PRESS RELEASE Friday, June 15 2018
HUNDREDS OF LESBIANS WILL MEET IN UKRAINE FOR EL*C 2019
On the eve on the Kyiv Pride which will take place this week-end, EL*C (European Lesbian* Conference) is very happy to announce that its next conference will happen from 12 to 14 April 2019, in the capital city of Ukraine.
What is EL*C?
The first European Lesbian* Conference (EL*C) took place in October 2017, in Vienna (Austria). Five hundred lesbian politicians, artists, journalists, academics gathered from all over Europe and Central Asia for a very successful, historical and mediatized event. “This first conference made it clear that there was a huge need for all European and Central Asian countries to pay more attention to the situation of lesbians, says Silvia Casalino, Chair of EL*C. And we heard the message from thousands of lesbians in Europe and Central Asia: they wanted a network and another conference to happen”.
The first EL*C launched a series of very positive steps for lesbians in Europe and Central Asia such as the first celebration of Lesbian Visibility Day in the European Parliament on 26th of April.
Why Ukraine for the second edition of EL*C?
The results of many European countries’ elections have, in the last few months, brought to power individuals and movements deeply dangerous for LGBT persons and women, which means specifically hostile to lesbians. To counter this trend and present another face of Europe, one month before the EU elections of 2019, the second European Lesbian* Conference will be held in Kyiv, Ukraine. “Ukraine, explains Olena Shevchenko, Ukrainian member of the EL*C board, is the best place to hold a conference in terms of geopolitical situation– it will give us a possibility to bring together West and East and to have a dialog.”.
“Lesbians in Ukraine are invisible and the most vulnerable community, which suffers from stigma, sexual, domestic and reproductive violence and discrimination, adds Olena Shevchenko. The word “lesbian” is stigmatized and is a dirty word, so usually lesbians use the word “gay” which also invisibilizes the lesbian community and especially hinders lesbian needs. In such situation we think European lesbian conference will be a huge step forward in terms of visibility, vocalized needs of lesbians and community building in Ukraine”
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Press Contact: Alice Coffin
More information about European Lesbian* Conference
Web: Europeanlesbianconference.org
Twitter: @eurolesbiancon
Facebook: European Lesbian Conference
The latest report including links to the dozens of media publications on EL*C: https://europeanlesbianconference.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/ELC-2017_Narrative_Report-1.pdf
Board members:
Mihaela Despan, Alice Coffin, Anastasia Danilova, Aurora Baba, Biljana Ginova (Secretary), Dettie Gould, Dragana Todorovic, Faika El-Nagashi, Gulzada Serzhan, Henrie Dennis, Ilaria Todde, Joelle Sambi Nzeba, Karima Zahi, Kseniya Kirichenko, Leila Lohman, Luise Luksch (Treasurer), Michaela Tulipan, Mohira Suyarkulova, Olena Shevchenko, RhondaD’vine, Silvia Casalino (Chair), Kika Fumero, Marta Fernández Herraiz
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Find here the Press release in Spanish
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Find here the Press release in Uzbek
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Find here the Press release in Serbian
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Find here the Press release in Kazakh
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Find here the Press release in Russian
————–
Find here the Press release in Dutch
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Find here the Press release in German
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Find here the Press release in Macedonian
PRESS RELEASE Friday, June 15 2018
HUNDREDS OF LESBIANS WILL MEET IN UKRAINE FOR EL*C 2019
On the eve on the Kyiv Pride which will take place this week-end, EL*C (European Lesbian* Conference) is very happy to announce that its next conference will happen from 12 to 14 April 2019, in the capital city of Ukraine.
What is EL*C?
The first European Lesbian* Conference (EL*C) took place in October 2017, in Vienna (Austria). Five hundred lesbian politicians, artists, journalists, academics gathered from all over Europe and Central Asia for a very successful, historical and mediatized event. “This first conference made it clear that there was a huge need for all European and Central Asian countries to pay more attention to the situation of lesbians, says Silvia Casalino, Chair of EL*C. And we heard the message from thousands of lesbians in Europe and Central Asia: they wanted a network and another conference to happen”.
