. Sometimes I also ask them if they now understand what it is like to be stuck at home, as some LGBTI people normally are. They tell me that they are sorry and understand better. They had no way of knowing before what it is like, not being able to go where you want, not being able to be yourself.

One of the blind spots in the media in western Europe, and I imagine in the Balkans as well, is the impact of Covid-19 on the lives of same-sex families, particularly lesbian families. Can you tell us how the pandemic played out in your family organization, with Milena?

DT : Before the pandemic, Milena was the one who took care of the children the most. I work in a different city, and I have two jobs, I travel a lot, so I’m away a lot. Since Milena volunteered to work in the newly created Covid-19 centre, she moved to my old apartment so as not to put me and the children in danger. They don’t go to school anymore, so they take online courses. I’m with them all the time, it’s the exact opposite of the normal situation. It’s pretty positive, from my perspective. I spend more time connecting with them.

Meanwhile, Milena, you’re treating the sick. Can you tell us about your daily life?

MM: I’m exhausted. There aren’t many nurses who have volunteered to work with us, many of them are on sick leave. There are only 30 of us in intensive care. It’s very hard to work there because there aren’t enough of us to be replaced. I don’t fear for my health, but I don’t know how long this can last.

DT: You should know that there are normally more than 3,000 nurses in the hospital. Only 30 are volunteers, and Milena is far from being the only lesbian. My conclusion? When shit hits the fan, lesbians are there. It’s representative of their role in history. They fight but they don’t get the recognition and visibility they deserve. On TV, all the people who talk are men: doctors, politicians. But if we go to see who really fights alongside patients, they are women, and often they are lesbians. I think it’s important to say that.

In your opinion, is this the only blindspot in the national and regional media coverage of this pandemic?

DT : It’s hard to say. Personally, I find that the media is very controlled. On TV, they say that the crisis is under control, that the government is handling the situation well, even that Serbia has the best crisis management at the European level. Citizen journalists report on the problems on the ground. Today things are better, but two weeks ago, in some hospitals, staff had only one mask for 12 hours of work. One journalist [Ana Lalić] was even arrested and imprisoned for publishing an article with testimonies from doctors and nurses. The hospital where Milena works passed a note to the nurses asking them not to speak to journalists or risk being fired.

The Covid-19 crisis has shown that we are still living in a young democracy with fragile and unstable institutions. It also revealed authoritarian tendencies, especially in the region and in Serbia, especially as regards the media. Here, politicians use the situation as an excuse to censor the media and throw journalists into prison. This did not happen until recently. I am concerned that the government is taking advantage of the state of emergency that has been established to violate human rights. Once it starts, there is no turning back.

MM: Personally, I don’t think we can talk about freedom of the press as we normally do. In my work, there is no place for politics, no place for the press, there is no place for anything except taking care of people and caring for them as best we can. It’s very different from what we imagine: here we’re talking about saving someone’s life. At the moment, we don’t have time to think about anything else.

The parliamentary and municipal elections in Serbia were supposed to take place today, but they were postponed because of the situation. What impact do you think this postponement could have on the scores of right-wing and far-right parties? Is there a risk that the situation for LGBTI people in Serbia could get worse?

DT: I think the party in government will win the elections again, the crisis has not affected their popularity at all. They have probably even gained a few points since they control the media and information. I expect them to win 60% or more of the votes. I have no idea how this will affect the situation for LGBTI people. We will see, it is very difficult to predict anything in such a situation. When they arrested this journalist, I was very shocked, I thought these cases were far behind us. But in fact everything can change from one day to the next. The human rights acquired can be swept away in an instant, and we risk going backwards. This is what is happening for freedom of the press at the moment, it is possible that it will also happen for the rights of LGBTI people and women. Serbia has recently moved closer to countries such as China and Russia, which worries me very much. We have to wait and see what happens. But always be attentive, observe what is happening and be ready.

Milena Marković, a nurse in a centre dedicated to the fight against the disease, and Dragana Todorović, co-executive director for development of the Eurocentralasian Lesbian* Community (EL*C), join us in reviewing the situation of lesbians in their country and in the region, and address the difficulties they face during this pandemic .

(This interview was first published by the French Association of LGBTI Journalists. The questions are from Marion Lefèvre. The translation is by Alice Coffin with the help of DeepL, aptly named translation site).

What is the situation for lesbians in Serbia and the Balkans?

Dragana Todorović: Today it is still very complicated for lesbians and more broadly for LGBTI people in Serbia and the Balkans. Lesbophobia is very strong there. On average, more than 70% of the population thinks that being gay is a disease. Almost every second a lesbian in the Balkans is a victim of psychological or physical violence. Throughout the region, lesbians do not have access to medically assisted procreation. Yet since the 1990s, lesbians have been at the forefront of women’s rights and peace movements. One of those early organizations, LABRIS, was founded in Belgrade and is still active today. But it is the exception that proves the rule: in other countries, lesbian organizations have little power. Many of them have had to close down due to a lack of funding. Today, the issue of lesbian rights and interests is very little visible and in our societies, even within the women’s rights and LGBTI movements.

In Serbia, the situation is paradoxical as we have a lesbian Prime Minister [Ana Brnabić]. But she belongs to a right wing party [the Serbian Progressive Party] that does not campaign on human rights, LGBTI rights or women’s rights. One can however imagine, hopefully having a lesbian in government will positively change the attitudes of the conservative supporters of that party. Milena has been in personal contact with the Prime Minister, perhaps she will talk about it better than I do.

Milena Marković: I don’t see the situation the way Dragana does, because I’m not working as an activist, surely. I don’t have any problem in Serbia to be a lesbian… Except with my parents! (laughs) I understand that for other people, however, it is complicated.

And yes, I met the Prime Minister because I wrote to her five or six months ago to ask her to help me create an organisation for gay and lesbian families, because we have many who have contacted us to ask for help. I’m the only person she wrote to about LGBTI rights.

DT: Yes, a lot of LGBTI organisations have written to her in the last few years, but she has only replied to Milena. They have exchanged several emails…

MM: And one day she invited me to meet her. I went, I wasn’t prepared at all… We had an interesting conversation, I enjoyed it. She was very open and ready to talk about the situation in the country for LGBTI organisations.

DT: She was very open and ready to take the initiative on several projects. But these meetings have taken place recently [early 2020], so we will see if it takes shape. I have a lot of criticisms of her but I would like her to stay on. Her party has a large majority, no one can dethrone her. I would rather it be her than any other man.

I think the fact that she is the head of the government gives us an opportunity. But I don’t like the way she reacts to criticism from LGBTI organisations. She should be able to accept public criticism. And apart from participating in Pride parades (a first for a head of government) and supporting Belgrade’s bid to host Europride in 2022, she has done nothing so far.

Precisely, the situation being the one you describe, Dragana, you have been fighting for several years for the rights of lesbians and LGBTI people in your country and in the rest of the region. What is the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on your activities?
DT: With ERA [LGBTI Equal Rights Association for Western Balkans and Turkey, in which Dragana is still active], since 2015 we have been trying to reach the most isolated people. Since the beginning of the health crisis, we have realised how difficult this situation has made life difficult for older people, especially lesbians over 65 years old. In Serbia, people of that age can no longer go out at all. It is very hard for them, especially for lesbians: the overwhelming majority of those we are in contact with have no family, no children, and of course they are not married [civil union and same-sex marriage are not allowed in Serbia].

I was talking to one of them recently: her friends are dead, she is completely isolated. Certainly the Serbian government has set up a volunteer system to help these people, with volunteers who can go shopping for them. But she does not feel comfortable with this system, because she fears lesbophobia, which is very present in our society. Another woman told me that she could no longer collect her pension because she or a family member has to collect it, and she had no family either.

Not only older lesbians are affected: we have received testimonies from younger lesbians through Locked-down Lesbians Listening [a daily virtual platform set up by the Eurocentralasian Lesbian Community]. Some of them lost their jobs, as many were employed in the service sector (bars, restaurants…). They can no longer pay their rent and sometimes have to return to their families, often lesbophobic. This is a dangerous situation for them because they are likely to be subjected to violence. We are in contact with more than fifty lesbians in these situations throughout the Balkans, but they are surely more numerous. Who knows how many lesbians dare not contact us. Some only call us when it is really a matter of life and death.

