ST. PETERSBURG TO HOST RUSSIA's BIGGEST QUEER CULTURAL EVENT

ILGCN World Rainbow Cultural Conference Stage Included

ST. PETERSBURG TO HOST RUSSIA's
BIGGEST QUEER CULTURAL EVENT

St. Petersburg -- The International Festival of Queer Culture 2009 -- September 17-27, 2009 -- will take place in this Russian city as the largest-scale event of this type in this country so far. Several public organisations and initiative groups of St. Petersburg, both LBGT and non-LBGT, have joined forces to create this 10-day multi-event festival which is supported by partners varying from the Swedish and Dutch consulates to the St. Petersburg guidebooks.



The program includes theatrical performances, photo and art exhibitions, poetry slams, seminars, workshops, discussions, and music. Rockfest, the closing festival event, presents several emerging as well as well-established bands from St. Petersburg and is head-lined by the American group, Betty.

The events also include the 3rd stage of this year´s ILGCN (International Lesbian & Gay Cultural Network) World Rainbow Cultural Conference (earlier stages in Bucharest and Budapest) on September 21 -- with a special focus on Nordic rainbow cultural co-operation with collegues in Eastern Europe. It will also include the ILGCN's and Tupilak's (Nordic rain bow cultural workers) travelling art and photo exhibition with works from 25 nations.

"Queer" is the chosen concept for the festival aiming to celebrate university and diversity and as a rebellion against stigmas and labels. The term "queer" aims to go beyond the LGBT-sphere and to include everyone, expanding the rigid frameworks surrounding social stereotypes and stereotypes of identity, sex and gender. The message the festival hopes to bring forward is that all are different but all are united by one language - the language of art, and by common values - values of love, tolerance and mutual respect. The ambition of the festival is also to unite different people around constructive creativity and positive emotions.

More information and questions: http://www.queerfest.ru/en/index.shtml queer.fest2009@gmail.com

Information concerning the ILGCN conference and activities: www.ilgcn.tupilak.org

ISRAELI GAY ACTIVIST NAMED ILGCN "RAINBOW WARRIOR" 2009

PRESS RELEASE AUGUST 13, 2009



Stockholm -- Gay Israeli activist and pacifist, Ezra Nawi, has been awarded thee 2009 "Rainbow Warrior" by the ILGCN (International Lesbian & Gay Cultural Network) for his outstanding and courageous efforts to stop the destruction of Palestinian homes and the ousting of Palestian farmers from their land in occupied territory.



"The 57-year-old plumber by trade is an excellent example of the resistance to injustice and homophobia in a turbulent Middle East," says Bill Schiller, secretary general of the ILGCN Information Secretariat in Stockholm. "Ezra Nawi illustrates how bright the rainbow colors shine when stretched over geographic, ethnic, religious, gender and age barriers. He should be honored both by Israelis and Palestinians alike -- instead of facing court room judges and threats of prison sentences."

Although this international award diploma does not include any monetary sum, it is awarded with golden appreciation for important work well done -- promoting the identity, culture and visibility of the LGBT community and its roll in the global human rights battle for everyone. The diploma is to be presented in person as soon as possible in the Swedish capital or other appropriate place when a time and site can be chosen.

Earlier "Rainbow Warrior" awards have gone to courageous Polish gay and heterosexual activists defying homophobic media, politicians, religious leaders and neo nazi violence.

More information: www.ilgcn.tupilak.org

3rd stage of the 2009 ILGCN (International World Rainbow Culture Conference) * St. Petersburg.

3rd stage of the 2009 ILGCN (International World Rainbow Culture Conference) * St. Petersburg. September 21, 2009

(**part of the INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF QUEER CULTURE SEPTEMBER 19-27, 2009 -- St. Petersburg, Russia http://queerfest.ru/en )



Multi-cultural presentation:

*NORDIC RAINBOW CULTURAL CO-OPERATION WITH EASTERN EUROPE * using art, music, song, film, dance, poetry, drama and journalism as powerful international weapons against homophobia, intolerance and silence*

-- Anne Jaaskelainen * singer/songwriter and chair woman of the annual Tribade Day & Night Festival * Helsinki, Finland

-- Bill Schiller * Swedish Radio journalist, chairman of Tupilak
(Nordic rainbow culture workers) and secretary general of the ILGCN Information Secretariat - Stockholm

Photo Exhibit: "Nordic Delegation to Bucharest Pride" -- by Jussi Jaaskelainen, Finland

Also: samples from the Tupilak & ILGCN Travelling Art & Photo Exhibition * works from Iceland to Lithuania, Russia to Denmark, Portugal to Norway.


***** (1st stage of the ILGCN 2009 conference: Bucharest - May 21 2nd stage Budapest -- September 3-4).

KULTUR PROGRAM -- CULTURE PROGRAM

"Tupilak performance at Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland."


BUCHAREST -- Succesful 1st stage of this year's ILGCN world rainbow cultural conference in the Romanian capital, May 22 (part of annual Gayfest).

BUDAPEST -- The 2nd stage of the ILGCN world conference has been postponed since the dates for Budapest Pride have been moved back to August 30 - September 6.

ST. PETERSBURG -- September 21 for the 3rd stage of the ILGCN conference 2009.(part of Russian Rainbow Cultural Festival).

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SWEDEN:

Visby -- Tupilak /ILGCN work will be presented at the Baltic Square solidarity event on this Swedish island between June 29 - August 4 during a major political/cultural week.