The first EL*C launched a series of very positive steps for lesbians in Europe and Central Asia such as the first celebration of Lesbian Visibility Day in the European Parliament on 26th of April.
Why Ukraine for the second edition of EL*C?
The results of many European countries’ elections have, in the last few months, brought to power individuals and movements deeply dangerous for LGBT persons and women, which means specifically hostile to lesbians. To counter this trend and present another face of Europe, one month before the EU elections of 2019, the second European Lesbian* Conference will be held in Kyiv, Ukraine. “Ukraine, explains Olena Shevchenko, Ukrainian member of the EL*C board, is the best place to hold a conference in terms of geopolitical situation– it will give us a possibility to bring together West and East and to have a dialog.”.
“Lesbians in Ukraine are invisible and the most vulnerable community, which suffers from stigma, sexual, domestic and reproductive violence and discrimination, adds Olena Shevchenko. The word “lesbian” is stigmatized and is a dirty word, so usually lesbians use the word “gay” which also invisibilizes the lesbian community and especially hinders lesbian needs. In such situation we think European lesbian conference will be a huge step forward in terms of visibility, vocalized needs of lesbians and community building in Ukraine”
————–
Press Contact: Alice Coffin
More information about European Lesbian* Conference
Web: Europeanlesbianconference.org
Twitter: @eurolesbiancon
Facebook: European Lesbian Conference
The latest report including links to the dozens of media publications on EL*C: https://europeanlesbianconference.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/ELC-2017_Narrative_Report-1.pdf
Board members:
Mihaela Despan, Alice Coffin, Anastasia Danilova, Aurora Baba, Biljana Ginova (Secretary), Dettie Gould, Dragana Todorovic, Faika El-Nagashi, Gulzada Serzhan, Henrie Dennis, Ilaria Todde, Joelle Sambi Nzeba, Karima Zahi, Kseniya Kirichenko, Leila Lohman, Luise Luksch (Treasurer), Michaela Tulipan, Mohira Suyarkulova, Olena Shevchenko, RhondaD’vine, Silvia Casalino (Chair), Kika Fumero, Marta Fernández Herraiz
————–
Find here the Press release in Spanish
————–
Find here the Press release in Uzbek
————–
Find here the Press release in Serbian
————–
Find here the Press release in Kazakh
————–
Find here the Press release in Russian
————–
Find here the Press release in Dutch
————–
Find here the Press release in German
————–
Find here the Press release in Macedonian
The 2nd edition of the European Lesbian* Conference will take place from 12 to 14 April 2019 in Kyiv (Ukraine). We are waiting for you!! More information very soon.
The 2nd edition of the European Lesbian* Conference will take place from 12 to 14 April 2019 in Kyiv (Ukraine). We are waiting for you!! More information very soon.
DATA, CARDS, PICTURES, TESTIMONIES, ANALYSIS, PRESS REVIEW .. EUROPEAN LESBIAN* CONFERENCE 2017 NARRATIVE REPORT
The full narrative report of the European Lesbian* Conference 2017, is now availeble! We have made it as lively, informative and as accurate as possible, to make sure the fantastic work and connections which happened in Vienna can remain and flourish.
Enjoy the reading!
DATA, CARDS, PICTURES, TESTIMONIES, ANALYSIS, PRESS REVIEW .. EUROPEAN LESBIAN* CONFERENCE 2017 NARRATIVE REPORT
The full narrative report of the European Lesbian* Conference 2017, is now availeble! We have made it as lively, informative and as accurate as possible, to make sure the fantastic work and connections which happened in Vienna can remain and flourish.
Enjoy the reading!
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Lesbians from all over Europe demonstrate in Vienna to claim visibility
We want to thank you so much for participating to the European Lesbian* Conference. Listening to all of you, feeling your energy, watching your very enthusiastic faces made those three days unforgettable. We will keep you informed very quickly with more reports and information for the now empowered future of lesbians* in Europe!