In addition to these difficulties, lesbians in the Balkans are also for some of them on the front line of the fight against the pandemic, like you, Milena. You are a nurse in a psychiatric hospital, outside of the pandemic, and have been working in a centre dedicated to the patients of Covid-19 since the beginning of the crisis. What does it mean for you to be a lesbian nurse in this context?

MM: I am far from being the only lesbian in this case! But the others aren’t out. I don’t think I’m special, I just do my job. But it’s true that this pandemic is forcing people to be more open to diversity, more tolerant, especially of different sexual orientations. Every day, I have to come out because all my colleagues talk about their children, and I talk about my family too. It’s a completely different situation, but they accept it. Sometimes I also ask them if they now understand what it is like to be stuck at home, as some LGBTI people normally are. They tell me that they are sorry and understand better. They had no way of knowing before what it is like, not being able to go where you want, not being able to be yourself.

One of the blind spots in the media in western Europe, and I imagine in the Balkans as well, is the impact of Covid-19 on the lives of same-sex families, particularly lesbian families. Can you tell us how the pandemic played out in your family organization, with Milena?

DT : Before the pandemic, Milena was the one who took care of the children the most. I work in a different city, and I have two jobs, I travel a lot, so I’m away a lot. Since Milena volunteered to work in the newly created Covid-19 centre, she moved to my old apartment so as not to put me and the children in danger. They don’t go to school anymore, so they take online courses. I’m with them all the time, it’s the exact opposite of the normal situation. It’s pretty positive, from my perspective. I spend more time connecting with them.

Meanwhile, Milena, you’re treating the sick. Can you tell us about your daily life?

MM: I’m exhausted. There aren’t many nurses who have volunteered to work with us, many of them are on sick leave. There are only 30 of us in intensive care. It’s very hard to work there because there aren’t enough of us to be replaced. I don’t fear for my health, but I don’t know how long this can last.

DT: You should know that there are normally more than 3,000 nurses in the hospital. Only 30 are volunteers, and Milena is far from being the only lesbian. My conclusion? When shit hits the fan, lesbians are there. It’s representative of their role in history. They fight but they don’t get the recognition and visibility they deserve. On TV, all the people who talk are men: doctors, politicians. But if we go to see who really fights alongside patients, they are women, and often they are lesbians. I think it’s important to say that.

In your opinion, is this the only blindspot in the national and regional media coverage of this pandemic?

DT : It’s hard to say. Personally, I find that the media is very controlled. On TV, they say that the crisis is under control, that the government is handling the situation well, even that Serbia has the best crisis management at the European level. Citizen journalists report on the problems on the ground. Today things are better, but two weeks ago, in some hospitals, staff had only one mask for 12 hours of work. One journalist [Ana Lalić] was even arrested and imprisoned for publishing an article with testimonies from doctors and nurses. The hospital where Milena works passed a note to the nurses asking them not to speak to journalists or risk being fired.

The Covid-19 crisis has shown that we are still living in a young democracy with fragile and unstable institutions. It also revealed authoritarian tendencies, especially in the region and in Serbia, especially as regards the media. Here, politicians use the situation as an excuse to censor the media and throw journalists into prison. This did not happen until recently. I am concerned that the government is taking advantage of the state of emergency that has been established to violate human rights. Once it starts, there is no turning back.

MM: Personally, I don’t think we can talk about freedom of the press as we normally do. In my work, there is no place for politics, no place for the press, there is no place for anything except taking care of people and caring for them as best we can. It’s very different from what we imagine: here we’re talking about saving someone’s life. At the moment, we don’t have time to think about anything else.

The parliamentary and municipal elections in Serbia were supposed to take place today, but they were postponed because of the situation. What impact do you think this postponement could have on the scores of right-wing and far-right parties? Is there a risk that the situation for LGBTI people in Serbia could get worse?

DT: I think the party in government will win the elections again, the crisis has not affected their popularity at all. They have probably even gained a few points since they control the media and information. I expect them to win 60% or more of the votes. I have no idea how this will affect the situation for LGBTI people. We will see, it is very difficult to predict anything in such a situation. When they arrested this journalist, I was very shocked, I thought these cases were far behind us. But in fact everything can change from one day to the next. The human rights acquired can be swept away in an instant, and we risk going backwards. This is what is happening for freedom of the press at the moment, it is possible that it will also happen for the rights of LGBTI people and women. Serbia has recently moved closer to countries such as China and Russia, which worries me very much. We have to wait and see what happens. But always be attentive, observe what is happening and be ready.

Dear Commissioner Dalli,

We are writing to you in our capacity as Co-Chairs of the EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community (EL*C) on the occasion of the International Lesbian Visibility Day on the 26th of April. EL*C is a feminist network of lesbian organisations and lesbian, bisexual and trans women, non-binary and intersex persons from over 50 countries of Europe and Central Asia. EL*C was founded in 2017 with the aim to improve the lives of lesbians and (re)build the lesbian movement. As such, EL*C strives to be a representative and powerful voice of the lesbian movements in Europe and Central Asia. In this letter, the term “lesbian” includes all non-heterosexual LBTIQ women, unless otherwise specified, in line with EL*C’s policy to give visibility and empowerment through the use of the word lesbian.

As (in)visibility remains a critical issue, and the root-cause of growing violence and discrimination towards lesbiansin the European Union, accession countries and beyond, we would welcome an opportunity to  meet with you, online as a start, or in any other way convinient to you given the current situation, and discuss with you ways in which future EU actionscan take on board the fight against lesbophobia, gender-based violence, discrimination and stigma against lesbians. We firmly believe that your mandate as the first EU Equality Commissioner is a historic opportunity to ensure that the needs of lesbians are addressed by the European Union, especially with regard to the Gender Equality and the LGBTI Strategies, and to reinforce engagement with lesbian led civil society, so as to increase representativity in decision making.

The intersectional approach that you have chosen in designing the European Commission’s strategies on equality is a fundamental step in building a more equal and inclusive European society. An additional step is necessary in recognising the specific intersectional position of lesbians as women and as part of the LGBTI community, avoiding a “one-size-fits-all” approach that contributes to the marginalisation and invisibility of lesbians. It is fundamental to mention also that the levels of stigma multiply and intensify depending on other perceived or claimed social identities that a lesbian might embody, such as ‘gender identity’, ‘race,’ ‘class,’ or ‘ableness.’ For example, lesbians of color and black lesbians are exposed to misogyny, racism and lesbophobia in overlapping and mutually reinforcing ways.

In the current crisis caused by the COVID-19, marginalised communities find themselves in particularly precarious situations. EL*C is in contact with many lesbians across Europe, trapped in potentially dangerous situations due to the crisis, from young lesbians obliged to quarantine with their lesbophobic families, to older lesbians that cannot go out, do not have family on which to rely, and are provided food and medication by the local lesbian community. Lesbians are being fired by their employer, as a result to their families not being recognised as equal to heterosexual ones, or not recognised at all. We are also witnessing with great concern the recent attacks in Hungary and Poland against the trans community and against women’s rights, specifically their sexual and reproductive rights. These acts of violence demonstrate how the crisis is being instrumentalised, in some contexts, to roll back on the rights of minorities and on women’s bodily autonomy. Lesbian movements, often at the forefront of the fight for women and LGBTI rights, constitute an easy target for nationalist, far-right and anti-gender narratives. We fear that, even in countries, which are perceived as progressive, the current crisis will result in the de-prioritisation of lesbian rights, as it is happening in France with the postponing once again of the extension of  access to IVF to lesbian couples and single mothers.

Due to lesbians’ invisibility in the political discourse, in society and in research, lesbians still remain extremely marginalized socially, economically and politically. At the same time, lesbian organisations and spaces find themselves especially deprived of funds and resources and have been obliged to close down or are struggling to continue providing the increasingly indispensable services for the lesbian community. It is therefore particularly timely that the Commission acts to empower and to improve the life of lesbians in the European Union, in particular by ensuring that:

The implementation of the Gender Equality Strategy guarantees that policies on gender-based violence and socio-economic equality are built, applied and evaluated taking into consideration the needs of lesbians;

The upcoming LGBTI Strategy takes lesbians specifically into consideration, by avoiding a “one-size-fits-all” approach and by securing a full coordination with the other strategic frameworks on equality and non-discrimination. To guarantee this coordination, the approval of this strategy by the end of the year is, therefore, fundamental;

Data is properly collected and research is regularly financed on the level of acceptance and status of lesbians in society, but also on their needs, as well as on the impact and assessment of existing and upcoming policies concerning the fundamental rights and freedoms of lesbians;

Adequate funding opportunities are available for lesbian civil society organisations and that lesbians are explicitly recognised as a target group in funding priorities.

EL*C stands ready to further discuss further with you these recommendations, to make sure that the work of the EU, in general, and the European Commission, in particular, ensures full protection and empowerment of lesbians in the European Union, accession countries and beyond.

Yours sincerely,

Joëlle Sambi Nzeba                                                                                                          Olena Shevchenko

EL*C Co-Chair                                                                                                                      EL*C Co-Chair

[embeddoc url=”https://europeanlesbianconference.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Letter-Dalli-2-1.pdf” download=”all”]Dear Commissioner Dalli,

Dear Commissioner Dalli,

We are writing to you in our capacity as Co-Chairs of the EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community (EL*C) on the occasion of the International Lesbian Visibility Day on the 26th of April. EL*C is a feminist network of lesbian organisations and lesbian, bisexual and trans women, non-binary and intersex persons from over 50 countries of Europe and Central Asia. EL*C was founded in 2017 with the aim to improve the lives of lesbians and (re)build the lesbian movement. As such, EL*C strives to be a representative and powerful voice of the lesbian movements in Europe and Central Asia. In this letter, the term “lesbian” includes all non-heterosexual LBTIQ women, unless otherwise specified, in line with EL*C’s policy to give visibility and empowerment through the use of the word lesbian.

As (in)visibility remains a critical issue, and the root-cause of growing violence and discrimination towards lesbiansin the European Union, accession countries and beyond, we would welcome an opportunity to  meet with you, online as a start, or in any other way convinient to you given the current situation, and discuss with you ways in which future EU actionscan take on board the fight against lesbophobia, gender-based violence, discrimination and stigma against lesbians. We firmly believe that your mandate as the first EU Equality Commissioner is a historic opportunity to ensure that the needs of lesbians are addressed by the European Union, especially with regard to the Gender Equality and the LGBTI Strategies, and to reinforce engagement with lesbian led civil society, so as to increase representativity in decision making.

The intersectional approach that you have chosen in designing the European Commission’s strategies on equality is a fundamental step in building a more equal and inclusive European society. An additional step is necessary in recognising the specific intersectional position of lesbians as women and as part of the LGBTI community, avoiding a “one-size-fits-all” approach that contributes to the marginalisation and invisibility of lesbians. It is fundamental to mention also that the levels of stigma multiply and intensify depending on other perceived or claimed social identities that a lesbian might embody, such as ‘gender identity’, ‘race,’ ‘class,’ or ‘ableness.’ For example, lesbians of color and black lesbians are exposed to misogyny, racism and lesbophobia in overlapping and mutually reinforcing ways.

In the current crisis caused by the COVID-19, marginalised communities find themselves in particularly precarious situations. EL*C is in contact with many lesbians across Europe, trapped in potentially dangerous situations due to the crisis, from young lesbians obliged to quarantine with their lesbophobic families, to older lesbians that cannot go out, do not have family on which to rely, and are provided food and medication by the local lesbian community. Lesbians are being fired by their employer, as a result to their families not being recognised as equal to heterosexual ones, or not recognised at all. We are also witnessing with great concern the recent attacks in Hungary and Poland against the trans community and against women’s rights, specifically their sexual and reproductive rights. These acts of violence demonstrate how the crisis is being instrumentalised, in some contexts, to roll back on the rights of minorities and on women’s bodily autonomy. Lesbian movements, often at the forefront of the fight for women and LGBTI rights, constitute an easy target for nationalist, far-right and anti-gender narratives. We fear that, even in countries, which are perceived as progressive, the current crisis will result in the de-prioritisation of lesbian rights, as it is happening in France with the postponing once again of the extension of  access to IVF to lesbian couples and single mothers.

Due to lesbians’ invisibility in the political discourse, in society and in research, lesbians still remain extremely marginalized socially, economically and politically. At the same time, lesbian organisations and spaces find themselves especially deprived of funds and resources and have been obliged to close down or are struggling to continue providing the increasingly indispensable services for the lesbian community. It is therefore particularly timely that the Commission acts to empower and to improve the life of lesbians in the European Union, in particular by ensuring that:

The implementation of the Gender Equality Strategy guarantees that policies on gender-based violence and socio-economic equality are built, applied and evaluated taking into consideration the needs of lesbians;

The upcoming LGBTI Strategy takes lesbians specifically into consideration, by avoiding a “one-size-fits-all” approach and by securing a full coordination with the other strategic frameworks on equality and non-discrimination. To guarantee this coordination, the approval of this strategy by the end of the year is, therefore, fundamental;

Data is properly collected and research is regularly financed on the level of acceptance and status of lesbians in society, but also on their needs, as well as on the impact and assessment of existing and upcoming policies concerning the fundamental rights and freedoms of lesbians;

Adequate funding opportunities are available for lesbian civil society organisations and that lesbians are explicitly recognised as a target group in funding priorities.

EL*C stands ready to further discuss further with you these recommendations, to make sure that the work of the EU, in general, and the European Commission, in particular, ensures full protection and empowerment of lesbians in the European Union, accession countries and beyond.

Yours sincerely,

Joëlle Sambi Nzeba                                                                                                          Olena Shevchenko

EL*C Co-Chair                                                                                                                      EL*C Co-Chair

[embeddoc url=”https://europeanlesbianconference.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Letter-Dalli-2-1.pdf” download=”all”]Dear Commissioner Dalli,

REGISTER HERE. Technical information will be sent over email after registration.

#LVD2020, #LesbianVisibilityDay, #LesbianGenius

REGISTER HERE. Technical information will be sent over email after registration.

#LVD2020, #LesbianVisibilityDay, #LesbianGenius

EL*C OPENS AN ONLINE SPACE FOR LESBIANS TO EXCHANGE DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS

Every day from 12-1pm Vienna time (1-2pm Moscow time) and 7-8pm Vienna time (8-9pm Moscow time)

Many of us lesbians* might be especially affected by self-isolation measures. To help our community stick together, despite the lockdown and across borders, we have decided to open an online space, where you can join to listen, and exchange with us and other lesbians, anonymously or not.

Starting this Saturday, April 4th, and every day (7days per week) for the coming weeks, we will be available to hear from you, your situations, your difficulties, or stories that lifted you up during these times.

EL*C team members come from all corners of Europe and Central Asia, including countries already severely impacted by COVID-19 exceptional measures. From Italy to Ukraine, from Spain to Serbia, from France to Kyrgyzstan, each of us know or have heard of lesbian friends, activists, colleagues, relatives who are specifically suffering from the lockdown because they are lesbians. We have heard of Italian lesbians in their twenties obliged to stay among hostile families they had decided to leave. We have heard of over 65-year-old lesbians in Serbia forbidden to go out and with no one to bring them food, except younger lesbians who got organised for this. We know how the situation of lesbian migrants is specifically terrible during those times. We know what it takes for some of you to be separated from your lover(s) and friends.

The online space can also be the opportunity to collect new testimonies to share on Lesbian Visibility Day (26 April), illustrating how the Covid-19 crisis is affecting lesbians, but also how our close-knit community finds ways to overcome the challenges. When joining, let us know if you agree for your story to be shared.

✔ Everyday from 12pm to 1pm, and from 7pm to 8pm (European Time)
✔ See language calendar below (updated weekly)
✔ Please register here to receive the link to join the online space (max 30 min prior to the session): https://forms.gle/rVWhUqSCjxQw2che6

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EL*C OUVRE UN ESPACE D’ÉCHANGE EN LIGNE POUR LES LESBIENNES PENDANT LA CRISE DU COVID-19

Tous les jours de 12h à 13h CEST et de 19h à 20h CEST

Beaucoup parmi nous, lesbiennes*, peuvent se trouver particulièrement affectées par les mesures de confinement. Pour aider notre communauté à rester soudée, malgré l’isolement et à travers les frontières, nous avons décidé d’ouvrir un espace en ligne, où vous pouvez nous rejoindre, pour écouter et échanger, avec nous et d’autres lesbiennes, anonymement ou non.

À partir de ce samedi 4 avril, et tous les jours (7 jours par semaine) pendant les semaines à venir, nous serons disponibles pour écouter vos témoignages, vos situations, vos difficultés ou les histoires qui vous ont remonté le moral pendant cette période.

Les membres de l’équipe d’EL*C viennent de tous les coins d’Europe et d’Asie centrale, y compris de pays déjà sévèrement touchés par les mesures exceptionnelles contre le COVID-19. De l’Italie à l’Ukraine, de l’Espagne à la Serbie, de la France au Kirghizistan, chacune d’entre nous connaît ou a entendu parler de lesbiennes, que ce soit des amies, militantes, collègues, ou parentes, qui souffrent d’autant plus du confinement du fait qu’elles sont lesbiennes. Nous avons entendu parler de lesbiennes italiennes dans leur vingtaine obligées de rester dans leurs familles hostiles qu’elles avaient décidé de quitter. Nous avons entendu parler de lesbiennes serbes de plus de 65 ans à qui l’on a interdit de sortir et qui n’ont personne pour leur apporter de la nourriture, à l’exception de lesbiennes plus jeunes qui se sont organisées pour cela. Nous savons combien la situation des lesbiennes migrantes est particulièrement difficile en ces temps. Nous comprenons ce que cela coûte à celles d’entre vous séparées de leurs amantes/compagnes et de leurs amies.

L’espace en ligne pourra également être l’occasion de recueillir des témoignages à partager lors de la Journée de la visibilité des lesbiennes (26 avril), mettant en lumière la manière dont la crise du Covid-19 affecte les lesbiennes, mais aussi comment notre communauté puise en elle-même pour surmonter les difficultés. Lorsque vous nous rejoignez, n’hésitez pas à nous faire savoir si vous acceptez que votre histoire soit partagée.

✔ Tous les jours de 12h à 13h, et de 19h à 20h (heure européenne)
✔ Voir le calendrier linguistique ci-dessous (mis à jour chaque semaine)
✔ Veuillez vous inscrire ici pour recevoir le lien pour rejoindre l’espace en ligne (max 30 min avant la session): https://forms.gle/rVWhUqSCjxQw2che6

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ОТКРЫТЫЕ ОНЛАЙН ВСТРЕЧИ ОТ EL*C ДЛЯ ОБЩЕНИЯ И ПОДДЕРЖКИ ВО ВРЕМЯ КОРОНАВИРУСА

В период с 4 апреля по 26 апреля с 12.00 до 13.00 и с 19.00 до 20.00 (центральное европейское время)

Многие из нас как лесбиянки* могут быть особенно затронуты мерами самоизоляции. Чтобы помочь нашему сообществу держаться вместе, несмотря на закрытие границ и изоляцию, мы решили открыть онлайн-пространство, к которому вы сможете присоединиться, чтобы слушать и делиться своими опытом и чувствами с нами и с другими лесбиянками (анонимно или нет).

В период с 4 апреля в течение следующих недель мы будем готовы выслушать вас, ваши истории и трудности, с которыми вы сталкиваетесь. Мы предоставим вам все детали для подключения и расписание встреч на русском языке.

В команде EL*C люди из разных уголков Европы и Центральной Азии, в том числе из стран, которые уже серьезно пострадали от мер, направленных против распространения коронавируса.
От Италии до Украины, от Испании до Сербии, от Франции до Кыргызстана, каждая из нас знает или слышала о подругах-лесбиянках, активистках, коллежанках, родственницах, которые особенно страдают от изоляции, потому что они лесбиянки.
Мы слышали об итальянских двадцатилетних лесбиянках, которые хотели уйти из враждебно настроенных семей, но вынуждены были остаться.
Мы слышали о том, что лесбиянкам в Сербии старше 65 лет запрещено выходить на улицу, и никто не приносит им еду, кроме молодых лесбиянок, которые самоорганизовались, чтобы оказать помощь.
Мы знаем, что положение лесбиянок-мигранток особенно ужасно в эти времена. Мы знаем, чего стоит некоторым из нас быть разлученными со своими партнёрками и подругами.

Для нас это онлайн-пространство также может стать возможностью собрать новые истории, которыми мы сможем поделиться в День Видимости Лесбиянок (26 апреля), чтобы продемонстрировать то, как кризис, связанный с коронавирусом, влияет на нас, и то, как наше сообщество находит способы отвечать на вызовы этого времени.
Присоединяясь, дайте нам знать, если вы согласны с тем, чтобы поделиться своей историей.

✔ Ежедневно с 12:00 до 13:00 и с 19:00 до 20:00 (центральное европейское время)
✔ Смотрите языковой календарь ниже (обновляется еженедельно)
✔ Пожалуйста, зарегистрируйтесь здесь, чтобы получить ссылку на подключение к онлайн-пространству (макс. за 30 минут до начала): https://forms.gle/rVWhUqSCjxQw2che6

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DURANTE LA CRISIS DEL COVID-19 EL * C ABRE UN ESPACIO DE INTERCAMBIO EN LÍNEA ENTRE LESBIANAS

A diario de 12 a 1PM y de 7 a 8PM Hora Central Europea

Muchas de nosotras, lesbianas *, podríamos resultar especialmente afectadas por las medidas de autoaislamiento. A fin de ayudar a nuestra comunidad a mantenerse unida, a pesar del bloqueo y a través de las fronteras, hemos decidido abrir un espacio en línea, donde podamos unirnos para escucharnos e intercambiar experiencias entre lesbianas, de forma anónima o no.

A partir del sábado 4 de abril y todos los días (7 días a la semana) durante las próximas semanas, estamos disponibles para escuchar sobre sus situaciones, sus dificultades o las historias que las animan en estos momentos.

Las integrantes del equipo EL * C provenimos de todos los rincones de Europa y Asia Central, incluidos países que ya han sido severamente afectados por las medidas excepcionales del COVID-19. Desde Italia hasta Ucrania, desde España hasta Serbia, desde Francia hasta Kirguistán, cada una de nosotras conocemos o hemos oído hablar de amigas lesbianas, activistas, colegas, parientes que sufren de manera específica el encierro por ser lesbianas. Hemos oído hablar de lesbianas italianas veinteañeras obligadas a permanecer con sus familias hostiles de las cuales habían decidido separarse. Hemos oído hablar de las lesbianas Serbias de más de 65 años que tienen prohibido salir sin que nadie les traiga comida, excepto lesbianas más jóvenes que se organizaron para hacerlo. Sabemos lo terrible que es la situación de las migrantes lesbianas en estos tiempos. Sabemos lo que cuesta, en esta época, el mantenerse separadas de amantes y amigas.

El espacio en línea también puede ser la oportunidad de recopilar nuevos testimonios para ser compartidos el Día de la Visibilidad Lesbiana (26 de abril), a fin de ilustrar la forma en que la crisis del Covid-19 está afectando a las lesbianas, pero también cómo nuestra comunidad unida encuentra formas de superar los desafíos. Infórmanos, al unirte, si aceptas que tu historia sea compartida.

✔ Todos los días de 12 a 1 pm y de 7 pm a 8 pm (Hora Central Europea)
✔ Ver el calendario de idiomas a continuación (será actualizado semanalmente)
✔ Regístrate aquí para recibir el enlace para unirte al espacio en línea (como máximo 30 minutos antes de la sesión): https://forms.gle/rVWhUqSCjxQw2che6

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LLL : LOCKED-DOWN LESBIANS LISTENING

Avrupa Lezbiyen* Konferansı (EL*C), yeni tip koronavirüs (Covid-19) krizinde lezbiyenler için sanal bir alan açıyor.

Her gün 12.00’den 13.00’e ve 19.00’dan 20.00’ye (Avrupa Saatiyle)

Birçok lezbiyen*, sosyal izolasyon önlemlerinden etkilenmiş olabilir. Sokağa çıkma yasakları ve karantinaya rağmen, komünitemizi/ camiamızı bir arada tutmak için hepinizin katılabileceği, dinleyebileceği, bizimle veya diğer lezbiyenlerle etkileşime geçebileceği online bir alan yaratmaya karar verdik.

