Author: EL*C

Brussels, World Capital of Lesbian Art

The first Lesbiennale will be held from 8 to 10 October in Brussels. 

The Lesbiennale – a contraction of the words ‘lesbian’ and ‘biennial’ (biennial contemporary art exhibition) – will showcase the works of some 220 artists in major venues in the Belgian capital, which has been renamed the ‘World Capital of Lesbian Art’ for a weekend. 

How did this event come about? It is the brainchild of EL*C (Eurocentralasian Lesbian Community), the largest federation of lesbian associations in Europe and Central Asia. For the first edition of this three-day event, EL*C has joined forces with multiple local lesbian feminist collectives to create a series of events, debates and exhibitions of artists, politicians, writers and activists from around the world. 

The Lesbiennale will welcome artists, writers and leading figures of contemporary Francophone feminism as well as Sarah Schlitz, Secretary of State for Gender Equality, Equal Opportunities and Diversity, who reports to the Minister for Mobility. 

Multiple lesbian arts festival events will be held throughout the city and a digital art gallery will exhibit 600 works by artists from all over the world, free of charge and in accordance with the health regulations.  

The Lesbiennale is supported by visit.brussels to strengthen the visibility of the lesbian community in Brussels and around the globe. 

Go to https://lesbiennale.art/ for more information about this event. 

Link to the digital art gallery (works accessible to the press before the opening upon request): https://lesbiennale.art/gallery/ 

Contact: info@europeanlesbianconference.org 

EL*C: www.europeanlesbianconference.org

Instagram: @europeanlesbianconference

Facebook: @EurocentralasianLesbianCommunity

Brussels, World Capital of Lesbian Art

The first Lesbiennale will be held from 8 to 10 October in Brussels. 

The Lesbiennale – a contraction of the words ‘lesbian’ and ‘biennial’ (biennial contemporary art exhibition) – will showcase the works of some 220 artists in major venues in the Belgian capital, which has been renamed the ‘World Capital of Lesbian Art’ for a weekend. 

How did this event come about? It is the brainchild of EL*C (Eurocentralasian Lesbian Community), the largest federation of lesbian associations in Europe and Central Asia. For the first edition of this three-day event, EL*C has joined forces with multiple local lesbian feminist collectives to create a series of events, debates and exhibitions of artists, politicians, writers and activists from around the world. 

The Lesbiennale will welcome artists, writers and leading figures of contemporary Francophone feminism as well as Sarah Schlitz, Secretary of State for Gender Equality, Equal Opportunities and Diversity, who reports to the Minister for Mobility. 

Multiple lesbian arts festival events will be held throughout the city and a digital art gallery will exhibit 600 works by artists from all over the world, free of charge and in accordance with the health regulations.  

The Lesbiennale is supported by visit.brussels to strengthen the visibility of the lesbian community in Brussels and around the globe. 

Go to https://lesbiennale.art/ for more information about this event. 

Link to the digital art gallery (works accessible to the press before the opening upon request): https://lesbiennale.art/gallery/ 

Contact: info@europeanlesbianconference.org 

EL*C: www.europeanlesbianconference.org

Instagram: @europeanlesbianconference

Facebook: @EurocentralasianLesbianCommunity

JOB DESCRIPTIONS – Advocacy and Research Manager 

Job title: Advocacy and Research Manager

Contract duration: permanent-unlimited

Monthly salary: 2.000,00 EUR (Gross II)

Working hours: half time (20 hours a week)

Location: Europe or Central Asia

EL*C Presentation:

The EL*C – EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community is a non-governmental organisation, representing the needs of lesbian, queer, bi and trans women and of lesbian organisations, formally established in 2017 in Vienna, Austria. EL*C aims to advocate for lesbian rights in Europe and Central Asia. EL*C has been established as a pan-European- Central Asian Lesbian Network, driven by the objective of increasing the visibility of lesbian issues in all spheres, including social, legal, health, and political ones. The EL*C was founded with the aim to improve the lives of lesbians and to (re)build the lesbian movement, as a response to the growing lack of the fundamental structures, tools and mechanisms to fight lesbophobia, sexism, misogyny, transphobia and all other types of discrimination experienced daily by lesbians.

The EL*C uses the word “lesbian” as a broad inclusive term, including lesbians who identify as trans, non-binary, as well as intersex lesbians, and bisexual or queer women. For this reason, in the following report, unless otherwise specified, the term “lesbian” includes all non-heterosexual LBTIQ women, in line with EL*C’s policy to give visibility and empowerment through the use of the word “lesbian”. We will also refer to lesbian organisations to include all groups focused on and led by LBTIQ women.