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The first European Lesbian*Conference ended this Sunday in Vienna. 500 hundreds lesbian activists, artists, academics, politics, journalists, NGO leaders from 45 countries and 148 cities, met for 3 days during a major and historical event for the European lesbian community.
Final recap of the conference asked policies and decisions makers, governments, and all institutions, from health to work or media spheres, and even LGBTI organisations, to stop invizibilizing lesbians.
All lesbian activists coming from places as diverse as Kazakhstan, Greece or Sweden underlined the urge to facilitate access of lesbians to rights and services. Some 30 workshops or plenaries allowed speakers with very different backgrounds to address the issues they face as lesbians or part of other minorities.
EL*C made it clear that lesbians were neglected and suffering from lack of datas, lack of funding, lack of representation.
To start working on this lack of datas, some statistics were disclosed during the conference. It was stated by some that out of 424 million dollars for international LGBTI issues in 2013-2014, only 2% for LBQ (lesbian, bi queer) women, that out of 100s recommendations of States at the United Nations (UN) those last years, only one was about lesbian. EL*C itself produced a first brief report on lesbian lives in parts of Europe https://europeanlesbianconference.org/elc-brief-report/ .
On Saturday, October 7, the participants took the streets of Vienna, marching in a “European Lesbian March” to reclaim public space for Lesbians shouting “Lesbians are always and everywhere”, the precise words used by Ulrike Lunacek, Vice President of the European Parliament, Co-President of the EP’s LGBTI Intergroup and green party top candidate for the austrian national election (October 15) during the opening reception on Thursday October 8 at Palais Epstein in Vienna. They were greeted and supported by many women and allies on their walk through the Viennese streets.
Those three days of conference proved how powerful the network of lesbians* is across Europe, how often lesbians are at the forefront of many social changes in their own country. EL*C ‘s challenge, which already started during the conference, will be to strengthen this network and make sure all those powerful voices are better heard by policies and decision makers.
www.europeanlesbianconference.org
Press Contact: Alice Coffin + 33 6 40 12 80 49
All pictures are free to use, as long as you credit them. Please ask for credit if you need them.
Report on the conference will soon be published, you can already find many of the statements made during the converence via the hashtag #EuroLesbianCon or on European Lesbian Conference Facebook page and Okto TV where some of the conference has been livestreamed.
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Lesbians from all over Europe demonstrate in Vienna to claim visibility
We want to thank you so much for participating to the European Lesbian* Conference. Listening to all of you, feeling your energy, watching your very enthusiastic faces made those three days unforgettable. We will keep you informed very quickly with more reports and information for the now empowered future of lesbians* in Europe!
|
The first European Lesbian*Conference ended this Sunday in Vienna. 500 hundreds lesbian activists, artists, academics, politics, journalists, NGO leaders from 45 countries and 148 cities, met for 3 days during a major and historical event for the European lesbian community.
Final recap of the conference asked policies and decisions makers, governments, and all institutions, from health to work or media spheres, and even LGBTI organisations, to stop invizibilizing lesbians.
All lesbian activists coming from places as diverse as Kazakhstan, Greece or Sweden underlined the urge to facilitate access of lesbians to rights and services. Some 30 workshops or plenaries allowed speakers with very different backgrounds to address the issues they face as lesbians or part of other minorities.
EL*C made it clear that lesbians were neglected and suffering from lack of datas, lack of funding, lack of representation.
To start working on this lack of datas, some statistics were disclosed during the conference. It was stated by some that out of 424 million dollars for international LGBTI issues in 2013-2014, only 2% for LBQ (lesbian, bi queer) women, that out of 100s recommendations of States at the United Nations (UN) those last years, only one was about lesbian. EL*C itself produced a first brief report on lesbian lives in parts of Europe https://europeanlesbianconference.org/elc-brief-report/ .
On Saturday, October 7, the participants took the streets of Vienna, marching in a “European Lesbian March” to reclaim public space for Lesbians shouting “Lesbians are always and everywhere”, the precise words used by Ulrike Lunacek, Vice President of the European Parliament, Co-President of the EP’s LGBTI Intergroup and green party top candidate for the austrian national election (October 15) during the opening reception on Thursday October 8 at Palais Epstein in Vienna. They were greeted and supported by many women and allies on their walk through the Viennese streets.
Those three days of conference proved how powerful the network of lesbians* is across Europe, how often lesbians are at the forefront of many social changes in their own country. EL*C ‘s challenge, which already started during the conference, will be to strengthen this network and make sure all those powerful voices are better heard by policies and decision makers.
www.europeanlesbianconference.org
Press Contact: Alice Coffin + 33 6 40 12 80 49
All pictures are free to use, as long as you credit them. Please ask for credit if you need them.
Report on the conference will soon be published, you can already find many of the statements made during the converence via the hashtag #EuroLesbianCon or on European Lesbian Conference Facebook page and Okto TV where some of the conference has been livestreamed.
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COUNTDOWN: EL*C Participant Pack, EL*C Brief Report & EL*C Cultural Program!
EL*C Newsletter
What you can find in this issue:
1. Check out the EL*C Participant Pack!
2. Make sure to mention you’re on your way to EL*C!
3. Find out about the EL*C Brief Report!
4. Not to miss: EL*C’s incredible Cultural Program!
5. EL*C live streaming on Friday 6 October
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1. Check out the EL*C Participant Pack!
Fresh from the designer is our EL*C Participant Pack! This will be the most useful document featuring the program, logistics around the event and more for anyone attending the European Lesbian* Conference or anyone curious about the event from home.
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2. Make sure to mention you’re on your way to EL*C!
In case you are on your way to the EL*C, why not share the good news with others? Use Twitter, FB or Instagram, combined with hashtag: #EuroLesbianCon #ELC2017. Here is a perfect example, thanks, Linda Riley from DIVA magazine and Phyll Opoku-Gyimah from UK Black Pride!
Social media
Hashtags: #ELC2017, #EuroLesbianCon
Twitter: @EuroLesbianCon
Instagram
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3. Find out about the EL*C Brief Report!
During the conference, we will launch the first “EL*C Brief Report on Lesbians * in (parts of) Europe”. In this short report, we have combined research findings on the situation of lesbians in Europe. The main goal is to make these studies easily accessible to all who are interested in lesbian experiences across Europe. Starting from here, we hope to annually highlight a topic of lesbian life. The first edition focuses on discrimination and health.
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4. Not to miss: EL*C’s incredible Cultural Program!
The European Lesbian* Conference offers bi, queer and trans lesbian* artists an opportunity to showcase their work either throughout the entire conference (photography and film) or at specific time slots (performance art). The desire to promote lesbian* artists is meant to increase the possibility of making meaningful connections between the participants, to push for interdisciplinary collaborations and to bring lesbian* artists voices into the conversation around lesbian* issues.
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5. EL*C live streaming on Friday 6 October
Okto TV will be live streaming from the EL*C on Friday 6 October. Make sure to catch live footage of what is being said via Okto TV and also via EL*C’s Facebook page.
EL*C guest by Okto
Exciting conversation with: Mariella Müller, Silvia Casalino and Petra Springer moderated by Ewa Dziedzic (German). WATCH
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Promotion tips for EL*C members and sympathizers across Europe
Order EL*C Stickers:
EL*C stickers have been ordered by multiple lesbians and lesbian-led groups across Europe to help with the promotion of both its creation and the 1st European Lesbian* Conference – Vienna, Austria, 6-8 October 2017. To order stickers to help spread the word, please email: info@europeanlesbianconference.org
EL*C in your city:
Look out for EL*C-led meetings and activities happening in your city. As EL*C members are spread throughout Europe, so are the initiatives they organize. Meetings have already taken place in Rome, Paris, Zürich, Amsterdam, and Vienna. If you would like the EL*C to promote your event or mention it in our upcoming newsletter, please email: info@europeanlesbianconference.org
For updated information on the 1st European Lesbian* Conference, please visit: www.europeanlesbianconference.org
Social media
Hashtags: #ELC2017, #EuroLesbianCon
Twitter: @EuroLesbianCon
Facebook: Europeanlesbianconference
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/europeanlesbianconference/?hl=de
Do you want to be updated on the latest news about the European Lesbian* Conference? Subscribe to our newsletter
How to support the EL*C:
– share our information on social media and your networks
– send a participant to the conference
– get actively involved (working group, panel discussion, workshop)
– to facilitate an L* activist presence
– like EL*C Facebook
– follow EL*C trough Twitter
Warm regards,
EL*C Team
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COUNTDOWN: EL*C Participant Pack, EL*C Brief Report & EL*C Cultural Program!