Bu Cumartesiden (4 Nisan) başlayarak önümüzdeki haftalarda her gün durumunuzla, yaşadığınız zorluklarla ilgili sizden haberler almak veya bu süreçte moralinizi yükselten hikayeleri dinlemek için online buluşmada sizi bekliyor olacağız.

EL*C üyeleri, COVID-19’dan ciddi şekilde etkilenmiş ülkeler de dahil Orta Asya ve Avrupa’nın birçok yerinde yaşıyor. İtalya’dan Ukrayna’ya, İspanya’dan Sırbistan’a, Fransa’dan Kırgızistan’a her birimiz, lezbiyen olmalarından dolayı sokağa çıkma yasağında mağdur olan arkadaşlarımız, aktivistler, yoldaşlar ya da tanıdıklar olduğunu biliyoruz. Italya’da, kendilerine düşman gibi davrandığı için terk etmek zorunda kaldıkları ailelerinin yanında kalmak zorunda olan 20 yaşlarındaki lezbiyen aktivistlerin hikayelerini duyuyoruz. Sırbistan’da sokağa çıkma yasağı yüzünden dışarı çıkamayan ve yiyecek getirecek kimsesi olmayan 65 yaşındaki lezbiyeni ve ona destek olmak için örgütlenen lezbiyenlerin hikayelerini duyuyoruz. Bu dönemde özellikle lezbiyen mülteci ve göçmenlerin durumlarının daha da kötü olduğunu biliyoruz. Arkadaşlarınızdan ya da sevgili(leri)nizden ayrı kalmanın sizin için ne demek olduğunu biliyoruz.

Yaratacağımız online alan aynı zamanda Lezbiyen Görünürlük Günü’nde (26 Nisan) paylaşılacak yeni tanıklıkları biriktirmek, COVID-19’un lezbiyenleri nasıl etkilediğini görebilmek ve yakından bağlı olduğunuz bu toplumunun karşılarına çıkan sorunlarla nasıl baş ettiğini görebilmek için harika bir fırsat olacak.

Katılırken hikayenizin paylaşılmasını isteyip istemediğinizi de bize bildirin.

✔ her gün 12.00’den 13.00’e ve 19.00’dan 20.00’ye (Avrupa Saatiyle)
✔ Dillere göre ayrıştırılmış takvim aşağıda (haftalık güncellenecek)
✔ lütfen online buluşmaya katılmak için buradan kayıt olun (toplantıdan max. 30 dakika önce)

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13/04 12-1pm Vienna time: RU 7-8pm Vienna time: EN

14/04 12-1pm Vienna time: EN 7-8pm Vienna time: EN

15/04 12-1pm Vienna time: EN 7-8pm Vienna time: Turkish

16/04 12-1pm Vienna time: RU 7-8pm Vienna time: EN

17/04 12-1pm Vienna time: FR 7-8pm Vienna time: EN

18/04 12-1pm Vienna time: EN 7-8pm Vienna time: EN

19/04 12-1pm Vienna time: EN 7-8pm Vienna time: EN

20/04 12-1pm Vienna time: RU 7-8pm Vienna time: EN

21/04 12-1pm Vienna time: ES 7-8pm Vienna time: EN

22/04 12-1pm Vienna time: EN 7-8pm Vienna time: EN

23/04 12-1pm Vienna time: RU 7-8pm Vienna time: EN

24/04 12-1pm Vienna time: DE 7-8pm Vienna time: EN

25/04 12-1pm Vienna time: EN 7-8pm Vienna time: EN

26/04 3pm-11pm Lesbian Visibility Day

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other available languages on demand: Turkish, Serbian-Croatian-Bosnian-Montenegrin, Greek, Ukranian, German, Italian, Dutch, Swahili, Lingala (email us to create a slot at lockeddownlesbians@gmail.com )

autres langues disponibles sur demande : turc, serbe-croate-bosnique-montenegrin, grec, ukrainien, allemand, italien, néerlandais, swahili, lingala (envoyez-nous un courriel pour organiser un créneau à lockeddownlesbians@gmail.com)

другие языки доступны по запросу: украинский, турецкий, сербский, греческий, итальянский, немецкий, суахили, лингала (если необходима встреча на этих языках, напишите нам lockeddownlesbians@gmail.com)

otros idiomas disponibles según solicitud: turco, serbio, griego, ucraniano, alemán, italiano, holandés, swahili, lingala (envíenos un correo electrónico para crear un espacio en lockeddownlesbians@gmail.com)

EL*C OPENS AN ONLINE SPACE FOR LESBIANS TO EXCHANGE DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS

Every day from 12-1pm Vienna time (1-2pm 🇷🇺 Moscow time) and 7-8pm Vienna time (8-9pm 🇷🇺 Moscow time)

Many of us lesbians* might be especially affected by self-isolation measures. To help our community stick together, despite the lockdown and across borders, we have decided to open an online space, where you can join to listen, and exchange with us and other lesbians, anonymously or not.

Starting this Saturday, April 4th, and every day (7days per week) for the coming weeks, we will be available to hear from you, your situations, your difficulties, or stories that lifted you up during these times.

EL*C team members come from all corners of Europe and Central Asia, including countries already severely impacted by COVID-19 exceptional measures. From Italy to Ukraine, from Spain to Serbia, from France to Kyrgyzstan, each of us know or have heard of lesbian friends, activists, colleagues, relatives who are specifically suffering from the lockdown because they are lesbians. We have heard of Italian lesbians in their twenties obliged to stay among hostile families they had decided to leave. We have heard of over 65-year-old lesbians in Serbia forbidden to go out and with no one to bring them food, except younger lesbians who got organised for this. We know how the situation of lesbian migrants is specifically terrible during those times. We know what it takes for some of you to be separated from your lover(s) and friends.

The online space can also be the opportunity to collect new testimonies to share on Lesbian Visibility Day (26 April), illustrating how the Covid-19 crisis is affecting lesbians, but also how our close-knit community finds ways to overcome the challenges. When joining, let us know if you agree for your story to be shared.

✔ Everyday from 12pm to 1pm, and from 7pm to 8pm (European Time)
✔ See language calendar below (updated weekly)
✔ Please register here to receive the link to join the online space (max 30 min prior to the session): https://forms.gle/rVWhUqSCjxQw2che6

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

EL*C OUVRE UN ESPACE D’ÉCHANGE EN LIGNE POUR LES LESBIENNES PENDANT LA CRISE DU COVID-19

Tous les jours de 12h à 13h CEST et de 19h à 20h CEST

Beaucoup parmi nous, lesbiennes*, peuvent se trouver particulièrement affectées par les mesures de confinement. Pour aider notre communauté à rester soudée, malgré l’isolement et à travers les frontières, nous avons décidé d’ouvrir un espace en ligne, où vous pouvez nous rejoindre, pour écouter et échanger, avec nous et d’autres lesbiennes, anonymement ou non.

À partir de ce samedi 4 avril, et tous les jours (7 jours par semaine) pendant les semaines à venir, nous serons disponibles pour écouter vos témoignages, vos situations, vos difficultés ou les histoires qui vous ont remonté le moral pendant cette période.

Les membres de l’équipe d’EL*C viennent de tous les coins d’Europe et d’Asie centrale, y compris de pays déjà sévèrement touchés par les mesures exceptionnelles contre le COVID-19. De l’Italie à l’Ukraine, de l’Espagne à la Serbie, de la France au Kirghizistan, chacune d’entre nous connaît ou a entendu parler de lesbiennes, que ce soit des amies, militantes, collègues, ou parentes, qui souffrent d’autant plus du confinement du fait qu’elles sont lesbiennes. Nous avons entendu parler de lesbiennes italiennes dans leur vingtaine obligées de rester dans leurs familles hostiles qu’elles avaient décidé de quitter. Nous avons entendu parler de lesbiennes serbes de plus de 65 ans à qui l’on a interdit de sortir et qui n’ont personne pour leur apporter de la nourriture, à l’exception de lesbiennes plus jeunes qui se sont organisées pour cela. Nous savons combien la situation des lesbiennes migrantes est particulièrement difficile en ces temps. Nous comprenons ce que cela coûte à celles d’entre vous séparées de leurs amantes/compagnes et de leurs amies.

L’espace en ligne pourra également être l’occasion de recueillir des témoignages à partager lors de la Journée de la visibilité des lesbiennes (26 avril), mettant en lumière la manière dont la crise du Covid-19 affecte les lesbiennes, mais aussi comment notre communauté puise en elle-même pour surmonter les difficultés. Lorsque vous nous rejoignez, n’hésitez pas à nous faire savoir si vous acceptez que votre histoire soit partagée.

✔ Tous les jours de 12h à 13h, et de 19h à 20h (heure européenne)
✔ Voir le calendrier linguistique ci-dessous (mis à jour chaque semaine)
✔ Veuillez vous inscrire ici pour recevoir le lien pour rejoindre l’espace en ligne (max 30 min avant la session): https://forms.gle/rVWhUqSCjxQw2che6

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

ОТКРЫТЫЕ ОНЛАЙН ВСТРЕЧИ ОТ EL*C ДЛЯ ОБЩЕНИЯ И ПОДДЕРЖКИ ВО ВРЕМЯ КОРОНАВИРУСА

В период с 4 апреля по 26 апреля с 12.00 до 13.00 и с 19.00 до 20.00 (центральное европейское время)

Многие из нас как лесбиянки* могут быть особенно затронуты мерами самоизоляции. Чтобы помочь нашему сообществу держаться вместе, несмотря на закрытие границ и изоляцию, мы решили открыть онлайн-пространство, к которому вы сможете присоединиться, чтобы слушать и делиться своими опытом и чувствами с нами и с другими лесбиянками (анонимно или нет).

В период с 4 апреля в течение следующих недель мы будем готовы выслушать вас, ваши истории и трудности, с которыми вы сталкиваетесь. Мы предоставим вам все детали для подключения и расписание встреч на русском языке.

В команде EL*C люди из разных уголков Европы и Центральной Азии, в том числе из стран, которые уже серьезно пострадали от мер, направленных против распространения коронавируса.
От Италии до Украины, от Испании до Сербии, от Франции до Кыргызстана, каждая из нас знает или слышала о подругах-лесбиянках, активистках, коллежанках, родственницах, которые особенно страдают от изоляции, потому что они лесбиянки.
Мы слышали об итальянских двадцатилетних лесбиянках, которые хотели уйти из враждебно настроенных семей, но вынуждены были остаться.
Мы слышали о том, что лесбиянкам в Сербии старше 65 лет запрещено выходить на улицу, и никто не приносит им еду, кроме молодых лесбиянок, которые самоорганизовались, чтобы оказать помощь.
Мы знаем, что положение лесбиянок-мигранток особенно ужасно в эти времена. Мы знаем, чего стоит некоторым из нас быть разлученными со своими партнёрками и подругами.

Для нас это онлайн-пространство также может стать возможностью собрать новые истории, которыми мы сможем поделиться в День Видимости Лесбиянок (26 апреля), чтобы продемонстрировать то, как кризис, связанный с коронавирусом, влияет на нас, и то, как наше сообщество находит способы отвечать на вызовы этого времени.
Присоединяясь, дайте нам знать, если вы согласны с тем, чтобы поделиться своей историей.

✔ Ежедневно с 12:00 до 13:00 и с 19:00 до 20:00 (центральное европейское время)
✔ Смотрите языковой календарь ниже (обновляется еженедельно)
✔ Пожалуйста, зарегистрируйтесь здесь, чтобы получить ссылку на подключение к онлайн-пространству (макс. за 30 минут до начала): https://forms.gle/rVWhUqSCjxQw2che6

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

DURANTE LA CRISIS DEL COVID-19 EL * C ABRE UN ESPACIO DE INTERCAMBIO EN LÍNEA ENTRE LESBIANAS

A diario de 12 a 1PM y de 7 a 8PM Hora Central Europea

Muchas de nosotras, lesbianas *, podríamos resultar especialmente afectadas por las medidas de autoaislamiento. A fin de ayudar a nuestra comunidad a mantenerse unida, a pesar del bloqueo y a través de las fronteras, hemos decidido abrir un espacio en línea, donde podamos unirnos para escucharnos e intercambiar experiencias entre lesbianas, de forma anónima o no.

A partir del sábado 4 de abril y todos los días (7 días a la semana) durante las próximas semanas, estamos disponibles para escuchar sobre sus situaciones, sus dificultades o las historias que las animan en estos momentos.

Las integrantes del equipo EL * C provenimos de todos los rincones de Europa y Asia Central, incluidos países que ya han sido severamente afectados por las medidas excepcionales del COVID-19. Desde Italia hasta Ucrania, desde España hasta Serbia, desde Francia hasta Kirguistán, cada una de nosotras conocemos o hemos oído hablar de amigas lesbianas, activistas, colegas, parientes que sufren de manera específica el encierro por ser lesbianas. Hemos oído hablar de lesbianas italianas veinteañeras obligadas a permanecer con sus familias hostiles de las cuales habían decidido separarse. Hemos oído hablar de las lesbianas Serbias de más de 65 años que tienen prohibido salir sin que nadie les traiga comida, excepto lesbianas más jóvenes que se organizaron para hacerlo. Sabemos lo terrible que es la situación de las migrantes lesbianas en estos tiempos. Sabemos lo que cuesta, en esta época, el mantenerse separadas de amantes y amigas.

El espacio en línea también puede ser la oportunidad de recopilar nuevos testimonios para ser compartidos el Día de la Visibilidad Lesbiana (26 de abril), a fin de ilustrar la forma en que la crisis del Covid-19 está afectando a las lesbianas, pero también cómo nuestra comunidad unida encuentra formas de superar los desafíos. Infórmanos, al unirte, si aceptas que tu historia sea compartida.

✔ Todos los días de 12 a 1 pm y de 7 pm a 8 pm (Hora Central Europea)
✔ Ver el calendario de idiomas a continuación (será actualizado semanalmente)
✔ Regístrate aquí para recibir el enlace para unirte al espacio en línea (como máximo 30 minutos antes de la sesión): https://forms.gle/rVWhUqSCjxQw2che6

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LLL : LOCKED-DOWN LESBIANS LISTENING

Avrupa Lezbiyen* Konferansı (EL*C), yeni tip koronavirüs (Covid-19) krizinde lezbiyenler için sanal bir alan açıyor.

Her gün 12.00’den 13.00’e ve 19.00’dan 20.00’ye (Avrupa Saatiyle)

Birçok lezbiyen*, sosyal izolasyon önlemlerinden etkilenmiş olabilir. Sokağa çıkma yasakları ve karantinaya rağmen, komünitemizi/ camiamızı bir arada tutmak için hepinizin katılabileceği, dinleyebileceği, bizimle veya diğer lezbiyenlerle etkileşime geçebileceği online bir alan yaratmaya karar verdik.

Bu Cumartesiden (4 Nisan) başlayarak önümüzdeki haftalarda her gün durumunuzla, yaşadığınız zorluklarla ilgili sizden haberler almak veya bu süreçte moralinizi yükselten hikayeleri dinlemek için online buluşmada sizi bekliyor olacağız.

EL*C üyeleri, COVID-19’dan ciddi şekilde etkilenmiş ülkeler de dahil Orta Asya ve Avrupa’nın birçok yerinde yaşıyor. İtalya’dan Ukrayna’ya, İspanya’dan Sırbistan’a, Fransa’dan Kırgızistan’a her birimiz, lezbiyen olmalarından dolayı sokağa çıkma yasağında mağdur olan arkadaşlarımız, aktivistler, yoldaşlar ya da tanıdıklar olduğunu biliyoruz. Italya’da, kendilerine düşman gibi davrandığı için terk etmek zorunda kaldıkları ailelerinin yanında kalmak zorunda olan 20 yaşlarındaki lezbiyen aktivistlerin hikayelerini duyuyoruz. Sırbistan’da sokağa çıkma yasağı yüzünden dışarı çıkamayan ve yiyecek getirecek kimsesi olmayan 65 yaşındaki lezbiyeni ve ona destek olmak için örgütlenen lezbiyenlerin hikayelerini duyuyoruz. Bu dönemde özellikle lezbiyen mülteci ve göçmenlerin durumlarının daha da kötü olduğunu biliyoruz. Arkadaşlarınızdan ya da sevgili(leri)nizden ayrı kalmanın sizin için ne demek olduğunu biliyoruz.

