Disclaimer: EL*C uses the term “lesbian” as a broad inclusive term, that includes all lesbian, bisexual and queer women (both cisgender and trans) and non-binary and intersex persons who feel connected to the lesbian identity and lesbian activism. This includes all LBTI women and non binary persons that identify or are perceived as lesbians, bisexual and queer women.
The “Resourcing Lesbian Movements” grant-making program, funded by EL*C in collaboration with the EU, is set to make a significant impact on human rights across Europe. This initiative aims to resource 31 lesbian projects through financial support. These grants directly address the chronic underfunding and lack of resources that have historically hindered the lesbian movement.
By enhancing lesbian visibility, promoting intersectional inclusion, and enriching cultural diversity, each grant empowers LBTIQ+ organizations to bolster lesbian activists and movements in their national context, thereby promoting and protecting human rights throughout the region.
This article spotlights five projects focused on advancing lesbian movements through advocacy, research and political engagement in Croatia, Spain, Slovenia and Italy. Each has used EL*C’s grant to expand their capacity to collect, collate and share important information and insights into lesbian existence, struggles and activism. Their findings are shared amongst lesbian community members and networks, then disseminated into the local public sphere, national political discussions and ultimately, international human rights forums. Through their extensive efforts, lesbian identities and rights are recognized, protected and enshrined throughout Europe.
1) Lesbian Organization Rijeka (LORI), Croatia
For almost 25 years, Lesbian Organization Rijeka (LORI) have been working to expand and advance the rights of LGBTIQ+ people in Croatia, while focusing on empowering and improving the lives of lesbians.
They do so through a comprehensive programme of activities, notably providing psychosocial services to LGBTIQ+ individuals and their families, informing and educating professionals on LGBTIQ+ topics and rights, and organising workshops, lectures, seminars, exhibitions, and publishing materials aimed at eliminating negative attitudes toward LGBTIQ+ people.
Over the last decade, LORI have found it challenging to find financial resources, both nationally and internationally, for projects specifically addressing lesbians. In instances where they did secure lesbian-specific funding, they often found the amounts too small and insufficient to tackle the social discrimination and denial of the human rights of lesbians in Croatian society.
EL*C’s grant was a necessary boost to LORI’s capacity to advocate for lesbian recognition, visibility and equality. It was foremostly used to organise research, workshops, lectures and roundtable discussions on the prominent issues faced by lesbians in Croatia. These findings were then disseminated to health professionals, students, decision-makers and the public.
2) LesCoruña, Spain
Focusing on local-level societal change and acceptance, LesCoruña work for lesbian equality and visibility in Galicia’s Coruña region in Spain. With EL*C’s grant, LesCoruna developed and implemented a communication strategy targeting LBTIQ+ women and non-binary people in Coruña, while also gathering data and perspectives from non-lesbian residents. For this first-of-its-kind research project, LesCoruña are assessing the needs of local lesbians, and are using their findings to inform, empower, educate and train the community about key aspects of their lives and rights. This includes, but is not limited to, sexual education, unwanted loneliness, combating lesbophobia in the workplace and social life, migration, the portrayal of lesbian diversity in the media, and promoting the resources offered by LesCoruña.
They have created vital audiovisual and visual content that reflects the realities of LBTIQ+ women in Coruña and promotes an intersectional view of their lives, with topics including lesbian motherhood, lesbian mythology and the visibility of Galician women writers. Through this public awareness campaign, they’re focusing on breaking gender, class, and ethnic stereotypes, as well as promoting the visibility of lesbians. Additionally, the EL*C’s grant is being used to strengthen LesCoruña’s network by expanding its reach to include more lesbians, fostering greater mutual support, preventing isolation, and encouraging active participation in the association and the utilization of its resources.
3) TransAkcija Institute, Slovenia
As the first and only Slovenian NGO devoted to the human rights of transgender people, TransAkcija Institute were founded to support, inform and empower the country’s trans and gender non-conforming community.
For twenty years their pioneering work has been of instrumental importance in addressing the specificities and needs of transgender and gender non-conforming people, cultivating a supportive and nourishing community, and addressing legal and systemic erasure from with their advocacy of transgender human rights.
EL*C’s grant has been used to launch their project ‘Advocating for the *’ which highlights the intersections of gender identity and sexual orientation within Slovenia’s trans community. Central to their discussion has been an exploration of the fluidity and impact of labels, particularly the definition, meaning, and implications of “lesbian*.”
A key initiative of ‘Advocating for the *’ has been organizing meetups with a diverse range LGBTIQ+ activists. These gatherings have been instrumental in TransAkcija’s research into the historical, cultural, and political significance of the asterisk (*), and they’ve helped to bridge gaps in understanding and inclusivity, while identifying areas of cooperation, including media and awareness-raising work.
Through this, they successfully launched a workshop in Ljubljana’s Lesbian Quarters Festival, on the intersections of the lesbian and trans movements. The event enhanced allyship and collaboration and sparked trans people of various identities to increasingly embracing the term ‘lesbian*.’ TransAkcija’s efforts are fostering greater solidarity and mutual understanding between lesbian and trans communities, thereby paving the way for deeper collaboration and dialogue.
4) Arcigay Rete Donne Transfemminista, Italy
During the pandemic, a group of Italian trans-feminists started to host discussion groups, workshops and book presentations to tackle their social isolation and to encourage their political cohesion and development.
From these formative days, Arcigay Rete Donne Transfemminista has promoted the visibility, intersectionality and self-determination of LBTIQ+ women and non-binary people. As individuals and collectively, they’re focused on constructing and actualizing new narratives of lesbians and other minority and vulnerable groups in Italy. Crucially, they’ve developed meaningful political relationships with other women’s, LGBTIQ+ and human rights associations, creating a nation-wide community network of grassroots organisations.
EL*C’s grant has expanded Arcigay’s capacity to advocate for the advancement of Italian lesbian rights, equality and insights at the local, national and European level. They’ve started composing advocacy plans and a shareable toolkit, enabling them to disseminate their work to other organisations working toward a more equitable and inclusive society.
5) LesWorking, Spain
LesWorking is an international professional network for LBTIQ+ women and non-binary people. Originating in Spain, they are currently composed of 2000 women, from more than 20 countries, and spanning sectors, economic and professional backgrounds. Through conferences and events, LesWorking members – be they lawyers or artists, consultants or journalists – have built a diverse global community encouraging networking and collaboration, media interventions, and working towards establishing societies and industries that include, encourage and invoke the professional, economic and social positionality and well-being of lesbians.
EL*C’s grant has been used to strengthen the capacities of the LesWorking association, in particular, expanding its communications and community engagement, through organized events and campaigns to promote their work. They are also using the grant to support legal actions targeting lesbophobia and discrimination against lesbians.
Through their Advocacy, Research and Political Engagement, these five NGOS have used EL*C’s grant to perform the vital function of gathering data, insights, and perspectives from, and about, LBTIQ+ communities. This has enabled them to expand their advocacy, to better inform policy- and decision- making processes on local, regional and national governmental levels. The grant has also encouraged the NGO’s capacity as watchdog, allowing each organisation to invest time and resources into analyzing how government actions and inactions are impacting lesbian* communities on the ground. Moreover, by publicizing their findings they are increasing awareness of EU rights and values regarding LBTIQ+ women and non-binary people, both within community members themselves, and in the citizenry as a whole.