EL*C Newsletter
What you can find in this issue:
1. Check out the EL*C Participant Pack!
2. Make sure to mention you’re on your way to EL*C!
3. Find out about the EL*C Brief Report!
4. Not to miss: EL*C’s incredible Cultural Program!
5. EL*C live streaming on Friday 6 October
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1. Check out the EL*C Participant Pack!
Fresh from the designer is our EL*C Participant Pack! This will be the most useful document featuring the program, logistics around the event and more for anyone attending the European Lesbian* Conference or anyone curious about the event from home.
|
2. Make sure to mention you’re on your way to EL*C!
In case you are on your way to the EL*C, why not share the good news with others? Use Twitter, FB or Instagram, combined with hashtag: #EuroLesbianCon #ELC2017. Here is a perfect example, thanks, Linda Riley from DIVA magazine and Phyll Opoku-Gyimah from UK Black Pride!
Social media
Hashtags: #ELC2017, #EuroLesbianCon
Twitter: @EuroLesbianCon
Instagram
|
3. Find out about the EL*C Brief Report!
During the conference, we will launch the first “EL*C Brief Report on Lesbians * in (parts of) Europe”. In this short report, we have combined research findings on the situation of lesbians in Europe. The main goal is to make these studies easily accessible to all who are interested in lesbian experiences across Europe. Starting from here, we hope to annually highlight a topic of lesbian life. The first edition focuses on discrimination and health.
|
4. Not to miss: EL*C’s incredible Cultural Program!
The European Lesbian* Conference offers bi, queer and trans lesbian* artists an opportunity to showcase their work either throughout the entire conference (photography and film) or at specific time slots (performance art). The desire to promote lesbian* artists is meant to increase the possibility of making meaningful connections between the participants, to push for interdisciplinary collaborations and to bring lesbian* artists voices into the conversation around lesbian* issues.
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5. EL*C live streaming on Friday 6 October
Okto TV will be live streaming from the EL*C on Friday 6 October. Make sure to catch live footage of what is being said via Okto TV and also via EL*C’s Facebook page.
EL*C guest by Okto
Exciting conversation with: Mariella Müller, Silvia Casalino and Petra Springer moderated by Ewa Dziedzic (German). WATCH
|
Promotion tips for EL*C members and sympathizers across Europe
Order EL*C Stickers:
EL*C stickers have been ordered by multiple lesbians and lesbian-led groups across Europe to help with the promotion of both its creation and the 1st European Lesbian* Conference – Vienna, Austria, 6-8 October 2017. To order stickers to help spread the word, please email: info@europeanlesbianconference.org
EL*C in your city:
Look out for EL*C-led meetings and activities happening in your city. As EL*C members are spread throughout Europe, so are the initiatives they organize. Meetings have already taken place in Rome, Paris, Zürich, Amsterdam, and Vienna. If you would like the EL*C to promote your event or mention it in our upcoming newsletter, please email: info@europeanlesbianconference.org
For updated information on the 1st European Lesbian* Conference, please visit: www.europeanlesbianconference.org
Social media
Hashtags: #ELC2017, #EuroLesbianCon
Twitter: @EuroLesbianCon
Facebook: Europeanlesbianconference
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/europeanlesbianconference/?hl=de
Do you want to be updated on the latest news about the European Lesbian* Conference? Subscribe to our newsletter
How to support the EL*C:
– share our information on social media and your networks
– send a participant to the conference
– get actively involved (working group, panel discussion, workshop)
– to facilitate an L* activist presence
– like EL*C Facebook
– follow EL*C trough Twitter
Warm regards,
EL*C Team
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