Yaratacağımız online alan aynı zamanda Lezbiyen Görünürlük Günü’nde (26 Nisan) paylaşılacak yeni tanıklıkları biriktirmek, COVID-19’un lezbiyenleri nasıl etkilediğini görebilmek ve yakından bağlı olduğunuz bu toplumunun karşılarına çıkan sorunlarla nasıl baş ettiğini görebilmek için harika bir fırsat olacak.

Katılırken hikayenizin paylaşılmasını isteyip istemediğinizi de bize bildirin.

✔ her gün 12.00’den 13.00’e ve 19.00’dan 20.00’ye (Avrupa Saatiyle)
✔ Dillere göre ayrıştırılmış takvim aşağıda (haftalık güncellenecek)
✔ lütfen online buluşmaya katılmak için buradan kayıt olun (toplantıdan max. 30 dakika önce)

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13/04 12-1pm Vienna time: RU 7-8pm Vienna time: EN

14/04 12-1pm Vienna time: EN 7-8pm Vienna time: EN

15/04 12-1pm Vienna time: EN 7-8pm Vienna time: Turkish

16/04 12-1pm Vienna time: RU 7-8pm Vienna time: EN

17/04 12-1pm Vienna time: FR 7-8pm Vienna time: EN

18/04 12-1pm Vienna time: EN 7-8pm Vienna time: EN

19/04 12-1pm Vienna time: EN 7-8pm Vienna time: EN

20/04 12-1pm Vienna time: RU 7-8pm Vienna time: EN

21/04 12-1pm Vienna time: ES 7-8pm Vienna time: EN

22/04 12-1pm Vienna time: EN 7-8pm Vienna time: EN

23/04 12-1pm Vienna time: RU 7-8pm Vienna time: EN

24/04 12-1pm Vienna time: DE 7-8pm Vienna time: EN

25/04 12-1pm Vienna time: EN 7-8pm Vienna time: EN

26/04 3pm-11pm Lesbian Visibility Day

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other available languages on demand: Turkish, Serbian-Croatian-Bosnian-Montenegrin, Greek, Ukranian, German, Italian, Dutch, Swahili, Lingala (email us to create a slot at lockeddownlesbians@gmail.com )

autres langues disponibles sur demande : turc, serbe-croate-bosnique-montenegrin, grec, ukrainien, allemand, italien, néerlandais, swahili, lingala (envoyez-nous un courriel pour organiser un créneau à lockeddownlesbians@gmail.com)

другие языки доступны по запросу: украинский, турецкий, сербский, греческий, итальянский, немецкий, суахили, лингала (если необходима встреча на этих языках, напишите нам lockeddownlesbians@gmail.com)

otros idiomas disponibles según solicitud: turco, serbio, griego, ucraniano, alemán, italiano, holandés, swahili, lingala (envíenos un correo electrónico para crear un espacio en lockeddownlesbians@gmail.com)

Throughout history, angry women have been called harpies, bitches, witches, and whores. They’ve been labeled hysterical, crazy, dangerous, delusional, bitter, jealous, irrational, emotional, dramatic, vindictive, petty, hormonal; they’ve been shunned, ignored, drugged, locked up, and killed; kept in line with laws and threats and violence, and with insidious, far-reaching lies about the very nature of what it means to be a woman—that a woman should aspire to be a lady, and that ladies don’t get angry. Millennia of conditioning is hard to unlearn…    (Bitch Magazine – Burn it down by Lilly Dancyger)

This year has been one of supposedly inaccessible dreams and goals to be reached … A little 2019 anthology of what we have accomplished inside and outside EL*C. All this was possible thanks to the incredible energy of the extraordinary EL*C Dykerectors and team, but also thanks to all of you who have never stopped encouraging, promoting and supporting the actions we are carrying out for more lesbian visibility and for building our community. Well, since at this time of year, place is givent to wishes and love declaration, we must admit that, thanks to you, with you all at our side, we feel good, really good.

No doubt, we form a hell of a team ! 

…TALKING OF TEAM, WE HAVE A NEW BOARD !

We are happy to announce the elections of a new board. Discover the faces of those #Lesbiangenuis who are now in charge of 6 new positions. We will tell you more about those genius soon, very soon ! 

2020, will be empowering and full of suprises, stay tuned ! Meanwhile, find out what we’ve been doing this last year to unlearn conditioning with anger and class.

Happy New Year and best lesbian wishes.

♥♥♥

ELC SWEET 2019 SOUVENIRS ARE MADE OF THIS…

EL*C Berlin for pioneer european lesbian research !

Part of EL*C badass squad went to Berlin this November, to present the first outcomes of the ongoing research about the past and current state of lesbian organising in Europe ! Read the details here.

EL*C is a partner of the German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, which funds this research and will be organising next november 2020, a huge institutional European conference on lesbians with full room of ministers and policy makers listening to lesbian stories and needs ! We also seized the opportunity of being in Berlin to visit the great team of L-MAG which was always a wonderful support to EL*C.

EL*C HITS NEWSPAPERS FRONT PAGES !!!

The #lesbiangenius did well in the press last month. Our Media Dykerector, Alice Coffin, got long interviews in National Geographic and in Le Temps.

The Swiss newspaper also put EL*C on its front page !!!

Because Alice Coffin’s interview was next to Melinda Gates’s one, Silvia Casalino, Chair of EL*C and Alice’s partner, asked the team « Do you think, that means I will become as rich as Bill? ». No guarantee, but as you can read in the full interview published on National Geographic website, when asked about which advice to give to young women starting in lives, our dykerector answered « Be a lesbian! ».

Links to both interview:

https://www.letemps.ch/societe/alice-coffin-aujourdhui-lesbienne-employe-un-gros

https://www.nationalgeographic.fr/photographie/2019/11/se-passer-du-regard-des-hommes-est-un-immense-defi

♥♥♥

Gulzada Serzhan is one of EL*C wonderful team member and an active member of Feminita, a Kazakhstan feminist initiative that protects and defends the rights of LGBTQ community members.  Gulzada’s interview was originally publish by The Village, a kazakh newspaper. It has been now translated in french and highlighted by Novastan.org, the only media in French and German specializing in Central Asia.  This was during the week of actions fighting domestic violence organized by LGBT feminists and activists in Kazakhstan. Gulzada’s are fierce, empowering and filled with confidence.

A translated extract from her interview

I am a lesbian and before, for security reasons, I hid it. When I finally understood my sexuality and studied human rights, I became an LGBT activist and was able to come out. Some people can blame me for not hiding my sexual orientation. But that will not change my essence. To condemn me is useless.

Read full article (in french) here.

“Lesbian Rights/ Lesbian Fights” ELC at the feminist festival Les Créatives in Geneva.

We were invited to a round table on « Lesbian Rights, Lesbian Fights » in Geneva on November 23. Alice Coffin attended the panel along other lesbian* activists. If you missed it you can still. watch the full round table here.

♥♥♥

THE INTERNATIONAL FAMILY EQUALITY DAY 2019 REPORT IS OUT  with great tribute to EL*C

The International Family Equality Day 2019 Report (IFED) is out and we are grateful to see in it so many faces who made EL*C possible. Maria von Känel, Dettie Gould, Henrie Dennis, Andrea Rivas did a lot to organise or participate to EL*C.

Read their words, enjoy their pictures, along many other facts, figures and stories here.

♥♥♥

HURRAY TO KIKA FUMERO

The discourse of the far right is very damaging, basically because they deny and make invisible a reality that is demonstrated.

Hurray to our wonderful team member Kika Fumero, one EL*C wonderful team member, is now the General Director of the Canarian Institute for Equality. She gave an interview to El Diario del Canarias on the necessity to fight back far right discourses and actions. Read below more translated excerpt of the interview.

There are international laws and treaties, positions of the United Nations and the European Union. The figures are there. They are touching very sensitive issues, touching lives, identities, and want to take away rights to LGBT people or migrant children. To this, we are reacting from anger, and we are wrong. Calm must be keeped. We know what their speech is, that generates hate and anger, so we have to respond intelligently, with head and not with guts. Today, we can still lose many rights, which are conquered but not insured, and we can go backwards. Of course, if one day they get to power they will find us on the street, not the four feminists of yesterday, but a very important part of society, men and women. »

DYKES IN TIRANA

EL*C team travelled to Tirana-Albania this past month for a multi purpose visit: taking part in the women-loving-women caucus event at the ERA Conference, internal discussions on network creation and planning the work ahead, and finally taking part in Albania’s first ever Dyke March.

Participating in the ERA Conference women’s caucus gave EL*C invaluable insight into the current state of lesbian organising in the Western Balkans and Turkey. All three meetings were a huge success!

WE FORGIVE, BUT WE DON’T FORGET

In this video, our lesbian dykerector Joëlle Sambi delivers a testimony that questions a multitude of themes : slam as a poetic weapon, activism in Belgium, identity, colonialism, the norm, etc.

She also addresses the particular situation of the belgo-congolese LGBT community through the evocation of Pinkshasa Diaspora, her documentary in progress. The interview is in french but worth a look.

L WORD, a catch up session.

Come on! None of you can make us believe that they have not heard, trembled – even very slightly – with indifference or emotions at the announcement of the release of the new L Word: Generation Q! Really ? Okay, well, if you missed that, here is an interview well conducted by the journalist of Grazia Magazine and to which our dykerectors Silvia Casalino and Joëlle Sambi answered, among others. Catch up session !

Full article (in french).

♥♥♥

So, we will wrap it up here by wishing you to have, in 2020, friendS, loverS, relativeS that are for you what Nigeria is for Jamaïca.

The miss, not the country. Take care. Very very best wishes.

Throughout history, angry women have been called harpies, bitches, witches, and whores. They’ve been labeled hysterical, crazy, dangerous, delusional, bitter, jealous, irrational, emotional, dramatic, vindictive, petty, hormonal; they’ve been shunned, ignored, drugged, locked up, and killed; kept in line with laws and threats and violence, and with insidious, far-reaching lies about the very nature of what it means to be a woman—that a woman should aspire to be a lady, and that ladies don’t get angry. Millennia of conditioning is hard to unlearn…    (Bitch Magazine – Burn it down by Lilly Dancyger)

This year has been one of supposedly inaccessible dreams and goals to be reached … A little 2019 anthology of what we have accomplished inside and outside EL*C. All this was possible thanks to the incredible energy of the extraordinary EL*C Dykerectors and team, but also thanks to all of you who have never stopped encouraging, promoting and supporting the actions we are carrying out for more lesbian visibility and for building our community. Well, since at this time of year, place is givent to wishes and love declaration, we must admit that, thanks to you, with you all at our side, we feel good, really good.

No doubt, we form a hell of a team ! 

…TALKING OF TEAM, WE HAVE A NEW BOARD !

We are happy to announce the elections of a new board. Discover the faces of those #Lesbiangenuis who are now in charge of 6 new positions. We will tell you more about those genius soon, very soon ! 

2020, will be empowering and full of suprises, stay tuned ! Meanwhile, find out what we’ve been doing this last year to unlearn conditioning with anger and class.

Happy New Year and best lesbian wishes.

♥♥♥

ELC SWEET 2019 SOUVENIRS ARE MADE OF THIS…

EL*C Berlin for pioneer european lesbian research !

Part of EL*C badass squad went to Berlin this November, to present the first outcomes of the ongoing research about the past and current state of lesbian organising in Europe ! Read the details here.

EL*C is a partner of the German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, which funds this research and will be organising next november 2020, a huge institutional European conference on lesbians with full room of ministers and policy makers listening to lesbian stories and needs ! We also seized the opportunity of being in Berlin to visit the great team of L-MAG which was always a wonderful support to EL*C.

EL*C HITS NEWSPAPERS FRONT PAGES !!!

The #lesbiangenius did well in the press last month. Our Media Dykerector, Alice Coffin, got long interviews in National Geographic and in Le Temps.

The Swiss newspaper also put EL*C on its front page !!!

Because Alice Coffin’s interview was next to Melinda Gates’s one, Silvia Casalino, Chair of EL*C and Alice’s partner, asked the team « Do you think, that means I will become as rich as Bill? ». No guarantee, but as you can read in the full interview published on National Geographic website, when asked about which advice to give to young women starting in lives, our dykerector answered « Be a lesbian! ».

Links to both interview:

https://www.letemps.ch/societe/alice-coffin-aujourdhui-lesbienne-employe-un-gros

https://www.nationalgeographic.fr/photographie/2019/11/se-passer-du-regard-des-hommes-est-un-immense-defi

♥♥♥

Gulzada Serzhan is one of EL*C wonderful team member and an active member of Feminita, a Kazakhstan feminist initiative that protects and defends the rights of LGBTQ community members.  Gulzada’s interview was originally publish by The Village, a kazakh newspaper. It has been now translated in french and highlighted by Novastan.org, the only media in French and German specializing in Central Asia.  This was during the week of actions fighting domestic violence organized by LGBT feminists and activists in Kazakhstan. Gulzada’s are fierce, empowering and filled with confidence.

A translated extract from her interview

I am a lesbian and before, for security reasons, I hid it. When I finally understood my sexuality and studied human rights, I became an LGBT activist and was able to come out. Some people can blame me for not hiding my sexual orientation. But that will not change my essence. To condemn me is useless.

Read full article (in french) here.

“Lesbian Rights/ Lesbian Fights” ELC at the feminist festival Les Créatives in Geneva.

We were invited to a round table on « Lesbian Rights, Lesbian Fights » in Geneva on November 23. Alice Coffin attended the panel along other lesbian* activists. If you missed it you can still. watch the full round table here.

♥♥♥

THE INTERNATIONAL FAMILY EQUALITY DAY 2019 REPORT IS OUT  with great tribute to EL*C

The International Family Equality Day 2019 Report (IFED) is out and we are grateful to see in it so many faces who made EL*C possible. Maria von Känel, Dettie Gould, Henrie Dennis, Andrea Rivas did a lot to organise or participate to EL*C.

Read their words, enjoy their pictures, along many other facts, figures and stories here.

♥♥♥

HURRAY TO KIKA FUMERO

The discourse of the far right is very damaging, basically because they deny and make invisible a reality that is demonstrated.

Hurray to our wonderful team member Kika Fumero, one EL*C wonderful team member, is now the General Director of the Canarian Institute for Equality. She gave an interview to El Diario del Canarias on the necessity to fight back far right discourses and actions. Read below more translated excerpt of the interview.

There are international laws and treaties, positions of the United Nations and the European Union. The figures are there. They are touching very sensitive issues, touching lives, identities, and want to take away rights to LGBT people or migrant children. To this, we are reacting from anger, and we are wrong. Calm must be keeped. We know what their speech is, that generates hate and anger, so we have to respond intelligently, with head and not with guts. Today, we can still lose many rights, which are conquered but not insured, and we can go backwards. Of course, if one day they get to power they will find us on the street, not the four feminists of yesterday, but a very important part of society, men and women. »

DYKES IN TIRANA

EL*C team travelled to Tirana-Albania this past month for a multi purpose visit: taking part in the women-loving-women caucus event at the ERA Conference, internal discussions on network creation and planning the work ahead, and finally taking part in Albania’s first ever Dyke March.

Participating in the ERA Conference women’s caucus gave EL*C invaluable insight into the current state of lesbian organising in the Western Balkans and Turkey. All three meetings were a huge success!

WE FORGIVE, BUT WE DON’T FORGET

In this video, our lesbian dykerector Joëlle Sambi delivers a testimony that questions a multitude of themes : slam as a poetic weapon, activism in Belgium, identity, colonialism, the norm, etc.

She also addresses the particular situation of the belgo-congolese LGBT community through the evocation of Pinkshasa Diaspora, her documentary in progress. The interview is in french but worth a look.

L WORD, a catch up session.

Come on! None of you can make us believe that they have not heard, trembled – even very slightly – with indifference or emotions at the announcement of the release of the new L Word: Generation Q! Really ? Okay, well, if you missed that, here is an interview well conducted by the journalist of Grazia Magazine and to which our dykerectors Silvia Casalino and Joëlle Sambi answered, among others. Catch up session !

Full article (in french).

♥♥♥

So, we will wrap it up here by wishing you to have, in 2020, friendS, loverS, relativeS that are for you what Nigeria is for Jamaïca.

The miss, not the country. Take care. Very very best wishes.