Job summary:

The role is vital for achieving EL*C’s mission and strategic goals, development of the organization and its sustainability, its commitment to high standards of practice in conducting advocacy and research, and positioning EL*C as one of the most important actors in advocating for the rights of lesbians in Europe and Central Asia. The main aim of this position is to ensure that human rights of lesbians are advocated for, while including all relevant stakeholders on national, regional and international levels, while building on the previous work of EL*C in the area, and in accordance with EL*C’s strategic priorities. In addition, this position also serves to work on and manage gathering and disseminating relevant, up to date and accessible knowledge and data about the position of lesbians, while using it for evidence-based advocacy activities. The Advocacy and Research Manager works closely with Executive Co-Directors, and other staff members.

The role of the Advocacy and Research Manager will be to support the organization by coordinating EL*C’s actions in the fields of advocacy and research, building from EL*C previous work in the area and considering EL*C strategic needs.

Please note that this is a part-time position, but the following description of tasks is very extensive and detailed. The work will be trimmed to half time with a careful consideration of the wellbeing of the person chosen for this role. In the future, this position can be transformed to full time depending on fundings.

Main duties and responsibilities:

– Advocacy: build and maintain good partnerships with key stakeholders on national, regional and international levels; engaging in advocacy activities with the EU institutions, Council of Europe and UN mechanisms, as well as other relevant advocacy forums; intensive and continuous monitoring of national, regional and international developments and opportunities, and engaging in timely advocacy and lobbying activities; track local, regional and international legislative and policy issues and develop/modify strategies and activities accordingly; develop issue-oriented advocacy content for communication vehicles such as position papers, recommendations, emails, websites, social media, etc.; consolidate advocacy and research priorities and make sure that one underpins the other; develop short term and long term advocacy strategies; collect and analyze best practices in the field of advocacy; engage in regular consultations with member organizations; assist and support EL*C member organizations in their advocacy activities; participate in advocacy related capacity development activities;

– Monitoring and Research: gather, analyze and monitor data, policies and processes of relevance for utilization of EU, Council of Europe and UN mechanisms and procedures for advancing the rights of lesbians; draft reports, policy briefs, recommendations; develop and implement monitoring methodologies; identify gaps and needs in terms of data gathering/research; manage qualitative and quantitative research activities; develop short term and long term monitoring, research and analysis programs; collect and maintain up-to-date data on key policy and advocacy issues; participate in monitoring and research capacity development activities; consolidate advocacy and research priorities and make sure that one underpins the other; collect and analyze best practices in the field of monitoring and research;
In charge of the internal processes needed for the conducting a consultation on advocacy priorities, for the implementation of International stakeholders (as EU, UN and CoE) specific strategies concerning lesbians, with NGOs and groups that are members of EL*C in the Lesbian Movement Committee (LMC) by designing and conducting an effective consultation process and producing a document summarizing the conclusions reached as well as the recommendations and steps forward for the work with EU Institutions.

– Drafting and development of all the EL*C research reports as well as in the definition of recommendations for all relevant stakeholders.

– Conducting a consultation with the lesbian movement needed to fulfil EL*C role as leader of the UN Action Coalition on Feminist movements and leadership. The research and advocacy manager will also provide expertise and will draft relevant documents and submissions necessary in the Action Coalition process.

– Expertise, coordination and drafting on several submissions that EL*C is planning to present to relevant stakeholders and actors at global and European level, including but not limited to institutions belonging to the European Union, the Council of Europe, the United Nations and relevant national government and courts. This work will include the collection of data and information, outreach to relevant staff and board members for specific inputs and contacts with relevant policy makers in the Institutions targeted and/or other relevant actors.

– Constant management of ongoing advocacy activities and processes, including monitoring of the institutions specified above as well as the coordination of a weekly meeting of EL*C advocacy working group (advocacy pillar) to update EL*C Board members and staff on progress made as well as to discuss relevant strategies and opportunities.

Other duties and responsibilities:

– Support EL*C team and in the work needed for the organization of the General Assemblies, and the coordination of outreach to membership, the preparation of relevant documents and the organization related meetings of other EL*C bodies.

– Support the EL*C team with ongoing work when this is relevant for EL*C strategic objectives on advocacy, including in the application for funds as well as on advocacy related events.

– To coordinate, supervise, advise and evaluate the work of other staff members and consultants, in close cooperation with the other Executive Co-Directors;

– To produce regular progress reports (monthly, quarterly, annually), in close cooperation with the Executive Co-Directors ;

– To organize and lead staff meetings, in close cooperation with the Executive Co-Directors;

– To report to the Board, maintain regular communication with the Board, and to participate in Board meetings, in close cooperation with the Co-Directors;

– To assist in developing programs of the Annual General Assembly and other events, and assist in its organization, in close cooperation with Executive Co-Directors;

– To assist in communication and media related activities, in close cooperation with the Executive Co-Directors;

– To plan and organize team building meetings, in close cooperation with the Executive Co-Directors;

– To assist in preparation of events, as well as in its realization;

– Maintain good relationships with key stakeholders, in close cooperation with the Executive Co-Directors;

PERSONAL SKILLS

Experience At least 5 years of international level policy work.

