Caribe Afirmativo’s community has one of the highest levels of inequality, violence and lack of opportunities for its inhabitants, including violence and discrimination against LGBT communities.
Caribe Afirmativo, founded in 2009, is an LGBT organization working in the Caribbean region of Colombia, with offices in Cartagena and Santa Marta. Caribe Afirmativo’s community has one of the highest levels of inequality, violence and lack of opportunities for its inhabitants, including violence and discrimination against LGBT communities. Caribe Afirmativo documents and monitors human rights violations of LGBT people and provides support to individuals who file complaints to demand justice at the local, regional and international levels. They conduct research on lesbophobia, homophobia and transphobia and has produced work on race and racism in the Caribbean. They also work to insert the voices of LGBT communities in post-conflict processes. Finally, they use art and activism as strategies to raise visibility and create participatory spaces for community development, including supporting the popular theatrical group led by transgender women in Cartagena. *** En Español*** Caribe Afirmativo, fundada en 2009, es una organización LGBT que trabaja en la región caribeña de Colombia, con oficinas en Cartagena y Santa Marta. El Caribe colombiano tiene uno de los niveles más altos de desigualdad, violencia y falta de oportunidades para sus habitantes, incluyendo la violencia y la discriminación contra las comunidades LGBT. Caribe Afirmativo documenta y monitorea rigurosamente las violaciones de derechos humanos de las personas LGBT y ofrece acompañamiento a personas que someten quejas para exigir justicia a nivel local, regional e internacional. Realiza investigaciones sobre la lesbofobia, la homofobia y la transfobia y ha producido trabajo sobre la raza y el racismo en el Caribe. También trabaja para insertar las voces de las comunidades LGBT en procesos posteriores a conflictos. Por último, usa el arte y el activismo como estrategias para elevar la visibilidad y crear espacios participativos para el desarrollo comunitario, incluyendo apoyar al grupo teatral popular liderado por mujeres trans “Transformando” en Cartagena.
Founded in 2013, the Centre for Equality and Liberty for the LGBT Community in Kosova (CEL) brings together community members to advocate for their rights and shift public attitudes about LGBT issues.
Founded in 2013, the Centre for Equality and Liberty for the LGBT Community in Kosova (CEL) brings together community members to advocate for their rights and shift public attitudes about LGBT issues. Their theatre production “Bent” was the first LGBT-themed play to be performed in the country. The play, performed to packed audiences, helped to revitalize dialogue on human rights and the LGBT community. CEL is now conducting outreach to LGBT community members; creating community spaces for LGBT people, particularly engaging lesbians and bisexual women; and building regional networks by undertaking study visits to LGBT organizations in other countries in the Western Balkans. CEL also focuses its’ work on raising awareness among the general population, in regard to LGBT rights and aims to educate youth and break down barriers caused in their society by misinformation, and conservative attitudes.
Chouf is a feminist organization working about women bodily and sexual rights in Tunisia.
Chouf is a feminist organization working about women bodily and sexual rights in Tunisia. The organization is based on an egalitarian principle that rejects any hierarchical ordering of its members. Chouf defines itself as a group of activists who rely on audiovisual material in their work. In fact, they strongly believe that these audiovisual tools are the most pertinent and effective means to effect immediate change in our social environment and rid us of the stereotypes and prejudiced views we face on a daily basis. They have a multiplicity of objectives, but they all revolve around one necessity: allowing tunisian women, and more specifically FSF women, a safe environment in which they can express themselves freely and work on developing their potentials; an opportunity that otherwise would have been very difficult to obtain given the double discrimination that these women have to face. Indeed, they are oppressed not only for their womanhood, but also for their sexual orientation that is regarded as a deviation from established social norms. In the transitional context they are living after the revolution, feminism has never been of such importance as it is now for the young generations. The rising threat of a radical politicization of Islam that they have witnessed during the past months, together with the patriarchal nature of our educational and societal models, has made it necessary for them to defend their rightful place as women in Tunisia.
