EL*C: The Lesbian Business Providing Safety In & Through Ukraine | GO Mag

“are you currently frightened?” Olena Shevchenko questioned attendees from the 2nd


EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community (EL*C)


Meeting in Kyiv, back 2019. Outside, a belligerent crowd of far-right demonstrators, having “Homosexuality is a Disease” and “Our company is Against Gays” banners, experimented with enter the resort that hosted the summit. The Ukrainian police fortified the resort, since the mob hurled pepper jet bombs in to the lobby in which individuals were registering.

The meeting


had been out of stock; 350 folks from 42 nations, spanning from Brazil to Kazakhstan, alongside 80 scholars and leaders from Ukraine. As attendees got their own seats and soothed their own stressed methods – many however cleaning whole milk on the pepper sprayed sight – the competition taken care of immediately Shevchenko’s concern with a unanimous and unequivocal, “No!”

“It actually was an extremely effective second inside the meeting,” Ilaria Todde, EL*C’s Advocacy Dykerector says to review the telephone. “We revealed that facing this precise, quite strong, really dangerous oppression, we found a unity that has been excessively powerful.” The EL*C symbolizes – and is led by – lesbian, bisexual, trans and queer females. The asterisk is actually indicative of this organization’s “broad and inclusive” reclamation of word lesbian, Todde clarifies, observing that non-binary people who relate genuinely to the lesbian endeavor have become welcome too.

2019 had been, needless to say, an alternative truth in Ukraine and Europe typically, but EL*C had firmly grasped the country’s significance back then. “We decided to head to Kyiv that season available support and power to the community… really complex geopolitical scenario,” says Todde, referring to the 2014 Euromaidan protests, Russia’s annexation of Crimea specifically, the


nation’s anti-gender action.

“We understood that lesbians in Ukraine were striving,” she claims. “The anti-gender movement has this two fold impact: on one part this has a primary determination to hinder the growth of LGBTQI+ legal rights, but it is in addition a powerful backlash on ladies rights. And undoubtedly, lesbians coming to this intersection, we are specifically challenging.”

As a “complex” fraction team, in a greatly difficult a portion of the world, one doesn’t need to be too verbose to wow the necessity associated with scenario for lesbians in your community now.

Shevchenko  – just who questioned if citizens were afraid on 2019 Kyiv convention – is actually a number one


Ukrainian LGBTQ+ activist


, a board member of EL*C, and until last week, a resident of Kyiv. With Russia edging closer, she relocated – in addition to quite a few of her fellow residents – toward much safer city of Lviv, in american Ukraine. Shevchenko provides install a shelter for internally displaced society members truth be told there. Those that need to make the journey over the border are given the phone many various other important people in the EL*C, that arranged two secure homes regarding the Polish edge. Co-Chair Evgenia Giakoumopoulou, Co-Executive Dykerector Dragana Todorovic, and Board representative Helena Vukovic – are common from the ground, on neighbouring dirt, would love to gather lesbian and queer refugees and deliver these to protection. Because the start of battle, they’ve got helped 61 LBT refugees in addition to their young ones; half have-been hosted in EL*C’s shelters.

“from inside the secure homes, we can supply the very first standard you would need after these types of a complex journey,” says Todde. “We are now additionally trying to bring humanitarian aid inside Ukraine, because the situation is starting to-be really complicated, fundamental requirements have to be satisfied in these shelters in american Ukraine… therefore need to make sure the aid is reaching all of them, and Olena.”

As soon as we spoke over the telephone, Todde didn’t pause for air. She talked with fantastic conviction, awareness, cleverness and compassion – a reflection in the EL*C alone. This firecracker activist energy is the precise force you would desire in their part, from the border of a land in such a moment in time of despair and chaos.

Todde was a student in Bulgaria whenever we talked, alongside Silvia Casalino, Co-Executive Dykerector of EL*C. The pair had only left Romania. They’d been connecting with


Queer Sisterhood Cluj


, that are additionally supplying humanitarian make it possible to LGBTQ+ shelters in Ukraine. Then, they certainly were off to relate with


Genderdoc


in Moldova. “we have been witnessing how exactly we can collaborate… the objective of this week is truly build powerful connections together with the area, because we realize discover probably going to be a massive stress with this location, considering the battle, as a result of the Russian intrusion.”

More afield – and considering for the a lot more average phrase – EL*C are creating a


Lesbian Hosting System


, event over 300 availabilities: extra areas, sofa bedrooms, and 2nd apartments within a week. These include currently transferring lesbians in Spain, Bulgaria, Germany therefore the UK, and also have aided two lesbian family members (plus their unique animals) get right to the Netherlands, and a lesbian pair to Portugal.

After that absolutely the lasting advocacy work. “we understand already that LBT females are up against an amount of threat of discrimination and assault, which can be larger than the refugee in general,” says Todde. “So all of our efforts are probably going to be extremely dedicated to offering people who have obvious, obtainable and correct details, perhaps with respect to same-gender connection identification… legal identification of gender and recognition of parenthood,” she states, noting the landscaping and legislation vary significantly across europe.

This is on top of the basic information: how to get temporary position in number nations, health and personal help, work solutions and housing. Lots of people in the EL*C have worked with refugees, even though some regarding board members have-been refugees themselves. Throughout the talk, Todde demonstrates the business’s deep expertise and concern in their brief, medium and long-term strategizing today of situation in Europe.

For many folks, many miles out, we scroll on in helplessness as refugees fall through breaks of national borders (in Ukraine along with many other places in the world). Why don’t we understand that minority groups like lesbians, like ourselves, can often drop through further fractures… breaks that lots of can’t even see.

It’s time for all of us to get the money where in actuality the most in need in our society are. It’s time to program the EL*C, a company which has had mobilized on and around a war-zone, which they – like the individuals they take to secure residences – are not by yourself.

You’ll donate to the




EL*C’s Lesbians for Refugees Fundraiser




right here
. Think about signing up for the




Lesbian Internet Network




as well as,




lez spread the term




– as the EL*C tirelessly express – our very own area is actually tiny but mighty.

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