The Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG) calls for justice for Pınar Selek

The Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG) together with its Turkish Member Organisation- the Turkish Young Greens and with the support of the FYEG Gender working group calls for justice for Pinar Selek, a sociologist, activist and writer. Because of her human rights work and activism she has been a victim of the Turkish juridical system for more than 14 years.

Terry Reintke, Co-Spokesperson of FYEG says ‘Pinar Selek has been imprisoned and tortured, she has been discharged three times but is still facing lifetime imprisonment. It seems that the authorities try to silence this very important voice for Human Rights in Turkey”.

When refusing to give the names of the people she interviewed during her research on the Kurds in Turkey, Pinar was tortured, while the entire process was covered with false reports and additional accusations on other cases, in which there are evidence that she had been unjustly accused.

Onur Fidangul, activist from the Turkish Young Greens states: “With all irregularities and human rights violations this case is nothing more than a crime itself, a try to oppress and threat all those who are standing up for human rights and the rights of most marginalized and discriminated.

We are strongly expressing our solidarity and calling for international support from our Member Organizations and other human rights organizations and institutions to express solidarity and play their role in stopping this madness.

Call for applicants to join the Temporary Coordination Body

Queering Green, Greening Queer Network

Call for applicants to join the Temporary Coordination Body

 

Following the successful launch of the Queering Green/Greening Queer Network in December 2012, we are now looking for motivated individuals to join the Temporary Coordination Body.

The body’s tasks are as follows:

·         establishing the network

·         contacting and mobilizing individuals and organizations

·         developing a fund-raising strategy

·         preparing network documents (political platform, codex of working, informal statute etc.)

·         organizing the first general assembly of the network (due to take place mid-late 2013)

·         making the final decision about the network name

 

The body will exist until the General Assembly when a new group will then be chosen to facilitate the decisions decided through the direct democratic assembly. It will involve an average of five hours work a week, sporadically.

 

We are looking for six members (3 from South Eastern Europe, 1 from RUMB(Russia, Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus), 1 from Caucasus, 1 from Central Europe). In addition:

 

·         One of the members of the coordination body will be a member of Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG) Executive Committee.

·          The members of the coordination body will be from both LGBT+ and green organizations (member organizations of FYEG).

·         The body will strive to include all the identities from LGBT+.

·         Until the General Assembly the temporary coordination body will have support from FYEG and FYEG Gender Working group and should report its work to those bodies and send reports to the mailing list of the participants for the three “Queering Green/ Greening Queer” seminars.

 

All those interested in applying please send a motivational letter (maximum one side of A4) and CV listing of previous activities, academic and/or cultural engagements. In the motivation letter please give description on what is your perspective on the functioning of Network and how do you see the Network in the future.

The deadline for sending your documents is 14 of February.

 

Please send your documents to Timo Koch at    timo.koch@jsg-vechelde.de

Announcement: Queering Green // Greening Queer network

Following the success of the three seminars in Zagreb, Belgrade and Tuzla over the past nine months, we would like to announce the building of a network working on queer issues from a green perspective! At the moment we have the following political platform (see below) and more details (to be announced very soon). There will soon a be a call out for individuals who are keen to get involved in organising the first assembly and coordinating the network, which will be organised on a direct democratic basis.

Right now, one important decision we have to make is choosing a name. If anyone has any more suggestions, feel free to contact us and we will add them to the list, before the final decision is made at the end of January.

 

Political Platform

We, a diverse gathering of young, interested, queer activists and organisations, are committed to opening a space for queer voices in collaborative activities and discussions. We address these issues using green principles including direct democracy, gender equality, environmental and social justice, non-violence and respect for diversity.

We tackle these issues from an anti-nationalist, anti-fascist, anti-racist and anti-patriarchal perspective and consider the intersections of different forms of oppression including class, race, gender, and ability among many others.

We understand ourselves as a pan-European network with a history and a strong commitment to the South-Eastern European region.

We want to improve the socio-political and legislative situation of LGTBQ+ population and to raise awareness concerning existing discrimination and violence.

We are open to cooperation with all individuals and groups that share our principles and aims. We want to reach out to grass-root activists as well as to formal political institutions. We aim to develop the network and to provide capacity-building opportunities. We promote mutual understanding creating safe space for people from different backgrounds and levels of involvement and knowledge.

We are born naked, the rest is drag!

Panel debate in Tuzla

During the Queering the Balkans: Youth for equal love seminar FYEG together with Revolt, supported by European Youth Foundation, Green European Foundation, the Green Group of the European Parliament and Heinrich Böll Foundation organized a panel debate on the topic ”LGBT+ rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Where are we and where are we going? ”
The debate was placed in the Revolt office, Kaldrma 2, Tuzla on Saturday 20:00, 15.12.2012.

Abstract:

The speakers discussed the current situation of LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, asexual, queer etc.) rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Also talked about what has been done until now, what are the experiences from the past, is there any progress and what has changed, problems and situation considering LGBT+ rights, the violence and discrimination against the LGBT+ community. They shared their experiences and strategies in the fight for LGBT+ rights and what should we do in the future.

The speakers also explained the feminist perspective towards the problem and the role of youth organizations. Moderator was Azra Djafic from Revolt – Tuzla.

Speakers:

• Lejla Huremovic, Sarajevo Open Centre- LGBT rights are human rights! Situation of LGBT+ rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Violence and discrimination against LGBT+ people.
• Damir Dejanovic, Revolt- Youth activism and LGBT+! What is/ can be the role of youth organization in the fight for LGBT+ rights?
• Marija Vuletic, Foundation Cure- Feminist movement in Bosnia and Herzegovina and LGBT+ rights. What is the position of the feminist movement towards this question? How they can support the LGBT+ movement?
• Terry Reintke, Federation of Young European Greens- The Greens and LGBT+. Balkan Queer Green network.

 

After the input from the speakers, audience were asking the questions and participate in discussion. Some of the local political representatives were discussing with speakers too. Debate was supported by local people and some of the radio/portals in BiH.

Debate was successful and we thank our speakers and guests for participating. One big thing we have all learn from it, THESE IS A POTENTIAL on Balkan! Involve and change.

Third child is BORN

As we said in former post, our third child was on it’s way and it happily gather our family again. It is BORN!

 

Third part of seminar is holding place in Tuzla – Bosnia and Herzegovina and is proud   to be named: “Queering Balkans: Youth for equal love!” Our happy and colorful family will be together until Monday 17th.

In period from 12.12. – 17.12. various topics will be discussed in our will for straightening queer and green platforms.  In thanks to our beautiful speakers we are even more motivated in our journey of finding better paths for queering and greening our world.

One of the goals during the seminar, and after it, is establishing NETWORK that will support and connect Balkan LGBT+ organisations, Young green associations with other great organisations from all over the Europe. How will the network work? What will be the result of our meetings and workshops?

We will provide you with answers soon 😀

Right now, we need to concentrate on delicious topic of discussing the street action.

Action in front of Macedonian Embassy in Brussels by FYEG

Federation of Young European Greens first “Balkan Brussels Pride” was a full success! Thanks to all the activists that joined us and a big thanks to all our partners Çavaria, Arc-en-Ciel Wallonie, Rainbowhouse Brussels, Jong Groen!, DWARS, écolo j and déi jonk gréng. This is a picture of the demonstration infront of the Macedonian Embassy:
“Recently a homophobic campaign by the Macedonian Government was triggered which saw the LGBT+ community discriminated and deprived of their most basic human rights. We as FYEG do not tolerate these grave human rights violations and will fight together with our partners for LGBT+ rights in Macedonia” says Philippe Schockweiler from FYEG Executive Committee.

BRUSSELS BALKAN PRIDE – We march for the rights of Balkan LGBT+ people!

Federation of Young European Green, Jong Groen, Ecolo J, Rainbowhouse, Belgian Pride, DWARS, déi jonk gréng, Arc-en-ciel Walloon and Çavaria together with their partners and supporters will gather tomorrow in front of the Macedonian Embassy to protest against the harsh treatment and human rights violations against the LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, asexual, transsexual, transgender, queer, intersex etc.) community in Macedonia, presented in the homophobic campaign conducted by the Macedonian government and their partners. After that part of the demonstrators will move towards the Serbian Embassy to protest against the ban of the gay pride in October this year and voice out the dreadful human rights violations on behalf of the LGBT+ community in Serbia.

“We urge the concerned governments to apply their own laws on anti-discrimination and not arbitrary deprive the LGBT+ community of their human rights. We are concerned about the recent developments and hate-crime waves especially in Macedonia. We call for an immediate end of state-organized, -endorsed and tolerated violence against the LGBT+ community.” say the organizers.

“Since the pride marches are with rare exception all banned in the Balkan, we will march tomorrow in the streets of Brussels for the rights of our fellow LGBT+ community and we will show international solidarity for our friends in the Balkans” say the organizing bodies of the demonstration.

On behalf of the Brussels Balkan Pride,

Philippe Schockweiler,
Committee Member, FYEG
Federation of European Young Greens

It’s Over… again!

So the Belgrade seminar is over and it’s time for group photo and hug.

Good news is, that the third child of ours is on the way. Tuzla in December.

We Support Pride!

After the pride was banned the participants of our seminar decided to spread a word with some other way. So, why not make a video? We did and it turned out to be really lovely… and supportive 🙂

Thanks to Mel and Gio for shooting and editing

 

Queer Lefts

Gay Liberation Movement and the Left: comrades and opponents was the title of the lecture that opened the morning session of day two at QGT/GQT seminar in Belgrade. The lecturer, Dušan Marković from Belgrade University, gave us a theoretical insight in history of homosexuality, tracing it’s root in the French Revolution and abolition of anti-sodomy laws, when homosexuality was founded as an embodied practice and a social construct. Theoretical framework on which Marković based his research mostly follows the thought of Foucault’s History of Sexuality. Tracing homosexuality from the French Revolution to contemporary times we can see two different historical approaches to it, one trying to explain it as a different category among humans, “the third sex”, different from female and male, and the other explaining homosexuality as a variation of human sexuality. In the lecture the author gave us the point of view on homosexuality of authors such as de Sade, Marx, Engels, Wilde, Freud and political philosophies such as of French Revolution, Socialism, October Revolution, Nazism and Communism.

Theoretical framework of the lecture was mostly based on Foucault History of Sexuality.

In the conclusion author compared Stonewall movement form 1969 and contemporary pride manifestation stating their different political standpoints. From the point of view of the Left the author criticise the pride organisation for the lack of critical position towards capitalism, for the politics of identity/particularity, commercialisation and restoration of conservative values of marriage and family.

In the short discussion rise the issue of lack of lesbian perspective of the whole presentation as it was exclusively based on men sexuality.

From Homocidal Parents To Queer Art

Readers and Books

During the first day of the LGBT Belgrade Seminar we had also the chance to experience the Living Library – “Welcome in the Orient of Europe”. Functioning in an incredible creative way, some of us became readers and some books, divided then into groups and start “reading a book”.  With topics such as queer art, the path of LGBT in Albania, or actual debates on renewing the Slovenian family, the group tried to catch as more as possible from each book, by doing questions and talking to the book. The process was about to change so everybody could read at least two books.

Some of the participants, amazed by the book they were reading and having conversations in three, in the end wrote a book review. One wrote the book which was talking about parents who were abusing their daughter because of her sexual lesbian orientation. The couple (fathers) were isolating her in the house and following her to the school and everywhere she was about to go. Also they were taking her to the churches to “heal” her. Luckily she left home for studies.

“Interesting story about violence of parents when they found out their daughter is lesbian. Then we talked about J.Lo, Madonna and Cher because Vugar turned out to be reading the book”.

Arber read a book about the queer artists, a new age in the Balkans. According to him and Melissa, who in this case was representing the book, the book itself is a queer artist and feels very comfortable in this position.

“Some of straight artists are actually queer artists to some point, but they cannot realize it without being “criticized” by others that actually belong to the group, at some extend. In Balkans there is no such a queer art culture on tradition, but still this wonderful kind of art has a theory and its own respective methodology. Queer art is not well covered by media, because the lousy cultural journalists don’t go to the queer art events. Queer art is not an angry one. It’s positive and strong challenge” wrote Arber in his book review about the queer artists.

Anja had a short and compact story about the actual debates on reviewing the Slovenian family on law on very fluent English, while Rodi had a history from the late 60`s when in Albania the first gay people started to come out of the closet.

This session made clear that bunch of very interesting people with fascinating personal stories has gathered in Belgrade. The seminar looks very promising from this point.

By Arber,

❤