Essential:

Experience working with Civil Society and NGOs in Europe and Central Asia, including umbrella NGO and Networks
Experience of working on policy/advocacy in an EU, CoE and/or UN policy context, including sound knowledge of EU, CoE and/or UN institutions and mechanisms
Excellent knowledge of international standards regarding LGBTI and feminist policies, as well as social policies
Experience of building and implementing lobbying/advocacy strategies

Desirable

Experience of working with national or international NGO’s or governments tackling LBTI women and non-binary persons rights
Experience of national policy/advocacy work
Experience in piloting the governance of an international network organization

Skills/abilities

Essential:

Excellent organisation and coordination skills
Sense of initiative and ability to be self supporting, including ability to deliver under pressure and within tight deadlines
Ability to analyse, synthesize complex material
Ability to build relationships, networks and alliances
Strong interpersonal skills, in particular ability to work well within a small team and in a multicultural context
Excellent presentation skills, as well as ability to communicate to a variety of audiences in writing and oral
Group facilitation skills
Demonstrated intersectional feminist and antiracist background
Fluency in English
Good knowledge of another European or Central Asian language
Computer literacy

The following skills are an asset:

Knowledge of additional languages
Online facilitation skills
Personal experience of being part of an oppressed minority
Good at dealing with Dyke Dramas 😉

JOB CONTEXT

The EL*C Team: The person will be part of a team of 4 persons. They will liaise with a network of very diverse national and international NGOs (more than 50 organizations) in Europe and Central Asia.

Contract/Working Hours: The successful applicant will receive a part-time permanent contract to work 20 hours a week over 5 days.

Special conditions: Available to work unsociable hours (i.e: some weekend meetings for board meetings, General Assemblies and LMC meetings, time off in lieu is given). Availability to travel.

Remuneration Package: The person will be employed under its national residency law. The Gross II salary (CTC – cost to company) applicable to this position is 2000 € a month, in line with the other EL*C’s salaries.

HOW TO APPLY?

Please send your CV and a cover letter (no more than 2 pages) which outlines why you would be a good fit for the role and for EL*C to the following e-mail address: squad@lesbiangenius.net

Please send us 2 contacts from your ex-girlfriends.. no, we are joking, from your previous work references.

The closing date will be 9.00am CEST the 31st August 2021 and the interviews will be held via Zoom, beginning of September 2021.

We are an equal opportunities employer and will provide any necessary assistance to applicants with any special requirements to participate equally in the selection process.

Download here the pdf format

JOB DESCRIPTIONS – Advocacy and Research Manager 

Job title: Advocacy and Research Manager

Contract duration: permanent-unlimited

Monthly salary: 2.000,00 EUR (Gross II)

Working hours: half time (20 hours a week)

Location: Europe or Central Asia

EL*C Presentation:

The EL*C – EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community is a non-governmental organisation, representing the needs of lesbian, queer, bi and trans women and of lesbian organisations, formally established in 2017 in Vienna, Austria. EL*C aims to advocate for lesbian rights in Europe and Central Asia. EL*C has been established as a pan-European- Central Asian Lesbian Network, driven by the objective of increasing the visibility of lesbian issues in all spheres, including social, legal, health, and political ones. The EL*C was founded with the aim to improve the lives of lesbians and to (re)build the lesbian movement, as a response to the growing lack of the fundamental structures, tools and mechanisms to fight lesbophobia, sexism, misogyny, transphobia and all other types of discrimination experienced daily by lesbians.

The EL*C uses the word “lesbian” as a broad inclusive term, including lesbians who identify as trans, non-binary, as well as intersex lesbians, and bisexual or queer women. For this reason, in the following report, unless otherwise specified, the term “lesbian” includes all non-heterosexual LBTIQ women, in line with EL*C’s policy to give visibility and empowerment through the use of the word “lesbian”. We will also refer to lesbian organisations to include all groups focused on and led by LBTIQ women.

Job summary:

The role is vital for achieving EL*C’s mission and strategic goals, development of the organization and its sustainability, its commitment to high standards of practice in conducting advocacy and research, and positioning EL*C as one of the most important actors in advocating for the rights of lesbians in Europe and Central Asia. The main aim of this position is to ensure that human rights of lesbians are advocated for, while including all relevant stakeholders on national, regional and international levels, while building on the previous work of EL*C in the area, and in accordance with EL*C’s strategic priorities. In addition, this position also serves to work on and manage gathering and disseminating relevant, up to date and accessible knowledge and data about the position of lesbians, while using it for evidence-based advocacy activities. The Advocacy and Research Manager works closely with Executive Co-Directors, and other staff members.

The role of the Advocacy and Research Manager will be to support the organization by coordinating EL*C’s actions in the fields of advocacy and research, building from EL*C previous work in the area and considering EL*C strategic needs.