For women of the organization Chouf, feminism has always been the source of their inspiration and growth, guiding our involvement in politics and integration in the social and cultural affairs of our country. Their life choices, their professional careers, and their struggles have always been shaped by their deep awareness of being women. That is why they do not associate their feminist vision with any political system. On the contrary, they define it as an acquired awareness and a shattering of the guilt often suffered by women in their search of intellectual and physical freedom; including having a sexuality that does not correspond to what is expected of them in a society governed by men for their own benefit.
Rosa Rabiosa is an LGBTIQ collective in Lima with the mission of promoting social justice, liberation and equal access to resources for the LGBTQI community.
Rosa Rabiosa is an LGBTIQ collective in Lima with the mission of promoting social justice, liberation and equal access to resources for the LGBTQI community. It is composed of a multidisciplinary team composed of artists, youth, activists and academic researchers. In the last three years Rosa Rabiosa through research (two publications), theater (three LGBTIQ testimonial works) and political advocacy has expanded its movement and bases, deeply rooted in the participatory and horizontal organization. Shaping the team, the lines of work, the base of young activists and using innovative tactics has led to the mobilization of impressive support throughout the country for its LGBTQI public policy goals, education and cultural change.
*** En Español***
Rosa Rabiosa es un colectivo LGBTIQ en Lima con la misión de promover la justicia social, la liberación y el acceso igualitario a recursos para la comunidad LGBTQI. Está integrado por un equipo multidisciplinario compuesto por artistas, jóvenes, activistas e investigadorxs académicxs. En los últimos tres años el Rosa Rabiosa a través de la investigación (dos publicaciones), el teatro (tres obras testimoniales LGBTIQ) y la incidencia política ha expandido su movimiento y bases, arraigadas profundamente en la organización participativa y horizontal. La conformación del equipo, la líneas de trabajo, la base de activistas jóvenes y usar tácticas innovadoras ha generado la movilización de un impresionante apoyo a lo largo del país por sus metas de políticas públicas LGBTQI, educación y cambio cultural.
Deb has created the documentary film Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four. In 1997 and 1998 four young, Latina lesbians from San Antonio, Texas were wrongfully convicted and sentenced to prison. All were alleged to have gang-raped two girls. An investigator speculated they were involved in “Satanic-related sexual abuse,” and their sexuality was used against them during the trial. They have been released from prison. This project documents their story.
Deborah S. Esquenazi is a Texas-based documentary film and radio producer, instructor, and video artist committed to using media to reveal social inequities, rally support for important causes, and create probing, powerful documentary work.
Southwest of Salem has received international attention for its investigation into this controversial criminal case, and been mentioned in Forbes Magazine, New York Times, Texas Observer, among others. This film was supported by the Sundance Institute for Documentary Film Program, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Initiative, Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation, and Chicken & Egg Pictures.
Deb is also curating a retrospective exhibition on the multi-media of Bruce Jackson, the renowned folklorist, photographer and filmmaker who photographed the bygone era of slave plantation turned prison farm circa 1960’s. She is also collaborating with the renowned Fusebox Festival ThinkEAST project, supported by Artplace America, on an experimental series of teen-led short films that explore issues of Latino identity, criminality, and cultural equity.
Detroit REPRESENT! is a collective of LGBTQ youth of color from Detroit with the mission to inspire and support media organizing.
Detroit REPRESENT! is a collective of LGBTQ youth of color from Detroit with the mission to inspire and support media organizing in order to resist erasure, transform oppression, and create authentic portrayals of their communities, their lives, and themselves. The group started in 2011 when a group of LGBTQ youth of color from all corners of the city started gathering at a nearby church every week to teach each other photography, and discuss the oppression within mainstream media. Detroit REPRESENT! uses collaborative community media production as a tool of leadership development amongst LGBTQ youth of color as they become community organizers. The media that that members and participants produce then also increases LGBTQ youth visibility and understanding in Detroit and the region. Detroit REPRESENT! has been youth-conceived and youth-led and has always been made up of the most marginalized, specifically LGBTQ youth of color.
This organization is supported through the Funding Queerly Giving Circle, which is housed at Astraea.
Diverse Voices and Action for Equality started in 2011 to formalize a growing grassroots LBTI peer support group in Suva, Fiji.
Diverse Voices and Action for Equality started in 2011 to formalize a growing grassroots LBTI peer support group in Suva, Fiji. DIVA has since grown to become a feminist Fiji national collective and network of high need and marginalised lesbians, bisexual women, trans masculine and gender nonconforming and intersex women and people working from local to global, on issues of human rights and social justice, including gender and sexual, social, economic and ecological justice. We prioritise work in Fiji and Pacific small island states. DIVA for Equality works from a strong south feminist intersectional and interlinkage analysis – identifying and advocating on lived realities of LBTI women and people, both as a collective and community, and through joint work with other feminists, wider women-led groups and community groups, civil society groups and social movements, and Pacific governments as able – toward recognition, protection and advancement of sexual rights, human rights, gender justice and social, economic, ecological and climate justice. DIVA for Equality provides practical urgent action and support to lesbian, bisexual women and transgender masculine and gender nonconforming women and people. We strengthen, create and facilitate safe spaces to organise, articulate constituency positions, build stronger community led hubs and networks, and increase levels of constructive collaboration in wider civil society and social movements. We struggle for realisation of universal human rights, access to justice and liberation, and resist all marginalisation, discrimination and violence.
Annalise Ophelian is an award-winning filmmaker and the producer/director of the documentary about Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, MAJOR!.
Annalise Ophelian is an award-winning filmmaker and the producer/director of the documentary about Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, MAJOR!. She is a white, queer-identified cis woman, psychologist, and consultant whose work includes Diagnosing Difference (2009). StormMiguel Florez is the co-producer/editor of MAJOR! and is a Xicano transgender musician and filmmaker. He is a graduate of the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project and on the leadership team of the Transgender GenderVariant Intersex Justice Project.
Watch an interview with Annalise Ophelian and Miss Major, the subject of Ophelian’s documentary:
Intersex Ukraine was founded in 2013 by Julia, an intersex woman, to address social isolation and in Ukraine.
Intersex Ukraine was founded in 2013. They have since developed tools for awareness–raising such as a brochure in Ukrainian (the second expanded edition was recently published): “Who Are Intersexes And How To Be Full Members Of Society Without Losing Themselves” with a lot of social and legal information. Their awareness raising manifests itself as well in a first photo exhibitions about intersex people, and a first documentary on the same topic in the national Ukrainian TV. They also created a short public video about intersex rights, that was presented by two national TV stations and then performed as a social video in a cinema in Kiev, for a week, before each screening. They are also involved in international advocacy, participating or being represented in the CEDAW press conference as well as in the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights “Meeting with partners”. They have strong European connexions, participating in the European Intersex Community Event as well as the ILGA Europe Conference.
EMERGE is a project that creates social impact through visual artistry. EMERGE is the culmination of Sean Saifa Wall’s achievements to date that reflect his documentation of community and history through art. EMERGE is also the parent project for a series of socially motivated projects that will raise awareness of inequity and juxtapose that with resilience.
The funded project, Letters to an Unborn Son (LUS), is a multi-media performance focusing on Saifa and his father, who was incarcerated for four years and died while in prison from AIDS-related complications. LUS draws from letters that he sent during that time to his wife and Saifa, who was assigned female at birth and later transitioned to male. LUS intends to educate people about the experiences of those born with intersex bodies and discuss intersectional issues related to institutional racism, incarceration, poverty, state violence against non-normative bodies, and addiction. Funding will enable EMERGE to develop and stage a performance in Atlanta, as well as start work on the video component of the project.
Check out our 2016 Intersex Awareness Day video, featuring Sean Saifa Wall:
