EL*C: The Lesbian Company Offering Protection In & All-around Ukraine | GO Mag

“Could You Be scared?” Olena Shevchenko requested attendees on second


EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community (EL*C)


Conference in Kyiv, in 2019. External, a belligerent audience of far-right demonstrators, having “Homosexuality is a Disease” and “we’re Against Gays” banners, experimented with break right into the resort that managed the seminar. The Ukrainian authorities fortified the resort, as the mob hurled pepper spray bombs to the reception where everyone was joining.

The summit


had been sold out; 350 folks from 42 countries, spanning from Brazil to Kazakhstan, alongside 80 scholars and leaders from Ukraine. As attendees took their own chairs and soothed their own anxious programs – numerous still cleaning whole milk on the pepper sprayed eyes – the crowd taken care of immediately Shevchenko’s question with a unanimous and unequivocal, “No!”

“it absolutely was a truly strong moment for the seminar,” Ilaria Todde, EL*C’s Advocacy Dykerector informs GO over the device. “We revealed that facing this specific, very strong, really dangerous oppression, we found a unity which was very powerful.” The EL*C shows – and it is directed by – lesbian, bisexual, trans and queer ladies. The asterisk is actually indicative with the organization’s “broad and inclusive” reclamation on the phrase lesbian, Todde explains, observing that non-binary individuals who relate with the lesbian challenge are particularly welcome too.

2019 was, naturally, another reality in Ukraine and Europe in general, but EL*C had completely understood the united states’s value in those days. “We made a decision to choose Kyiv that season to supply assistance and energy to our society… in a very challenging geopolitical scenario,” says Todde, making reference to the 2014 Euromaidan protests, Russia’s annexation of Crimea and in particular, the


country’s anti-gender motion.

“We realized that lesbians in Ukraine happened to be struggling,” she states. “The anti-gender activity features this dual effect: on one area it’s an immediate willingness to hinder the advancement of LGBTQI+ legal rights, but it is additionally a powerful backlash on ladies’ rights. As well as, lesbians being at this intersection, we are particularly complex.”

As a “challenging” minority class, in a tremendously complex the main world, someone doesn’t need are too verbose to wow the importance for the scenario for lesbians in the region now.

Shevchenko  – who questioned if people were frightened during the 2019 Kyiv meeting – is a prominent


Ukrainian LGBTQ+ activist


, a board member of EL*C, and until a week ago, a homeowner of Kyiv. With Russia edging better, she moved – with nearly all her other people – to the better city of Lviv, in american Ukraine. Shevchenko provides install a shelter for internally displaced area people indeed there. Those that need to make your way across the line are given the telephone number of additional essential members of the EL*C, with install two secure homes regarding the Polish border. Co-Chair Evgenia Giakoumopoulou, Co-Executive Dykerector Dragana Todorovic, and Board representative Helena Vukovic – are out on the ground, on neighbouring soil, would love to collect lesbian and queer refugees and deliver them to protection. Since the beginning of the combat, they will have helped 61 LBT refugees and their youngsters; 1 / 2 happen hosted in EL*C’s shelters.

“For The safe houses, we’re able to give you the very first fundamental give you support would need after these types of an elaborate quest,” claims Todde. “Our company is now also trying to deliver humanitarian aid inside Ukraine, considering that the situation is beginning are extremely complicated, standard needs must be satisfied on these shelters in american Ukraine… and now we need to make sure the help is reaching them, and Olena.”

As soon as we spoke over the telephone, Todde didn’t pause for breath. She talked with fantastic conviction, consciousness, cleverness and compassion – a reflection associated with EL*C it self. This firecracker activist energy sources are the precise power one would want within spot, during the line of a land in such a minute of despair and turmoil.

Todde was at Bulgaria whenever we spoke, alongside Silvia Casalino, Co-Executive Dykerector of EL*C. The two had merely left Romania. They had already been linking with


Queer Sisterhood Cluj


, that in addition providing humanitarian make it possible to LGBTQ+ shelters in Ukraine. Then, these people were off to connect to


Genderdoc


in Moldova. “we have been witnessing the way we can collaborate… the aim of recently would be to actually build powerful links using the area, because we all know there is certainly gonna be a large force about this area, because of the combat, due to the Russian intrusion.”

More afield – and thinking inside a lot more average phase – EL*C are creating a


Lesbian Hosting System


, meeting over 300 availabilities: spare spaces, couch bedrooms, and second flats within each week. They’re presently relocating lesbians in Spain, Bulgaria, Germany and the UK, as well as have assisted two lesbian family members (plus their particular pets) get to the Netherlands, and a lesbian couple to Portugal.

Subsequently absolutely the long-term advocacy work. “we understand already that LBT women is facing a level of likelihood of discrimination and violence, which is bigger than the refugee generally,” states Todde. “So our very own efforts are likely to be extremely centered on offering people with clear, obtainable and correct info, perhaps in terms of same-gender relationship recognition… legal identification of gender and identification of parenthood,” she states, observing that the landscaping and law differ significantly across European countries.

This is on top of the basic info: how-to acquire temporary standing in number countries, health and personal assistance, employment solutions and property. Numerous members of the EL*C have worked with refugees, while many of their board members have already been refugees by themselves. Throughout our talk, Todde shows the organization’s strong expertise and concern within their small, average and lasting strategizing today of situation in European countries.

For a lot of of us, lots of miles away, we scroll on in helplessness as refugees fall through the splits of nationwide edges (in Ukraine and also in numerous other places worldwide). Why don’t we keep in mind that fraction groups like lesbians, like our selves, could drop through further fractures… splits that lots of are unable to even see.

It’s the perfect time for people to put our very own cash where in fact the the majority of in need within neighborhood are. It is time to program the EL*C, a company with which has mobilized on and around a war-zone, which they – such as the individuals they decide to try secure homes – aren’t by yourself.

You can subscribe to the




EL*C’s Lesbians for Refugees Fundraiser




here
. Also consider signing up for the




Lesbian Hosting Network




and of course,




lez distribute the phrase




– since the EL*C tirelessly show – the community is actually tiny but mighty.

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