Please note that this is a part-time position, but the following description of tasks is very extensive and detailed. The work will be trimmed to half time with a careful consideration of the wellbeing of the person chosen for this role. In the future, this position can be transformed to full time depending on fundings.

Main duties and responsibilities:

– Advocacy: build and maintain good partnerships with key stakeholders on national, regional and international levels; engaging in advocacy activities with the EU institutions, Council of Europe and UN mechanisms, as well as other relevant advocacy forums; intensive and continuous monitoring of national, regional and international developments and opportunities, and engaging in timely advocacy and lobbying activities; track local, regional and international legislative and policy issues and develop/modify strategies and activities accordingly; develop issue-oriented advocacy content for communication vehicles such as position papers, recommendations, emails, websites, social media, etc.; consolidate advocacy and research priorities and make sure that one underpins the other; develop short term and long term advocacy strategies; collect and analyze best practices in the field of advocacy; engage in regular consultations with member organizations; assist and support EL*C member organizations in their advocacy activities; participate in advocacy related capacity development activities;

– Monitoring and Research: gather, analyze and monitor data, policies and processes of relevance for utilization of EU, Council of Europe and UN mechanisms and procedures for advancing the rights of lesbians; draft reports, policy briefs, recommendations; develop and implement monitoring methodologies; identify gaps and needs in terms of data gathering/research; manage qualitative and quantitative research activities; develop short term and long term monitoring, research and analysis programs; collect and maintain up-to-date data on key policy and advocacy issues; participate in monitoring and research capacity development activities; consolidate advocacy and research priorities and make sure that one underpins the other; collect and analyze best practices in the field of monitoring and research;
In charge of the internal processes needed for the conducting a consultation on advocacy priorities, for the implementation of International stakeholders (as EU, UN and CoE) specific strategies concerning lesbians, with NGOs and groups that are members of EL*C in the Lesbian Movement Committee (LMC) by designing and conducting an effective consultation process and producing a document summarizing the conclusions reached as well as the recommendations and steps forward for the work with EU Institutions.

– Drafting and development of all the EL*C research reports as well as in the definition of recommendations for all relevant stakeholders.

– Conducting a consultation with the lesbian movement needed to fulfil EL*C role as leader of the UN Action Coalition on Feminist movements and leadership. The research and advocacy manager will also provide expertise and will draft relevant documents and submissions necessary in the Action Coalition process.

– Expertise, coordination and drafting on several submissions that EL*C is planning to present to relevant stakeholders and actors at global and European level, including but not limited to institutions belonging to the European Union, the Council of Europe, the United Nations and relevant national government and courts. This work will include the collection of data and information, outreach to relevant staff and board members for specific inputs and contacts with relevant policy makers in the Institutions targeted and/or other relevant actors.

– Constant management of ongoing advocacy activities and processes, including monitoring of the institutions specified above as well as the coordination of a weekly meeting of EL*C advocacy working group (advocacy pillar) to update EL*C Board members and staff on progress made as well as to discuss relevant strategies and opportunities.

Other duties and responsibilities:

– Support EL*C team and in the work needed for the organization of the General Assemblies, and the coordination of outreach to membership, the preparation of relevant documents and the organization related meetings of other EL*C bodies.

– Support the EL*C team with ongoing work when this is relevant for EL*C strategic objectives on advocacy, including in the application for funds as well as on advocacy related events.

– To coordinate, supervise, advise and evaluate the work of other staff members and consultants, in close cooperation with the other Executive Co-Directors;

– To produce regular progress reports (monthly, quarterly, annually), in close cooperation with the Executive Co-Directors ;

– To organize and lead staff meetings, in close cooperation with the Executive Co-Directors;

– To report to the Board, maintain regular communication with the Board, and to participate in Board meetings, in close cooperation with the Co-Directors;

– To assist in developing programs of the Annual General Assembly and other events, and assist in its organization, in close cooperation with Executive Co-Directors;

– To assist in communication and media related activities, in close cooperation with the Executive Co-Directors;

– To plan and organize team building meetings, in close cooperation with the Executive Co-Directors;

– To assist in preparation of events, as well as in its realization;

– Maintain good relationships with key stakeholders, in close cooperation with the Executive Co-Directors;

PERSONAL SKILLS

Experience At least 5 years of international level policy work.

Essential:

Experience working with Civil Society and NGOs in Europe and Central Asia, including umbrella NGO and Networks
Experience of working on policy/advocacy in an EU, CoE and/or UN policy context, including sound knowledge of EU, CoE and/or UN institutions and mechanisms
Excellent knowledge of international standards regarding LGBTI and feminist policies, as well as social policies
Experience of building and implementing lobbying/advocacy strategies

Desirable

Experience of working with national or international NGO’s or governments tackling LBTI women and non-binary persons rights
Experience of national policy/advocacy work
Experience in piloting the governance of an international network organization

Skills/abilities

Essential:

Excellent organisation and coordination skills
Sense of initiative and ability to be self supporting, including ability to deliver under pressure and within tight deadlines
Ability to analyse, synthesize complex material
Ability to build relationships, networks and alliances
Strong interpersonal skills, in particular ability to work well within a small team and in a multicultural context
Excellent presentation skills, as well as ability to communicate to a variety of audiences in writing and oral
Group facilitation skills
Demonstrated intersectional feminist and antiracist background
Fluency in English
Good knowledge of another European or Central Asian language
Computer literacy

The following skills are an asset:

Knowledge of additional languages
Online facilitation skills
Personal experience of being part of an oppressed minority
Good at dealing with Dyke Dramas 😉

JOB CONTEXT

The EL*C Team: The person will be part of a team of 4 persons. They will liaise with a network of very diverse national and international NGOs (more than 50 organizations) in Europe and Central Asia.

Contract/Working Hours: The successful applicant will receive a part-time permanent contract to work 20 hours a week over 5 days.

Special conditions: Available to work unsociable hours (i.e: some weekend meetings for board meetings, General Assemblies and LMC meetings, time off in lieu is given). Availability to travel.

Remuneration Package: The person will be employed under its national residency law. The Gross II salary (CTC – cost to company) applicable to this position is 2000 € a month, in line with the other EL*C’s salaries.

HOW TO APPLY?

Please send your CV and a cover letter (no more than 2 pages) which outlines why you would be a good fit for the role and for EL*C to the following e-mail address: squad@lesbiangenius.net

Please send us 2 contacts from your ex-girlfriends.. no, we are joking, from your previous work references.

The closing date will be 9.00am CEST the 31st August 2021 and the interviews will be held via Zoom, beginning of September 2021.

We are an equal opportunities employer and will provide any necessary assistance to applicants with any special requirements to participate equally in the selection process.

Download here the pdf format

In March 2020, in a context of insecurity and fear linked to the COVID-19 pandemic spreading globally including in Europe and Central Asia, EL*C decided to react by organising an online space for lesbians to exchange information on the ongoing situation and its many repercussions. This online space, coined ‘LLL – Locked-down Lesbians Listening’, was open seven days per week for several months and moderated in a number of languages to accommodate as many lesbians as possible. 

Additonally, throughout all of 2020, we continued receiving information and feedback from our network and it became increasingly clear that the crisis would have severe consequences on lesbian groups across Europe and Central Asia, especially taking into account the overwhelming evidence that the lesbian movement is severly underfunded. For this reason, EL*C developed its own COVID-19 Emergency Grants Program, with the aim to help lesbian groups cope with the pandemic. Within this activity, we have been providing small grants to lesbian organizations that were in urgent need of financial support, especially those that are working directly with supporting the community with immediate needs, such as food, medicines, psychological support, shelter, support to elderly lesbians, lesbian refugees, etc. For this purpose, EL*C has launched 2 cycles of grant applications with the available funding of 60,000.00 EUR, out of which 30,000.00 EUR have already been distributed to 12 lesbian groups from Austria, France, Spain, Serbia, Russia, Georgia, Turkey and Kyrgyzstan, while we have received over 50 applications. The remaining amount will be distributed to lesbian groups in the second half of 2021. 

Thanks to the LLL sessions and the additional information received by the community, we realised that very little information was available on the specific struggles within the lesbian communities and how those communities were coping with the collective trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic. The conversations happening during the ‘LLL’ sessions concerning the impact of COVID-19 on lesbian communties across our regions convinced us of the need for a more general and exhaustive evaluation. The first stage of our evaluation process was  based on desktop research and data collection and already preliminarily highlighted the disproportionate effects of the pandemic on women and the LGBTIQ community as a whole. Unfortunately, most of the studies that we came across did  not take into account thoroughly the combinations of factors such as gender and sexual orientation in the experiences linked with the pandemic. However, the stories of violence perpetrated by unsupportive families against lesbians, the episodes of discrimination based on both gender and  sexual orientation as well as the increase of lesbophobic rhetoric and statements that we have been registering since the beginning of the pandemic demonstrated the need to specifically consider  the experience of women in the LGBTIQ community. 

Based on these initial findings (or lack thereof), we decided to launch two online surveys, one  aiming to assess the impact of the situation on lesbian individuals and the other focusing on lesbian organisations and groups in our region. The surveys were available in eight different languages (Spanish, French, English, German, Italian, Russian, Turkish and Serbian). Between December 2020 and March 2021, while several countries within our scope were facing  second and third waves of COVID-19, we collected 2113 answers from individuals and 134 organisations and groups in Europe and Central Asia. A detailed analysis of the methodology followed by the collection and analysis of this data is available below. 

As detailed in Chapter 1, the survey aimed to collect data from individuals on issues related to safety, employment and income for lesbians as well as the experience of discrimination and the consequence of the situation on the respondents mental well-being. An alarmingly high rate of respondents reported increased feelings of insecurity in the public space, instances of violence perpetrated by unsupportive family members, and the recurrence  of lesbophobic discourses and rhetoric. This withstands and illustrates previous accounts on how the pandemic had worsened the incidence of violence against women in general, and against lesbians in particular. In addition, the results confirm that lesbians, as a minority group, experienced a stronger economic shock. The long-term damage caused by the socio-economic consequences of the pandemic should be carefully evaluated. Moreover, measures related to social distancing, such as drastic reductions in people’s freedom of  movement and social contacts, posed additional problems to lesbians especially when their relationship(s) and families were not legally recognised in their country. Finally, the data also speaks to the heavy toll on lesbians’ mental health as well as the numerous ways in which lesbians stayed active in their community, organised themselves to stay in contact with each other and provide support to the most precarious within their communities.

The data collected regarding individuals also allows for a specific focus and elucidates the areas in which factors related to intersectionality (such age, race, ethnic minority, refugee/asylum seeking status, disability or gender identity) determine significant difference in the experiences of the pandemic. While the report does not aim to offer a complete analysis of the intersectional oppressions faced by lesbians,  our community, and their impact on the experience of the pandemic, it focuses on the areas in which statistically significant differences could be found from our pool of respondents (more details on methodology and the demographic are available below).

Chapter 2 of this report is devoted to lesbian organisations and groups, whose aswers to the survey show that the lesbian community has, in a very short amount of time, re-organised to provide for the direct needs (such as food and housing) of members of the community in need and to offer support services to deal with the most vulnerable within their communities. This has been done thanks to the generosity of community members and due to extensive  experience in dealing with crises that the lesbian movement has accumulated throughout  decades of leadership in the LGBTIQ and feminist movements. However, the results also show that the chronic lack of funding and resources for lesbian-led and lesbian-focused projects, initiatives and organising has worsened, as a result of the pandemic. This poses a serious risk to the capacity of the movement to continue offering its indispensable support services and to fully respond to the rise of hateful rhetoric and lesbophobic violence in Europe, Central Asia and beyond.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a global shock whose long-term effects are yet to fully emerge. They are, however, predictable and, as this report already shows,  will inevitably intensify  the existing system of oppression. Lesbians, living at the crossroads of multiple societal issues such as gender inequalities and social stigma related to non-conforming sexual orientations, offer practical experience and examples of  the skills needed, as a society, for survival in this crisis and its aftermath. For this reason, the present report wants to not only offer recommendations to policy-makers, institutions and donors on the specific inclusions of lesbians in policies aimed at addressing the COVID-19 crisis, but also to make visible a lesbian perspective on the present crisis. As EL*C did at the beginning of the pandemic, those in power at global, regional and national level have the opportunity to listen to the lived realities of lesbians as well as to the experiences of the lesbian movement to build a recovery that is fully inclusive of everyone’s needs and experiences in our societies and to construct healing processes that are truly revolutionary.

Find here the Data Explorer Tool

Download the full report here!!

[embeddoc url=”https://europeanlesbianconference.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Covid-Report-final-1.pdf”]

In March 2020, in a context of insecurity and fear linked to the COVID-19 pandemic spreading globally including in Europe and Central Asia, EL*C decided to react by organising an online space for lesbians to exchange information on the ongoing situation and its many repercussions. This online space, coined ‘LLL – Locked-down Lesbians Listening’, was open seven days per week for several months and moderated in a number of languages to accommodate as many lesbians as possible. 

Additonally, throughout all of 2020, we continued receiving information and feedback from our network and it became increasingly clear that the crisis would have severe consequences on lesbian groups across Europe and Central Asia, especially taking into account the overwhelming evidence that the lesbian movement is severly underfunded. For this reason, EL*C developed its own COVID-19 Emergency Grants Program, with the aim to help lesbian groups cope with the pandemic. Within this activity, we have been providing small grants to lesbian organizations that were in urgent need of financial support, especially those that are working directly with supporting the community with immediate needs, such as food, medicines, psychological support, shelter, support to elderly lesbians, lesbian refugees, etc. For this purpose, EL*C has launched 2 cycles of grant applications with the available funding of 60,000.00 EUR, out of which 30,000.00 EUR have already been distributed to 12 lesbian groups from Austria, France, Spain, Serbia, Russia, Georgia, Turkey and Kyrgyzstan, while we have received over 50 applications. The remaining amount will be distributed to lesbian groups in the second half of 2021. 

Thanks to the LLL sessions and the additional information received by the community, we realised that very little information was available on the specific struggles within the lesbian communities and how those communities were coping with the collective trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic. The conversations happening during the ‘LLL’ sessions concerning the impact of COVID-19 on lesbian communties across our regions convinced us of the need for a more general and exhaustive evaluation. The first stage of our evaluation process was  based on desktop research and data collection and already preliminarily highlighted the disproportionate effects of the pandemic on women and the LGBTIQ community as a whole. Unfortunately, most of the studies that we came across did  not take into account thoroughly the combinations of factors such as gender and sexual orientation in the experiences linked with the pandemic. However, the stories of violence perpetrated by unsupportive families against lesbians, the episodes of discrimination based on both gender and  sexual orientation as well as the increase of lesbophobic rhetoric and statements that we have been registering since the beginning of the pandemic demonstrated the need to specifically consider  the experience of women in the LGBTIQ community. 

Based on these initial findings (or lack thereof), we decided to launch two online surveys, one  aiming to assess the impact of the situation on lesbian individuals and the other focusing on lesbian organisations and groups in our region. The surveys were available in eight different languages (Spanish, French, English, German, Italian, Russian, Turkish and Serbian). Between December 2020 and March 2021, while several countries within our scope were facing  second and third waves of COVID-19, we collected 2113 answers from individuals and 134 organisations and groups in Europe and Central Asia. A detailed analysis of the methodology followed by the collection and analysis of this data is available below. 

As detailed in Chapter 1, the survey aimed to collect data from individuals on issues related to safety, employment and income for lesbians as well as the experience of discrimination and the consequence of the situation on the respondents mental well-being. An alarmingly high rate of respondents reported increased feelings of insecurity in the public space, instances of violence perpetrated by unsupportive family members, and the recurrence  of lesbophobic discourses and rhetoric. This withstands and illustrates previous accounts on how the pandemic had worsened the incidence of violence against women in general, and against lesbians in particular. In addition, the results confirm that lesbians, as a minority group, experienced a stronger economic shock. The long-term damage caused by the socio-economic consequences of the pandemic should be carefully evaluated. Moreover, measures related to social distancing, such as drastic reductions in people’s freedom of  movement and social contacts, posed additional problems to lesbians especially when their relationship(s) and families were not legally recognised in their country. Finally, the data also speaks to the heavy toll on lesbians’ mental health as well as the numerous ways in which lesbians stayed active in their community, organised themselves to stay in contact with each other and provide support to the most precarious within their communities.

The data collected regarding individuals also allows for a specific focus and elucidates the areas in which factors related to intersectionality (such age, race, ethnic minority, refugee/asylum seeking status, disability or gender identity) determine significant difference in the experiences of the pandemic. While the report does not aim to offer a complete analysis of the intersectional oppressions faced by lesbians,  our community, and their impact on the experience of the pandemic, it focuses on the areas in which statistically significant differences could be found from our pool of respondents (more details on methodology and the demographic are available below).

Chapter 2 of this report is devoted to lesbian organisations and groups, whose aswers to the survey show that the lesbian community has, in a very short amount of time, re-organised to provide for the direct needs (such as food and housing) of members of the community in need and to offer support services to deal with the most vulnerable within their communities. This has been done thanks to the generosity of community members and due to extensive  experience in dealing with crises that the lesbian movement has accumulated throughout  decades of leadership in the LGBTIQ and feminist movements. However, the results also show that the chronic lack of funding and resources for lesbian-led and lesbian-focused projects, initiatives and organising has worsened, as a result of the pandemic. This poses a serious risk to the capacity of the movement to continue offering its indispensable support services and to fully respond to the rise of hateful rhetoric and lesbophobic violence in Europe, Central Asia and beyond.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a global shock whose long-term effects are yet to fully emerge. They are, however, predictable and, as this report already shows,  will inevitably intensify  the existing system of oppression. Lesbians, living at the crossroads of multiple societal issues such as gender inequalities and social stigma related to non-conforming sexual orientations, offer practical experience and examples of  the skills needed, as a society, for survival in this crisis and its aftermath. For this reason, the present report wants to not only offer recommendations to policy-makers, institutions and donors on the specific inclusions of lesbians in policies aimed at addressing the COVID-19 crisis, but also to make visible a lesbian perspective on the present crisis. As EL*C did at the beginning of the pandemic, those in power at global, regional and national level have the opportunity to listen to the lived realities of lesbians as well as to the experiences of the lesbian movement to build a recovery that is fully inclusive of everyone’s needs and experiences in our societies and to construct healing processes that are truly revolutionary.

Find here the Data Explorer Tool

Download the full report here!!

[embeddoc url=”https://europeanlesbianconference.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Covid-Report-final-1.pdf”]

Translation of the Article in L’Obs and AFP, Published on 28 May 2021.

On Friday 28 May, the Paris Criminal Court sentenced a man to 14 years in prison for “rape on the grounds of sexual orientation” of a lesbian woman.

In March 2020, Jeanne’s attacker (whose name was changed at her request) was sentenced to 15 years by the Seine-Saint-Denis court. But the aggravating circumstance of homophobia was not retained.

This time, the jury and judges considered that it was a lesbophobic rape, in particular because the accused “knew from the beginning of their encounter the sexual orientation” of his victim.

The court also relied on the testimony of the young woman, who had repeatedly recounted the phrase used by her attacker as a warning: “You like chicks? Well, I’m going to make you like this”.

The recognition of the lesbophobic nature of this attack “was the most important thing for me”, reacted Jeanne to AFP. “The rape was fueled by that, he wanted to deny me as a lesbian, to punish me. At the first trial, I had been denied a second time by the justice system, society, in my identity, that was the hardest”, she explained.

“Corrective rape”

The sentence handed down on appeal was slightly lower because of the defendant’s confession to rape and violence: Jeanne, whose whole body had “numerous wounds and bruises”, had notably had a perforated eardrum.

But he insisted that he had “no problem” with his homosexuality. “He was out of time, full of cocaine and alcohol, he did not know what he was doing,” said his lawyer, Paul de Bomy, after the verdict.

“Jeanne’s lawyer, Stéphane Maugendre, said that the conviction, “a historic first”, was also “the culmination of the Aix-en-Provence trial” of 1978. In that trial, the three attackers of Anne Tonglet and Araceli Castellano, a lesbian couple, were convicted after a fight led by their lawyer Gisèle Halimi, which resulted in a legal redefinition of rape.

“Lesbian and bisexual women are extremely vulnerable to sexual violence and assault” because of “hatred and contempt linked to sexual orientation, but also because of the misogynistic perception that women are ‘objects’, especially sexual objects”, Silvia Casalino, co-director of the EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community, told AFP.

10% of lesbian victims of rape

“There is also the belief that women who do not have sex with men are ‘sick’, ‘abnormal’ and need to be ‘corrected’,” she added.

In her eyes, the Court of Appeal’s decision, which could be a first in Europe according to information from her activist network, “is very important and sends a clear signal to European states that are currently discussing the introduction of measures to prevent hate crimes against LGBTI people”.

In her view, the decision of the Court of Appeal, which could be a first in Europe according to information from his activist network, “is very important and sends a clear signal to European states that are currently discussing the introduction of measures to prevent hate crimes against LGBTI persons”.

Translation of the Article in L’Obs and AFP, Published on 28 May 2021.

On Friday 28 May, the Paris Criminal Court sentenced a man to 14 years in prison for “rape on the grounds of sexual orientation” of a lesbian woman.

In March 2020, Jeanne’s attacker (whose name was changed at her request) was sentenced to 15 years by the Seine-Saint-Denis court. But the aggravating circumstance of homophobia was not retained.

This time, the jury and judges considered that it was a lesbophobic rape, in particular because the accused “knew from the beginning of their encounter the sexual orientation” of his victim.

The court also relied on the testimony of the young woman, who had repeatedly recounted the phrase used by her attacker as a warning: “You like chicks? Well, I’m going to make you like this”.

The recognition of the lesbophobic nature of this attack “was the most important thing for me”, reacted Jeanne to AFP. “The rape was fueled by that, he wanted to deny me as a lesbian, to punish me. At the first trial, I had been denied a second time by the justice system, society, in my identity, that was the hardest”, she explained.

“Corrective rape”

The sentence handed down on appeal was slightly lower because of the defendant’s confession to rape and violence: Jeanne, whose whole body had “numerous wounds and bruises”, had notably had a perforated eardrum.

But he insisted that he had “no problem” with his homosexuality. “He was out of time, full of cocaine and alcohol, he did not know what he was doing,” said his lawyer, Paul de Bomy, after the verdict.

“Jeanne’s lawyer, Stéphane Maugendre, said that the conviction, “a historic first”, was also “the culmination of the Aix-en-Provence trial” of 1978. In that trial, the three attackers of Anne Tonglet and Araceli Castellano, a lesbian couple, were convicted after a fight led by their lawyer Gisèle Halimi, which resulted in a legal redefinition of rape.

“Lesbian and bisexual women are extremely vulnerable to sexual violence and assault” because of “hatred and contempt linked to sexual orientation, but also because of the misogynistic perception that women are ‘objects’, especially sexual objects”, Silvia Casalino, co-director of the EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community, told AFP.

10% of lesbian victims of rape

“There is also the belief that women who do not have sex with men are ‘sick’, ‘abnormal’ and need to be ‘corrected’,” she added.

In her eyes, the Court of Appeal’s decision, which could be a first in Europe according to information from her activist network, “is very important and sends a clear signal to European states that are currently discussing the introduction of measures to prevent hate crimes against LGBTI people”.

In her view, the decision of the Court of Appeal, which could be a first in Europe according to information from his activist network, “is very important and sends a clear signal to European states that are currently discussing the introduction of measures to prevent hate crimes against LGBTI persons”.