Members of European Parliament Strongly Affirm Support for European Lesbian* Conference in Hungary
The current political climate in Central Europe is proving to be more and more difficult each day for LGBTIQ+ communities with Serbian president wanting to cancel EuroPride and Hungarian prime minister running an increasingly tight ship on civil liberties. On this challenging backdrop, lesbians have been working tirelessly to foster community and resistance against authoritarian far right rhetoric and policies.
It is so much more important now that the EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community (EL*C) is going to Budapest in an overarching display of solidarity to the courageous lesbians on the ground dealing with the anti-gender backlash and the anti-LGBTQI+ measures of the Orban government. This year the European Lesbian* Conference will take place between 29 September and 1 October and it is co-organized by the EL*C alongside our Hungarian partners Labrisz Lesbian Association and qLit. The conference is brimming with compelling keynote speeches, thought-provoking panels, exciting workshops and it includes a powerful Budapest Dyke March to send a strong message to the current government that lesbians are resisting.
At the press conference organized by ELMA today, we heard statements on the importance of this monumental lesbian event from Ilaria Todde, Advocacy and Research Dykerector of EL*C, from Malin Anna Björk and Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield, members of the European Parliament, from Fanni Rebró, communication manager of Labrisz Lesbian Association, and from Sihame Haddioui, council woman for culture and gender equality of Schaerbeek, Bruxelles and EL*C #3 Conference panelist. We rely here on their messages:
I indeed represent the European Parliament, I am the rapporteur, so I am not talking in my voice, I am talking in the voice of the Parliament and the European Parliament has said again and again how concerned it is about the situation in Hungary, on all the attacks on rule of law and dismantling of liberties and more specifically on the question of the minorities and LGBTI rights. […] We need government to protect the freedom of LGBTI people. Hungary is a place today where you feel insecurity when you know what the leadership of this country says about LGBTI people, and this is a huge problem. In the eyes of the Hugarian government today there is a refusal of any diversity, there is a refusal of any specificity and Malin was particularly attacked (note: in Octobre 2021, in Hungary) because of who she was and not because of the ideas that she was defending.
Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield, members of the European Parliament
EL*C for us is a very important actor in the intersection of feminist and LGBTI struggles and their work since 2017 has shown that in so many ways. Very important topics will be raised, and we will be able to celebrate political lesbian activism and projects. As a lesbian myself, I look forward to being with you in Budapest. We see how extreme right- and right-wing conservatives arfe attacking LGBTI rights, lesbian rights and women’s rights in a quite blunt way in the European Parliament and in certain member states so it’s ever more important that we ally together and that we resist, that we stand up for human rights, democracy and stand up for everyone’s safety. To do that, the international support, the support of the EP, the support of other governments and the support of the media is extremely important because what we want to do in Budapest is to have a safe, cheerful and rebellious gathering where we can advance human rights agenda and democracy and that will be possible only if we have the international support.
Malin Anna Björk, Member of European Parliament
The conference will be an empowering moment for us all, the opportunity to celebrate lesbian lives, our achievements, our powers and to denounce the multiple and intersectional discrimination the lesbians from all over Europe, Central Asia and the world face and the ways in which we exist, and we resist. It will be a celebration, a strong moment of support for our friends and colleagues in Hungary and for the lesbians from Ukraine, the refugees that EL*C has been supporting in the past 7 months. We cannot wait to be there. We invite of course all of you to attend but also, we ask you to keep your attention focused on what will happen in Budapest between the 29 September and the 1st of October and to support us in ensuring that minorities everywhere can exist and express themselves without fear for their life and safety.
Ilaria Todde, Advocacy and Research Dykerector of EL*C
The ELC conference in autumn 2022 will provide an excellent opportunity for individuals and communities from different countries to exchange ideas in the intellectual arena and to make new acquaintances and friendships through community programs.
EL*C, Labrisz and qLit condemn the resurgence of far-right politics and anti-human rights narratives in Europe and around the world. In addition to calling for a boycott, we want to help raise the visibility of all efforts to spread positive messages about feminism and the LGBTIQ community, especially where these efforts are led by lesbian groups. The aim of the three NGOs is to have as many countries as possible represented from all parts of Europe and Central Asia. With the central location of the event, we hope to attract a wide audience from different regions.
Fanni Rebró, communication manager of Labrisz Lesbian Association
When I was asked to join a panel in this edition of the European Lesbian* Conference in Budapest, I was really happy because of three reasons: to support my sisters, but also because I realized that we don’t have to travel that far to find an enemy of the LGBT, we just have to stay in Europe and open our eyes.
Sihame Haddioui, council woman for culture and gender equality of Schaerbeek, Bruxelles and EL*C #3 Conference panelist
The European Lesbian* Conference: Lesbian RESISTANCE! is taking place between 29 September and 1 October 2022 in Budapest, Hungary. We are looking forward to your support by covering the event and having the international media’s eye on us in order to ensure the safety of the event and its participants.
Further information:
Oana Dorobantu
Communication and Media