This call is available in Russian – French – Italian – Spanish – Serbian below
In the current crisis caused by the COVID-19, lesbian communities find themselves in particularly precarious situations. EL*C is constantly in touch with the lesbian community, lesbian organizations from Europe and Central Asia, and we are continuously receiving information, learning about what they are currently going through, both in their activist work and their personal lives.
We are observing lesbians being 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 on, and are provided food and medication by the local lesbian community. Lesbians are being fired by their employers, as a result of their families not being recognised as equal to heterosexual ones, or not recognised at all.
We are also witnessing with great concern the attacks in some of the countries 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’s and LGBTI rights, constitute an easy target for nationalist, far-right and anti-gender narratives, and are in particular need of support during the current crisis.
Consequently, we are constantly trying to come up with plans and strategies on how to be of help, and also how to hold on to the lessons that we will inevitably learn in this crisis and how to make the solutions sustainable and secure resilience of the movement. As one of the many measures that we are currently undertaking, we have established an EL*C Urgent Response Fund, to be able to financially support the lesbian movement, as much as we can.
The second call for applications is now open!
Small grants are intended only for lesbian led and lesbian focused groups in Europe and Central Asia, that are working primarily on supporting and advancing the position of lesbian communities. Lesbian groups can be registered and not-registered. These grants are not intended to support individual applicants.
Small grants can only be used in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, which may include: Direct support and services to the lesbian community (such as food, shelter, psychosocial support, etc.); Advocacy activities (such as advocating for Covid-19 response measures that are inclusive of lesbian needs and interests); Communication and campaigning activities (such as social media campaigns, press clipping, online tools, etc); Operating costs (such as office costs, rent, utilities, etc)
Grants can range from 500 EUR up to 3000 EUR.
There is no deadline to apply, as EL*C will be receiving applications on rolling bases, subject to funding availability. EL*C Selection Committee will be evaluating applications as they come, and will be informing applicants as soon as possible.
This application forms are in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian and Serbian (see below).
Please, fill out the form below as precisely and concretely as possible. In case you have any questions or need support with filling out the form, please: send us an email: info@lesbiangenius.net or join us at the Info Session on March 23, 2021 at 01:00 pm CET via Zoom Meeting using this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83233702494
Note: About the term “Lesbian*” => Our aim is to have an inclusive European and Central Asian Network. We insist on calling it a lesbian although we recognize that, as with any category or label, it may be contested and insufficient to describe the diversity of our communities. We are aware that many previous lesbian gatherings have struggled with issues about who should or should not be included. However, using the word “lesbian” is part of the political struggle for visibility, empowerment and representation. We therefore use “Lesbian*” in our name with an asterisk, so as to include anyone who identifies as lesbian, feminist, bi, trans or queer, and all those who feel connected to lesbian activism.
Links to the application forms:
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScALZeg30IVuQVyw1WpBjVRMBb3qTU82JpbtO4lbpflLDSNLA/viewform
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Фонд Срочной Поддержки от EL*C:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1QBbOiDAi59BMgRn2icoNvVV528ShN7krudG04BIfe84/edit
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Subventions d’urgence EL*C:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1fPfNo_TYWbCDNm40IsQfOeUBQt42nI09vKNf-cJCWqM/edit
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sovvenzioni di emergenza EL*C:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfWiUtpTS31ivQKityKLZbhgyl-XeajMUk15kF1wvc1_4rxNg/viewform
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Subvenciones de emergencia de la EL*C:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1EJzQKwu6dlM1Dcc5jwMKuUQAo7Q284Pn9FSPUUbtMXk/edit
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
EL*C hitne donacije:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1TKe-kSd-RJQmo721StBtHl-Zq4jua4tkMONuQ9LTKj4/edit
This call is available in Russian – French – Italian – Spanish – Serbian below
In the current crisis caused by the COVID-19, lesbian communities find themselves in particularly precarious situations. EL*C is constantly in touch with the lesbian community, lesbian organizations from Europe and Central Asia, and we are continuously receiving information, learning about what they are currently going through, both in their activist work and their personal lives.
We are observing lesbians being 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 on, and are provided food and medication by the local lesbian community. Lesbians are being fired by their employers, as a result of their families not being recognised as equal to heterosexual ones, or not recognised at all.
We are also witnessing with great concern the attacks in some of the countries 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’s and LGBTI rights, constitute an easy target for nationalist, far-right and anti-gender narratives, and are in particular need of support during the current crisis.
Consequently, we are constantly trying to come up with plans and strategies on how to be of help, and also how to hold on to the lessons that we will inevitably learn in this crisis and how to make the solutions sustainable and secure resilience of the movement. As one of the many measures that we are currently undertaking, we have established an EL*C Urgent Response Fund, to be able to financially support the lesbian movement, as much as we can.
The second call for applications is now open!
Small grants are intended only for lesbian led and lesbian focused groups in Europe and Central Asia, that are working primarily on supporting and advancing the position of lesbian communities. Lesbian groups can be registered and not-registered. These grants are not intended to support individual applicants.
Small grants can only be used in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, which may include: Direct support and services to the lesbian community (such as food, shelter, psychosocial support, etc.); Advocacy activities (such as advocating for Covid-19 response measures that are inclusive of lesbian needs and interests); Communication and campaigning activities (such as social media campaigns, press clipping, online tools, etc); Operating costs (such as office costs, rent, utilities, etc)
Grants can range from 500 EUR up to 3000 EUR.
There is no deadline to apply, as EL*C will be receiving applications on rolling bases, subject to funding availability. EL*C Selection Committee will be evaluating applications as they come, and will be informing applicants as soon as possible.
This application forms are in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian and Serbian (see below).
Please, fill out the form below as precisely and concretely as possible. In case you have any questions or need support with filling out the form, please: send us an email: info@lesbiangenius.net or join us at the Info Session on March 23, 2021 at 01:00 pm CET via Zoom Meeting using this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83233702494
Note: About the term “Lesbian*” => Our aim is to have an inclusive European and Central Asian Network. We insist on calling it a lesbian although we recognize that, as with any category or label, it may be contested and insufficient to describe the diversity of our communities. We are aware that many previous lesbian gatherings have struggled with issues about who should or should not be included. However, using the word “lesbian” is part of the political struggle for visibility, empowerment and representation. We therefore use “Lesbian*” in our name with an asterisk, so as to include anyone who identifies as lesbian, feminist, bi, trans or queer, and all those who feel connected to lesbian activism.
Links to the application forms:
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScALZeg30IVuQVyw1WpBjVRMBb3qTU82JpbtO4lbpflLDSNLA/viewform
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Фонд Срочной Поддержки от EL*C:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1QBbOiDAi59BMgRn2icoNvVV528ShN7krudG04BIfe84/edit
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Subventions d’urgence EL*C:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1fPfNo_TYWbCDNm40IsQfOeUBQt42nI09vKNf-cJCWqM/edit
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sovvenzioni di emergenza EL*C:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfWiUtpTS31ivQKityKLZbhgyl-XeajMUk15kF1wvc1_4rxNg/viewform
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Subvenciones de emergencia de la EL*C:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1EJzQKwu6dlM1Dcc5jwMKuUQAo7Q284Pn9FSPUUbtMXk/edit
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
EL*C hitne donacije:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1TKe-kSd-RJQmo721StBtHl-Zq4jua4tkMONuQ9LTKj4/edit
Lesbians face violence and discrimination based on multiple factors, because they are or are perceived as women and because they are or are perceived as non-heterosexual. We use the term lesbophobia precisely to indicate this peculiar form of bias at the intersection between misogyny, sexism and homophobia.
Gender is a fundamental element of the lived realities of lesbians, yet it is often forgotten in the analysis of phenomena such as gender-based violence, hate crime, hate speech and discrimination concerning the LGBTI community. As a consequence lesbophobia is at constant risk of “falling into the cracks” of policy-making as well as of the demands of the LGBTI and feminist movements.
In February 2021, the UN Independent Expert on sexual orientation and gender identity opened a call for inputs focusing on the interplay between gender, sexual orientation and gender identity. EL*C submitted this analysis to continue shedding a light on gender as a hidden but crucial factor for lesbians.
This submission puts together the data collected in years of research work conducted by EL*C on lived realities of lesbians as well as the inputs and feedbacks coming from lesbian activists and organisations belonging to EL*C growing network in Europe and Central Asia.
Download here the report -> ELC submission – UN IE SOGI
[embeddoc url=”https://europeanlesbianconference.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/ELC-submission-UN-IE-SOGI.pdf”]
Lesbians face violence and discrimination based on multiple factors, because they are or are perceived as women and because they are or are perceived as non-heterosexual. We use the term lesbophobia precisely to indicate this peculiar form of bias at the intersection between misogyny, sexism and homophobia.
Gender is a fundamental element of the lived realities of lesbians, yet it is often forgotten in the analysis of phenomena such as gender-based violence, hate crime, hate speech and discrimination concerning the LGBTI community. As a consequence lesbophobia is at constant risk of “falling into the cracks” of policy-making as well as of the demands of the LGBTI and feminist movements.
In February 2021, the UN Independent Expert on sexual orientation and gender identity opened a call for inputs focusing on the interplay between gender, sexual orientation and gender identity. EL*C submitted this analysis to continue shedding a light on gender as a hidden but crucial factor for lesbians.
This submission puts together the data collected in years of research work conducted by EL*C on lived realities of lesbians as well as the inputs and feedbacks coming from lesbian activists and organisations belonging to EL*C growing network in Europe and Central Asia.
Download here the report -> ELC submission – UN IE SOGI
[embeddoc url=”https://europeanlesbianconference.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/ELC-submission-UN-IE-SOGI.pdf”]
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has been drawing attention to gender-based violence and discrimination for many years. The Assembly is now working on a report titled “The fight for a level playing field – ending discrimination against women in the world of sport” (https://pace.coe.int/en/files/28232), which will result in a resolution to be adopted by the Assembly in 2021.
We, along with ILGA Europe, TGEU, and OII Europe, are working to prepare a short submission on the specific needs and struggles of LBTI women in sports, and are looking for inputs to this submission.
Inputs can be:
– focused at the local, regional, or national level, or presenting a full Council of Europe perspective
– focused on LBTI women as a whole or on specific groups within the LBTI communities
The format for submissions is informal, and can include individual testimonies, statistical data, or descriptions of situations and practices affecting these communities.
Click here to share your inputs via an online form
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1JACHfZyxk7jIli4TKqS5A-vEJ3uU6ZvqJCpnKu3j8-I/viewform?edit_requested=true
Inputs are due by 31 January 2021.
The questions on your email address and inclusion of reference to you or your organisation in the survey are mandatory; all other questions may be skipped if you choose.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has been drawing attention to gender-based violence and discrimination for many years. The Assembly is now working on a report titled “The fight for a level playing field – ending discrimination against women in the world of sport” (https://pace.coe.int/en/files/28232), which will result in a resolution to be adopted by the Assembly in 2021.
We, along with ILGA Europe, TGEU, and OII Europe, are working to prepare a short submission on the specific needs and struggles of LBTI women in sports, and are looking for inputs to this submission.
Inputs can be:
– focused at the local, regional, or national level, or presenting a full Council of Europe perspective
– focused on LBTI women as a whole or on specific groups within the LBTI communities
The format for submissions is informal, and can include individual testimonies, statistical data, or descriptions of situations and practices affecting these communities.
Click here to share your inputs via an online form
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1JACHfZyxk7jIli4TKqS5A-vEJ3uU6ZvqJCpnKu3j8-I/viewform?edit_requested=true
Inputs are due by 31 January 2021.
The questions on your email address and inclusion of reference to you or your organisation in the survey are mandatory; all other questions may be skipped if you choose.
CALL FOR PARTICIPATION-LESBIAN SURVEY!!
EL*C launches an European and Central Asian survey on the impact of Covid-19 on lesbians (individuals and groups)
Help us get thousands of answers from lesbian groups & individuals!
Since March 2020, EL*C has been trying to collect testimonies and fight the impacts of Covid-19 on lesbians. They are huge and we felt the need for a more general and thorough evaluation.
Please help us by filling out the 10 minutes online survey in 8 different languages: English, Deutsch, Español, Français, Italiano, Srpski, Türkçe, Русский
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/58RLKVN
EL*C launches the first European and Central Asian survey on the impact of Covid-19 on lesbians (individuals and groups)
Since March 2020, EL*C has been collecting testimonies and analyzing the impacts of Covid-19 on lesbians. They are huge and we felt the need for a more general and thorough evaluation.
By consequence, the EL*C has initiated a comprehensive online survey with the objective of gathering over 4000 responses. In order to maximise the outreach within the lesbian communities in Europe and Central Asia, the survey has been developed with two key targets in mind: lesbians individuals and lesbian groups. We hope that with these two pools of responses we will be better able to assess the impact of the pandemic both on an individual and collective basis.
The survey aims at assessing the COVID-19 impact in a more structured and analytical way, with a focus on private and professional life, including safety, health, socio-economic impact, and impact on the movement. From the little information available so far, we’ve observed that lesbians have been 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 on, and are provided food and medication by the local lesbian community. Lesbians are being fired by their employer, as a result of their families not being recognised as equal to heterosexual ones, or not recognised at all.
Help us reaching out to lesbian individuals and groups, and getting thousands of answers, by disseminating this Survey throughout your networks and contacts! EL*C welcomes responses by lesbians on a wide gender identity spectrum (trans, cis, non binary).
The final goal of this survey is to draft – based on the findings – a series of targeted recommendations for institutional & governmental policy makers and donors to take into account in the current crisis management schemes.
Between December 2020 and March 2020, the survey will be accessible online and in 8 different languages, namely: Spanish, French, English, German, Italian, Russian, Turkish, Serbian. (To change the language in the survey: click on the top right button and scroll down to find the language that suits. Or click on the direct link). Help us get thousands of answers from lesbian groups & individuals!
English: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/58RLKVN
Русский: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/58RLKVN?lang=ru
Français: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/58RLKVN?lang=fr
Español: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/58RLKVN?lang=es
Srpski: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/58RLKVN?lang=sr_Latn_RS
Deutsch: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/58RLKVN?lang=de
Italiano: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/58RLKVN?lang=it
Türkçe: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/58RLKVN?lang=tr
This project has been supported by the German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.
CALL FOR PARTICIPATION-LESBIAN SURVEY!!
EL*C launches an European and Central Asian survey on the impact of Covid-19 on lesbians (individuals and groups)
Help us get thousands of answers from lesbian groups & individuals!
Since March 2020, EL*C has been trying to collect testimonies and fight the impacts of Covid-19 on lesbians. They are huge and we felt the need for a more general and thorough evaluation.
Please help us by filling out the 10 minutes online survey in 8 different languages: English, Deutsch, Español, Français, Italiano, Srpski, Türkçe, Русский
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/58RLKVN
EL*C launches the first European and Central Asian survey on the impact of Covid-19 on lesbians (individuals and groups)
Since March 2020, EL*C has been collecting testimonies and analyzing the impacts of Covid-19 on lesbians. They are huge and we felt the need for a more general and thorough evaluation.
By consequence, the EL*C has initiated a comprehensive online survey with the objective of gathering over 4000 responses. In order to maximise the outreach within the lesbian communities in Europe and Central Asia, the survey has been developed with two key targets in mind: lesbians individuals and lesbian groups. We hope that with these two pools of responses we will be better able to assess the impact of the pandemic both on an individual and collective basis.
The survey aims at assessing the COVID-19 impact in a more structured and analytical way, with a focus on private and professional life, including safety, health, socio-economic impact, and impact on the movement. From the little information available so far, we’ve observed that lesbians have been 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 on, and are provided food and medication by the local lesbian community. Lesbians are being fired by their employer, as a result of their families not being recognised as equal to heterosexual ones, or not recognised at all.
Help us reaching out to lesbian individuals and groups, and getting thousands of answers, by disseminating this Survey throughout your networks and contacts! EL*C welcomes responses by lesbians on a wide gender identity spectrum (trans, cis, non binary).
The final goal of this survey is to draft – based on the findings – a series of targeted recommendations for institutional & governmental policy makers and donors to take into account in the current crisis management schemes.
Between December 2020 and March 2020, the survey will be accessible online and in 8 different languages, namely: Spanish, French, English, German, Italian, Russian, Turkish, Serbian. (To change the language in the survey: click on the top right button and scroll down to find the language that suits. Or click on the direct link). Help us get thousands of answers from lesbian groups & individuals!
English: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/58RLKVN
Русский: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/58RLKVN?lang=ru
Français: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/58RLKVN?lang=fr
Español: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/58RLKVN?lang=es
Srpski: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/58RLKVN?lang=sr_Latn_RS
Deutsch: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/58RLKVN?lang=de
Italiano: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/58RLKVN?lang=it
Türkçe: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/58RLKVN?lang=tr
This project has been supported by the German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.
KEYNOTE BY JOELLE SAMBI NZEBA
BERLIN CONFERENCE ON NOVEMBER 18TH “INTERSECTIONALITY AND LESBIAN* VISIBILITY”
All the stories resounded continuously beyond the city. All the stories of the past were gently pulsing in the air like the music of the wind between the leaves of the trees.Here, dykes had chosen to make this country the opposite of a nation : no flags flying on the buildings, pride beating like a heart in the chest was enough. No national anthem that glorifies the powerful, the victorious and leaves others in the shadows. No, all that matters here is the sum of the stories, the singular stories of these women who were once described as fat, scarred, handicapped, fragile, hysterical, boring, angry, radical, too thin, too shy, too sexed up, masculine, feminine, noisy, hairy… too lesbian !
And because one must remember the stigmas so that they never hurt again, the dykes had built the city with history books.
Thus, the centuries-old lesbian stories were everywhere : hanging on trees, in the rivers, in the heart of an apple, etc.
Everywhere, carefully carved words, engraved in the stone, rainbow neon lights lit up intermittently to remind spirits, young and old, of the victorious struggles of the past. And in harmony, as the words blossomed, ivy and hibiscus had covered all the hate tags.
Once a year, as the oceans turned blood red, the dykes abandoned their activities to gather under the moon. They then make a big fire and for days and nights, gather around it, the bodies become lights, torches, glittering fireflies; they remember with an emotional joy, all the lives lost in battle, the sound of chains, the cries, the scratches, the wounds, the betrayals, the pain, the sadness….
For 3 days and 3 nights, they spoke the names of all those who had fought long and lost much before the Great Lightning. Then, everynight, the oldest hand of the city picks 2 names, 2 lesbians who have the mission to tell in turn without stopping, their story or the story of their family.
First name Sanza, she says:
My name is Sanza which means “Season”. My grandmother named me that way so that I don’t forget that my black skin is not a costume, it doesn’t fall like leaves in autumn, it can’t be confused with the one that burns under the summer sun. I am not black by choice, by envy, by mood…
To be black is not a cape, not a garment that one wears during a demonstration.
It’s not a profile picture, it’s not the new fashion trend, it’s not next spring’s color, it’s not a usurpation, it’s not a penchant, it’s not a complaint nor a nightmare that prevents you from sleeping peacefully. It’s me, just me, Sanza.
Before the Great Lightning, we heard all kinds of things, in addition to the violence in a man’s world and the beatings and injustices, we had to stand up to the winds of prejudice even in our communities.
We were told: “We are all the same. To be a lesbian is not the same…and after all, are we not all lesbian ? One can be a little bit lesbian once in a while”.
I would answer: “I don’t know if we are the same or even if “being a lesbian” is declared, is chosen with a snap of the fingers, what is certain is that if it is a choice, it is always a struggle, a resignation, a renunciation of the quietness of family, friends, work, society as a whole. Everything always has to be redone. To be rebuilt. To be reconstructed. Always and inevitably, even within feminism and even between the lines of good resolutions for equality”.
We were told: “You are cute, so pretty, but being a lesbian, what an idea, what a waste for the world ! »
I would answer, “What world is this? The one where we have to fight for our freedoms? The one where we have to debate for an inch of independence? Working twice, three times more without almost any recognition? Walking the corridors, brightening up meetings, proving, debating almost begging for a few pennies ? »
We were told: “You complain all the time, you underline your differences, it’s normal that you are on the margins, a minority within the minority”.
So I stopped answering and joined the Dyke Force.
Around the fire, the women had greeted Sanza’s story with laughter, applause and youh-youh of all kinds. Then another woman took the floor.
Noura
My name is Noura. Light. I was born at night under a roof glittering with stars. One more dyke in a city between mountains and sea. Before the Great Lightning, I lived in search of the limit, in search of a happiness different from the one served in a kit or a can. With my imperfect body, my head in a storm, and with my desires in complete disorder.
I have cherished each of my cravings, with the proud vanity of the oppressed. To ransack everything, to burn everything and to watch the last letters of the patriarchy burn with a pyromaniac appeasement. This is what my life was like before the Great Lightning.
Before living with you in this city.
Then came the night when I caught desire in the apple of blue, green, brown and black eyes.. A mischievous hip, a lost hand, a murderous smile and the evils that predicted a future made of sweet lips.
One night. Thousands of nights. Her body against mine. Bodies by the thousands, deformed, out of the norm. Bodies that squeeze together with pleasure, a zipper, a hand, fingers that find, a neck, chewed lips. A breast, a fall, a shoulder, blood flowing in. Temples beating to the rhythm of the pleasure that rises from the lower back, the hollow of the kidneys. Time stands still. The creaking of two bodies, a thousand bodies lost in sweat, thousand bodies that don’t give a damn about the world. Spread apart, suspended, skins subtracted from the eyes of men. Our lives that explode in kisses that bless the goddess cyprine.
At the time, every day, we heard some people say: “You are too provocative! Live hidden if you don’t want people to look at you with lustful eyes! »
Every day we would hear: “Your embraces disgust us, they disturb the natural order of things”.
So I joined, we joined the Dyke force and we loved each other more and more.
On the 3rd evening, in the city with no flags, no anthem, on that night of fire, the lesbians got up. They danced as close as possible to one another and sang every word hanging on trees, in the rivers, in the heart of an apple, etc.
Happy to live in a world that has finally changed.
There/ is our radicality, in our lesbian bodies, imperfect body with its darkness, its incapacities, with its wrinkles and stretch marks. With its impulses, its beauty, its radiance and its extraordinary banality.
Our revolutions lie in our loves, our sexualities. In the political and assumed hedonism.
This is our utopia: to enjoy, enjoy and enjoy endlessly and to populate the world with our stories.
To be continued…
Text by Joelle Sambi Nzeba (download here) (Watch the performance here)
Art by Camille Nestor Josie
KEYNOTE BY JOELLE SAMBI NZEBA
BERLIN CONFERENCE ON NOVEMBER 18TH “INTERSECTIONALITY AND LESBIAN* VISIBILITY”
All the stories resounded continuously beyond the city. All the stories of the past were gently pulsing in the air like the music of the wind between the leaves of the trees.Here, dykes had chosen to make this country the opposite of a nation : no flags flying on the buildings, pride beating like a heart in the chest was enough. No national anthem that glorifies the powerful, the victorious and leaves others in the shadows. No, all that matters here is the sum of the stories, the singular stories of these women who were once described as fat, scarred, handicapped, fragile, hysterical, boring, angry, radical, too thin, too shy, too sexed up, masculine, feminine, noisy, hairy… too lesbian !
And because one must remember the stigmas so that they never hurt again, the dykes had built the city with history books.
Thus, the centuries-old lesbian stories were everywhere : hanging on trees, in the rivers, in the heart of an apple, etc.
Everywhere, carefully carved words, engraved in the stone, rainbow neon lights lit up intermittently to remind spirits, young and old, of the victorious struggles of the past. And in harmony, as the words blossomed, ivy and hibiscus had covered all the hate tags.
Once a year, as the oceans turned blood red, the dykes abandoned their activities to gather under the moon. They then make a big fire and for days and nights, gather around it, the bodies become lights, torches, glittering fireflies; they remember with an emotional joy, all the lives lost in battle, the sound of chains, the cries, the scratches, the wounds, the betrayals, the pain, the sadness….
For 3 days and 3 nights, they spoke the names of all those who had fought long and lost much before the Great Lightning. Then, everynight, the oldest hand of the city picks 2 names, 2 lesbians who have the mission to tell in turn without stopping, their story or the story of their family.
First name Sanza, she says:
My name is Sanza which means “Season”. My grandmother named me that way so that I don’t forget that my black skin is not a costume, it doesn’t fall like leaves in autumn, it can’t be confused with the one that burns under the summer sun. I am not black by choice, by envy, by mood…
To be black is not a cape, not a garment that one wears during a demonstration.
It’s not a profile picture, it’s not the new fashion trend, it’s not next spring’s color, it’s not a usurpation, it’s not a penchant, it’s not a complaint nor a nightmare that prevents you from sleeping peacefully. It’s me, just me, Sanza.
Before the Great Lightning, we heard all kinds of things, in addition to the violence in a man’s world and the beatings and injustices, we had to stand up to the winds of prejudice even in our communities.
We were told: “We are all the same. To be a lesbian is not the same…and after all, are we not all lesbian ? One can be a little bit lesbian once in a while”.
I would answer: “I don’t know if we are the same or even if “being a lesbian” is declared, is chosen with a snap of the fingers, what is certain is that if it is a choice, it is always a struggle, a resignation, a renunciation of the quietness of family, friends, work, society as a whole. Everything always has to be redone. To be rebuilt. To be reconstructed. Always and inevitably, even within feminism and even between the lines of good resolutions for equality”.
We were told: “You are cute, so pretty, but being a lesbian, what an idea, what a waste for the world ! »
I would answer, “What world is this? The one where we have to fight for our freedoms? The one where we have to debate for an inch of independence? Working twice, three times more without almost any recognition? Walking the corridors, brightening up meetings, proving, debating almost begging for a few pennies ? »
We were told: “You complain all the time, you underline your differences, it’s normal that you are on the margins, a minority within the minority”.
So I stopped answering and joined the Dyke Force.
Around the fire, the women had greeted Sanza’s story with laughter, applause and youh-youh of all kinds. Then another woman took the floor.
Noura
My name is Noura. Light. I was born at night under a roof glittering with stars. One more dyke in a city between mountains and sea. Before the Great Lightning, I lived in search of the limit, in search of a happiness different from the one served in a kit or a can. With my imperfect body, my head in a storm, and with my desires in complete disorder.
I have cherished each of my cravings, with the proud vanity of the oppressed. To ransack everything, to burn everything and to watch the last letters of the patriarchy burn with a pyromaniac appeasement. This is what my life was like before the Great Lightning.
Before living with you in this city.
Then came the night when I caught desire in the apple of blue, green, brown and black eyes.. A mischievous hip, a lost hand, a murderous smile and the evils that predicted a future made of sweet lips.
One night. Thousands of nights. Her body against mine. Bodies by the thousands, deformed, out of the norm. Bodies that squeeze together with pleasure, a zipper, a hand, fingers that find, a neck, chewed lips. A breast, a fall, a shoulder, blood flowing in. Temples beating to the rhythm of the pleasure that rises from the lower back, the hollow of the kidneys. Time stands still. The creaking of two bodies, a thousand bodies lost in sweat, thousand bodies that don’t give a damn about the world. Spread apart, suspended, skins subtracted from the eyes of men. Our lives that explode in kisses that bless the goddess cyprine.
At the time, every day, we heard some people say: “You are too provocative! Live hidden if you don’t want people to look at you with lustful eyes! »
Every day we would hear: “Your embraces disgust us, they disturb the natural order of things”.
So I joined, we joined the Dyke force and we loved each other more and more.
On the 3rd evening, in the city with no flags, no anthem, on that night of fire, the lesbians got up. They danced as close as possible to one another and sang every word hanging on trees, in the rivers, in the heart of an apple, etc.
Happy to live in a world that has finally changed.
There/ is our radicality, in our lesbian bodies, imperfect body with its darkness, its incapacities, with its wrinkles and stretch marks. With its impulses, its beauty, its radiance and its extraordinary banality.
Our revolutions lie in our loves, our sexualities. In the political and assumed hedonism.
This is our utopia: to enjoy, enjoy and enjoy endlessly and to populate the world with our stories.
To be continued…
Text by Joelle Sambi Nzeba (download here) (Watch the performance here)
Art by Camille Nestor Josie