Stockholm --

• Monday July 27 "Nordic Rainbow Culture over Nordic Borders." 16.00 Pride House

• Tuesday, July 28
  Nordic Rainbow Co- with Eastern Europe 15.00 Teater Tribunalen
  Nordisk Rainbows in Chains: Belarus 15.30 Teater Tribunalen
  Rainbow Cultural Co-oepration over Nordic Borders 16.00 Teater Tribunalen
  Humanists on the Rainbow Barricades 16.30 Teater Tribunalen
  Nazi & neo Nazi Persecution of the LGBT" 17.30 Teater Tribunalen

• Tupilak/ILGCN Travelling Art & Photo Exhibition, Photo Exhibit: "27 Prides in the EU"

Performances in the afternoon at Teater Tribunalen.

• Wednesday, July 29 "The Dark Side of the Nordic Rainbow: Faroes" 12.00 Pride House
  
  
• Thursday, July 30
  Humanists on the Rainbow Barricades 13.00 Pride House
  Nordic Co-operation with Eastern Europe. 15:00 Pride House
  Nazi & neo Nazi Persecution of LGBT 17.00 Pride House

Gothenburg -- Work of Tupilak/ILGCN will be presented at the International Square solidarity event at the giant book fair

(the biggest annual cultural event of the Nordic region) September 24-27.

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VILNIUS -- A European Parliament/ ILGCN rainbow cultural exhibition and seminars are planned for October in the Lithuanian capital -- this year the European Cultural Capital which so far has ignored rainbow contributions.

RAINBOW FLAGS ON SWEDISH BALTIC ISLAND

Tupilak, Nordic Rainbow Council, ILGCN, Nordic Rainbow Humanists:



Visby – A successful week of discussions, art and photos, Nordic CD music and performances took place June 29-July 3 at the" Almedalen Week" in this capital of this eastern Baltic Swedish island of Gotland -- during the biggest political, human rights and cultural week of the Swedish summer.

"We were pleased to be once again at the large silo in Visy harbor, " says Bill Schiller of the ILGCN (International Lesbian & Gay Cultural Network) Information Secretariat – Stockholm -- together with some 25 other internationally-minded human rights organizations.

Tupilak also participated in other LGBT discussions among the over 1,000 seminars and other events during the week, pointing out the urgent need to help Nordic colleagues on the other side of the Baltic Sea by criticizing the Lithuanian Parliament's ban on all positive information about homosexuality and the program of "Vilnius – European Cultural Capital 2009" deliberately ignoring rainbow culture.

Bifrost Award to Baltic Square and Fellow Participants

During the week, Tupilak handed out the first of this year's "Bifrost Award" to the Östersjö Torget "for promoting rainbow rights and culture and proving that human rights groups working together can create a strong voice for international solidarity." The 2nd of this year's winner will be announced in September at the giant Gothenburg Book Fair. (Bifrost is the old Norse word for "rainbow" -- linking the world of the Viking gods and human beings – and honors today's hetereosexual-homosexual bridge- building.

At the "Baltic Square" presentation by Balkan women planning to repeat the "Almedalen" solidarity week in Belgrade this fall, Tupilak promised to send a delegation to the "Freja Forum" in the Serbian capital 13-15 November.

Helping man the Tupilak tent in Visby this time was the Swedish Peace organization, Peace Quest International.

More information: info@tupilak.org

NORDIC HUMANIST AWARD TO ROMANIANS

PRESS RELEASE MAY, 2009


BUCHAREST/STOCKHOLM -- The 2009 Nordic Rainbow Humanist award has been
presented to the memers of the newly-started Rumanian Humanist
Association.

The award diploma was handed out during the ILGCN (International
Lesbian & Gay Cultural Network) 1st stage of this year's world rainbow
cultural conference in the Romanian capital oon May 21st as part of
this year's annual Bucharest GayFest.

The Romanians are being honored for -- despite the association's
young age and the fierce homophobia from politicians, religious
leaders, the media and neo nazi hooligans in that Eastern European
nation -- giving strong support to the LGBT community and for
standing up in solidarity in public at Pride parades and LGBT cultural
events -- proving that real progress for human rights can best be
achieved by gays and straights jointly manning the rainbow barricades.

Earlier awards from the Stockholm-based Nordic Rainbow Humanists
have gone to pioneering human rights activists in Britain, Norway,
Sweden, the Netherlands and Nigeria (see diploma for details).

For more information: http://www.tupilak.org

TUPILAK CULTURAL EVENING

Wednesday April 22, 2009 19.00 www.tupilak.org

Musik Valvet Kåkbrinken 5 Gamla Stan, Stockholm
(a few steps away from the exit of the "Old Town" tube station)






Preliminary program:

• Jenny Gabrielsson -- song and music
  
  
• Peter Fröberg -- music and song
  
  
• "LGBT films at major film festivals" -- Marit Kapla, director of the Gothenburg International Film Festival
  
  
• "Tupilak and ILGCN (International rainbow cultural network) Events 2009"
  - from Riga to Krakow, Visby to Bucharest, Gothenburg to St. Petersburg
  -- Bill Schiller, Tupilak chairman and secretary general of the ILGCN Information Secretariat - Stockholm
  
  
• "News from Rainbow Colleagues in Belarus* -- Yury Kazhura, Tupilak international secretary.
  
  
• Bastian Damascus "Flowers of the Cock" -- dance-performance
  
  
• Tupilak award ceremony
  

Wine at budget prices!


(No entrance fee, but donations appreciated to help cover the rent!)

NOTE: Short Tupilak steering committee meeting at 18.00. (Open to all members as well.)


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Supporting Tupilak, ILGCN: Nordic Rainbow Council, Nordic Rainbow Humanists



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Tupilak has members in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland. Iceland, Åland, Faroes, Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania.