PRESS RELEASE

Stockholm, May 23, 2013

Future South African and Swedish LGBT Co-operation

Golden Tupilak Awarded to Nelson Mandela at South African Embassy

Bill Schiller & Ambassador Mandisa Dona Marasha (photos by Willi Reichhold)

Stockholm -- A delegation from Tupilak (Nordic rainbow cultural workers) handed over the 2013 Golden Tupilak award to former  President Nelson Mandela via the South African Embassy in the Swedish capital on May 21, 2013.

Receiving the award diploma on his behalf, South African Ambassador Mandisa Dona Marasha said, "This is a great honor and the diploma will be forwarded to Nelson Mandela and the Nelson Mandela Foundation in South Africa. We are also proud that South Africa under President Mandela was the first nation in the world to include "sexual orientation" in the clause on non-discrimination in its state constitution." 

In the embassy discussions of the worsening situation for LGBT people in parts of Africa, in Eastern Europe and elsewhere, First Secretary Eden Reid said, "It is important that the position of Mr. Mandela on LGBT rights is remembered as a reminder to many others today."

The award motivation mentions Mandela´s instructions --  while still in house arrest --  to his assistants not to send away rainbow-flag carrying demonstrators joining in the risk-filled protests chanting 'Free Nelson Mandela' since everyone was needed on the barricades NOW -- not later. 

It also points out that  Mandela -- on one of his first foreign trips as the new president of South Africa -- was asked at a Stockholm press conference what he would do for LGBT people in South Africa, he answered that he "...would leave no stone unturned" in work for the rights of LGBT people in the new South Africa.

"We feel that Nelson Mandela's pioneering position and continued support of LGBT rights is a strong message to many other political and religious leaders around the world trying to win support from reactionary homophobes by publically denouncing LGBT people -- even calling for their persecution, imprisonment and execution," said Bill Schiller, Tupilak's international secretary.

In discussions of future co-operation between Swedish and South African LGBT activists and cultural workers,Penny Hlanze, third secretary at the embassy, said, "We will be happy to help in assisting with contacts to LGBT organizations in South Africa and would very much like to see a mutual exchange between activists and cultural workers in our country and Sweden."

"South Africa has a long history of supporting culture as a powerful means of working against intolerance and discrimination," Eden Reid concluded.

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This Tupilak's finest prize diploma has earlier gone to such individuals and organizations as Amnesty International, Sweden's Civil Rights Defenders, the international humanist movement, the EU's LGBT Network and those working within the United Nations trying to educate and enlighten representatives of homohobic governments which continue to deny human rights and dignity to all citizens.  

A "tupilak" is a Greenlandic voo doo figure cared out of bone by Inuit to destroy enemies.  Tupilak's enemies are homophobia and silence.

More information:  www.tupilak.org   info@tupilak.org      

PRESS RELEASE

Stockholm, May 20, 2013 

TUPILAK/ILGCN  WORKING FOR IMPRISONED BELARUS CLOTHING DESIGNER 

  

Stockholm -- Tupilak (Nordic rainbow cultural workers) and the ILGCN (international rainbow cultural network) have "adopted" imprisoned Belarus clothing designer Sasha Varlamov as a prisoner of conscience and as a victim of a greedy, corrupt undemocratic political system.

He has been accused (and still not sentenced after two years in detention!) and jailed in Belarus on false charges of tax evasion as a cover up for his resistance to the regime's take-over of his lucrative, internationally-recognized business -- a common method of compensating supporters or this the last dictatorship in Eastern Europe -- and as a punishment for Sasha's position as one of the few internationally-established Belarus citizens widely known as a homosexual.

Sasha is also seriously ill and is not receiving proper medical care in prison.

  

"We appeal for support from our Nordic colleagues in Nordic LGBT organizations and media in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Greenland, the Faroes, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania as well as international LGBT organizations such as ILGA, ILGA-Europe and the international youth organization, IGLYO," says Bill Schiller, chairman of Tupilak and secretary general of the ILGCN Information Secretariat- Stockholm.

"We will try to visit Sasha in person when our delegation arrives in Minsk -- a visit made possible thanks to continued support from the Swedish Institute -- the official institution promoting international exchange between Sweden and other countries," Schiller adds.

Letters of support for Sasha -- and even crucial post card greetings -- can be sent to AleksandrVarlamov, SIZO №1, ul. Volodarskogo, 2, 220050 Minsk, Belarus.

Please avoid mentioning Sasha's gay status in your letters and cards as this could worsen his treatment by prison staff.

Suggested lines in Russian:

Саша, держитесь. Мы помним о Вас. Справедливость восторжествует!

More information:   www.Tupilak.org    info@tupilak.org     www.ilgcn.tupilak.org    

Latvian-Belarus-Swedish Rainbow Cultural Event
Riga, April 18-21, 2013

April 18, 18:30 – 20:30
"Humanism vs. Religious Dragons/European Rainbow Humanists" -- Rolf Solheim, Norway

April 19, 18:30 – 21:30
International Live Rainbow Museum
Latvian Presentations and Performances:
Anna Jurkovska, a popular photographer and Jolanta Cihanovica, a public person, will present the pilot photo-project "Men, women, angels"on people, individuality and gender.

Olga Helly, an artist, will present her popular LGBT comic strip.

Katrina Gaile, an artist, and Jade, a genderqueer graphic artist, will present their art.

Jolanta Cihanovica, an actress, will give a performance

Ieva, a journalist from a popular Latvian magazine.

Special guest: Olga Kononova (a transsexual women and Work of Art herself)

Film: selections from a Czech TV programme “Q” about Olga Helly’s dolls and LGBT
culture in Latvia.

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International Presentations and Performances:

Belarus: Rainbow in chains -- Belarus LGBT Journalist Network

Rainbow culture & history -- Tupilak/ILGCN

>Nordic Rainbow co-operation with Eastern Europe - Tupilak/ILGCN

A summary of "Humanism vs. Religious Dragons/European Rainbow Humanists" -- Rolf
Solheim, Norway

"Nordic Rainbow Islands & Remote Regions" -- Mariahamn-Stockholm
archipelago-Visby -- Tupilak/ILGCN.

Peter "Sexodus" Fröberg - songs and music from Sweden

The Mad Monk of Sweden -- a rainbow monologue

Short films: "LGBT Monuments," "Survival" by Willi Reichhold, Sweden

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Travelling Tupilak & ILGCN Rainbow Art & Photography Exhibition


"Sexodos"


Art from Serbia


Estonia


Sweden


Belarus

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April 20 23:00 – all night, at the Golden Club



Q-PARTY!!!

The Q-party is a possibility to dress up for the party, wearing what you have always wanted to wear, but have not had a place to come in such an appearance. People can become Art, using themselves as the creator, the creating and the creative process. A costume competition in the following categories: drag kings, drag queens, carnival, subcultures, BDSM and freak out. Everyone is free to choose whether to participate in the costume competition or just to enjoy the party. The party will be held in two languages – in English and Latvian. After the costume competition we’ll have music and fun!

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Very Welcome!
-- Yolanta and Olga in Riga, Rolf in Oslo, Journalist Network in Minsk, Bill in Stockholm

Latvian, Polish, Finnish and Swedish contributions

LIVING RAINBOW HISTORY MUSEUM

STOCKHOLM – The second session of Sweden's Living Rainbow History Museum at Café Mannekäng at Tallkrogen on Saturday, January 26 included presentations about the LGBT human rights struggle in Latvia, the work of the Latvian LGBT organization Mozaika and the rainbow cultural scene in this Baltic nation by Yolanta Cihanovica, psychologist/ actress and ILGCN (International rainbow cultural network) cultural co-ordinator for Latvia while Olga Helly, Latvia's ILGCN cultural ambassador, presented some of her artistic dolls.

"We hope to continue such events in Riga and Stockholm -- and increase co-operation with Sweden and other countries in the region," says Yolanta Cihanovica. Other presentations in the Latvian section of the program included a description of living in Stockholm and Riga and coming out as a trans person by Petra Inna and "A Swedish Look at Latvia" by Kjell Rindar.

Another presentation covering a 3-month solidarity trip to Palestine and work with the Swedish Palestine Committee was made by Sweden's Peter Roth, poems about a nostalgic visit to New York and elsewhere were presented by Sweden's Tomas Åberg and several songs were provided by Finnish participants.

Michal Piotrowski of the Polish Institute in Stockholm described his just-completed visit to LGBT colleagues in Warsaw and to the Polish Parliament along with Swedish Parliamentarian Barbro Westerholm who spoke there about LGBT rights, while Bill Schiller of Tupilak (Nordic rainbow cultural workers)/ILGCN described the first historic visit of an official rainbow delegation to the Nazi death camp, Auschwitz.

The short film,"Glad, Warm & Calm-- you never really loved me," by Axel Mihau portrayed a passionate and music-filled transsexual encounter for the museum audience.

The next sessions of the Living Rainbow Museu

will be on February 23 and March 23 (18.00-22.00)

More information:

oxford69@hotmail.com

info@tupilak.org

www.tupilak.org

Facebook: Café Mannekäng and Tupilak

These are monthly events with historical study circles, art, films and performances until a permanent LGBT museum can be established in the Swedish capital -- with guests coming from Sweden and abroad -- emphasizing the rich, dramatic, bloody, courageous and often humorous LGBT struggle for identity and visibility over the centuries. The museum project is supported by Konstattack, Tupilak (Nordic rainbow cultural workers), Nordic Rainbow Humanists, 3rd Age International-Sweden, Nordic-Baltic-Polish-Russian-Belarus Network, ROHS (Swedish national organization for LGBT solidarity) and the ILGCN (international rainbow cultural network).

You are very welcome to join the:

European Rainbow Humanist Network

THE AIMS ARE:

1. To help spread the LGBT humanist information through workshops, seminars, cultural events, etc. in the European zone at Prides, conferences, rainbow cultural festivals and other events -- with special emphasis on work in the East where colleagues face especially fierce homophobia and religious intolerance. (with the use of material from the numerous LGBT humanist workshop presentations in Eastern Europe by Rolf Solheim of Norway, art & photography of Elisabeth Wallin Ohlson of Sweden and Pave Leszkowicz of Poland, films of Willi Reichhold of Sweden and others, rainbow humanist cabaret numbers and monologues, etc.)


2. To meet once a year (via internet if face-to-face conferences can not be arranged) to exchange experiences and plan time schedules and target events. (Possibilities for 2013: on the sidelines of Montenegro Pride - May, Budapest Pride - July, Belgrade Pride - September, Oslo -- autumn)


3. To require NO membership fees but to accept donations and to seek funds and other support where appropriate.


4. To minimize bureacracy and administrative work.


5. To hand out an annual ERH award -- the "Priapus" to some one on the national or international scene notorius for anti-LGBT work and propaganda (a complement to the annual Nordic Rainbow Humanist award for positive support of LGBT rights.)

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NOTE: Some of the preliminary steering committee members
(until the first yearly meeting):
Chair: Rolf Solheim - Oslo, Norway
Finance secretary: Colin de la Mottte Sherman - Berlin, Germany
Polish secretary: Pawel Leszkowicz - Poznan, Poland
International secretary: Bill Schiller - Stockholm, Sweden

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Please get back to us with any feedback, questions, suggestions or comments. Recommendations for the Nordic Rainbow Humanist and Priapus awards welcome!

Bill Schiller, Stockholm -- also via Nordic Rainbow Humanist link on Tupilak/ILGCN

www.tupilak.org
www.ilgcn.tupilak.org

ILGCN CALLING: Coming events for 2013

Saturday, February 2, 2013: ILGCN Happening in Rio de Janeiro

The 2nd ILGCN event in Brazil and the first of annual ILGCN celebrations in Rio! International get-together, discussons, drinks in the evening and participation in the giant, pink-ballon and gay-filled, pre-carnaval parade "Simpatia é Quase Amor" (Sympathy is Nearly Love).

Information:
In Rio: Anders Ödvall
In Stockholm: ILGCN Information Secretariat

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Saturday, March 30, 2013: The History of the ILGCN in Stockholm

A multi-media presentation at the Living Rainbow Museum, part of the rainbow cultural evening at Café Mannekäng (18:00 – 22:00).

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Other ILGCN Happenings, to be confirmed:

Montenegro Pride May, 2013
Belgrade Pride September 28, 2013

More information coming.

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Bill Schiller at the ILGCN Information Secretariat, Stockholm
www.ilgcn.tupilak.org

Stockholm Press Release Dec 15, 2012

Stockholm presentations, art and photography, films, performances
Press Release December 15, 2012 

LIVING RAINBOW HISTORY MUSEUM INAUGURATED

Stockholm — A "rainbow Lucia" on December 13 helped inaugurate Sweden's first Living Rainbow History Museum, a provisional monthly event at the Café Mannekäng with historical study circles, art, films and performances until a permanent LGBT museum can be established in the Swedish capital. "It has long been a dream to see the creation of a LGBT history museum in Sweden to make sure that we become more aware of our own history," says Elinore Lindén Strand who also exhibited art work at the café during the inauguration.

Barbro Westerholm (center)

Izzy Young

Elinore Strand

Jan Hammarlund (left)

"I am proud to be here at the inauguration and am very pleased to be invited to the Polish Parliament to speak about LGBT rights and culture and the need for parliamentarians to support this everywhere," says Barbro Westerholm, Swedish Liberal parliamentarian, who has earlier received a Tupilak award for her support of LGBT issues and who attended both ceremonies at the LGBT monument in Visby -- the first in the Nordic zone.

Swedish and International Guests at the Museum,
Visits to Swedish Prides

"The aim of the museum is to invite guest speakers from LGBT organizations and individuals from all over Sweden and from abroad," says Bill Schiller of Tupilak (Nordic rainbow cultural workers) and the ILGCN (international rainbow cultural network) "And to come with workshops and presentations to Swedish and other Prides interested in the museum's work and the rich, dramatic, courageous and often humorous LGBT struggle for identity and visibility over the centuries."

"This is an excellent place to discuss LGBT history," says Rolf Solheim, ILGCN co-ordinator from Oslo and member of the Nordic Rainbow Humanists, who presented a history of the global humanist movement's support of LGBT rights and his work as ceremony master of the Norwegian humanist organization's christenings, weddings and partnerships and funerals fulfilling the desires for formal ceremonies without religious input. Adding to the humanist message with a short monolgue by "The Mad Monk" with the "humanist bible" look at historical relgious figures.

"We are always pleased to be part of Tupilak and ILGCN events -- and feel that the question of HIV and AIDS should always be part of LGBT human rights and cultural events since this is important for our entire community," says Anders Björnum of Sweden's PositHIVagruppen for men having sex with men.

Other presentations came from Pia-Kristina Garde, talking about her book about the family and friends of one of Sweden's finest poets and authors, the bisexual Karin Boye who died in 1941, Willi Reichhold talking about his participation in the United-arranged conference in Finland about new creative ways to combat discrimination on all levels, Chilean-born Christian Mendez about running a rainbow-minded café in Stockholm and Malga Kubiak, actress and film maker about her work with LGBT films about historic lesbian and gay personalities, and Izzy Young, American-born folk lore expert reading erotic poetry of gay icons Allen Ginsberg and Auden.

Rolf Solheim

Bill Schiller

Robert Hill

Veliki Velickovic

Anders Björnum

Songs and music were provided by Swedish singers Jan Hammarlund, a veteran of the Swedish LGBT scene, and young trubador Robert Hill with anti-war and solidarity songs.

Short film screenings by Willi Reichhold included "LGBT Monuments" with music by the renown Swedish soprano saxophonist Anders Paulsson, "The Tupilak Visit to Kiev" and the "Global Survival."

Both film projections and art photography on the wall were presented by Serbian-born Stockholm resident Veliki Velickovic, who also described his work and earlier exhibitions in Serbia, Croatia, Sweden and elsewhere. Other art work came from Tupilak & ILGCN Art & Photo Travelling Exhibition with special focus on Vlladik of Minsk and Alice of Tallinn.

Keller of Chile, costume designer and performer and co-manager of Café Mannekäng, presented his own version of the St. Lucia figure brought from Sicily to Sweden over a century ago to lighten up the dark December nights by wearing a wreath of candles.

ILGCN awards announced during the event included the "Clio's Silver Cup" for outstanding work promoting LGBT history to Swedish photographer Elisabeth Olson Wallin and a brand new "Rasmus" for LGBT work in remote and isolated areas far from big city anonimity -- named after the late, pioneering Faroese journalist and LGBT activist Rasmus Rasmussen who died in October this year. The first Rasmus has gone to the organizers of the first Nuuk Prides on Greenland.

Greetings to the event came from Belarus, Ukrainian, Sudanse and Montenegro delegates to the ongoing ILGA world conference taking place in Stockholm.

"We are very happy to report that in the next session of the Living Rainbow Museum on January 26, the new ILGCN cultural co-ordinators and ambassadors from Latvia-- Yolanta Cihanovica psychologist and actress and artist-doll maker Olga Helly will be coming to the Café Mannikäng for presentations, performances and art exhibitions," concludes Bill Schiller.

The museum project is supported also by Tupilak, Nordic Rainbow Humanists, 3rd Age International-Sweden, Nordic-Baltic-Polish-Russian-Belarus Network and ROHS (Swedish national organization for LGBT solidarity). ILGCN Information Secretariat-Stockholm.

More information:    www.tupilak.org    www.ilgcn.tupilak.org    bill@tupilak.org   

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Next session at the LIVING RAINBOW HISTORY MUSEUM
at Cafe Mannekäng:
Saturday, January 26, 2013 — 18.00-22.00

PRESENTATIONS:

Yolanta Cihanovica, actress,
ILGCN coordinator, Latvia

Olga Helly, artist/doll maker,
ILGCN cultural ambassador, Latvia

ART EXHIBITS:

"Dolls": Olga Helly, Latvia

"Copulating beetles, erotic flowers and other adventures"