Oslo Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, The Norwegian LGBT Association (LLH) and Films From the South invite you to a seminar questioning identity struggles, art and global politics after the screening of Tomer Heymann’s documentary The Queen Has No Crown on Saturday October 8.
Mainstream Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Transgendered (LGBT) organizations like the Norwegian LGBT Association LLH have members with a wide specter of political opinions. People are brought together because of identity (sexual and/or gender), and a wish to improve both their formal rights and life situation.
LGBT organizations’ activities are often dominated by political advocacy for rights, public awareness campaigns and creation of communities. Arts and cultural expressions have played an important part both in the creation and development of the community and in political advocacy.
In Gaza, Palestine male homosexuality is illegal, with laws dating to the British Criminal Code Ordinance of 1936. There are no anti-gay laws in the West Bank. Palestine has no civil right laws that protect LGBT people from discrimination or harassment.
Israel does have a reasonably good policy towards its LGBT population, a fact to be acclaimed. On the other hand Israel has on numerous occasions been the subject of UN resolutions that condemn human rights violations towards the Palestinian people and the occupation of Palestinian territories.
Political issues outside their main focus often become tricky, something every LGBT organization knows: Are everyone that support “our issues” allies, regardless of their views on other issues? Should LGBT organizations refrain from taking a stand on other political issues, such as immigration policy, gender equality, development aid, international trade agreements, the war in Afghanistan...?
In Norway the conflict between Israel and Palestine was put on the LGBT agenda when Norwegian LGBT organizations and artists this year were invited to participate at TLVFest, the Tel Aviv LGBT Film Festival. Some argued for boycotting the event, while others held that participating could lead to important dialogues with local queers.
In this seminar we have invited activists and artists to a conversation about these issues: What is the relation between struggles for LGBT rights and wider issues of human rights and social justice? Do artists have an obligation to relate to political issues? What roles can artistic expressions play in political debate? Is boycott an end to dialogue? What alternative means and channels to influence politics do we as civil society activists and artists have?
Time: Saturday October 8
Tomer Heymann Director of The Queen Has No Crown
Ramzy Kumsieh Member of alQaws for Sexual & Gender Diversity in Palestinian Society, a group of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer Palestinian activists
Henrik Placht, artist and founder of International Academy of ArtPalestine
Tonje Gjevjon, artist (member of the performance band The Hungry Hearts), participant and guest at TLVFest 2011
Annika W. Rodriguez LLH, the Norwegian LGBT Association
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
