Porozumienie lesbijek (LBT)

Lesbian Coalition (LBT) invites to Equality Days 2006!

we organize:

09.06
11:00am - 1:00 pm
"Lesbians in the society, politics, LGBT organisations: half-way and what next" - discussion panel Participants: German member of the EU Parliament Lissy Groener, Izabela Jaruga-Nowacka, MP, Lech Uliasz (KPH), Michał Pawlęga (Lambda) i Dagmara Molga (Lesbian Coalition (LBT)).
during "Culture of Diversity" conference, Zielna 37

6:00pm - 8:00 pm
"LES, we are - we were. Finding the history of lesbians in Poland" - workshop; which is the beginning of collecting the souvenirs and testimonies in order to recreate the lesbian past of our country.
led by: Anna Górska (author of the "LES, we are in Poland" calendar) and Yga Kostrzewa.
"Feminoteka" Foundation (Warecka st. 8/91)

after the workshop join us for a walk around Warsaw, tracing the footsteps of women we would like to consider our predecessors (e.g. Narcyza Żmichowska, Maria Konopnicka, Paulina Kuczalska-Reinschmitt, Zofia Nałkowska) and to track down the places of great importance for Warsaw lesbians in the last several dozens of years.
led by: Agnieszka Weseli (historian)

10.06

Homophobia Disease Center - "Peace mission"
Due to the risk of aggression of those who suffer from homophobia, the participants, firmly believing that this grave disease can be cured, will wear violet flowered helmets, acting as the "Peace mission".
during Equality Parade

VIOLET REVOLUTION GOES ON! Some don't want us here, but LES, we still are!

11.06

"What do lesbians want - Who wants lesbians" - discussion; participants from political parties, LGBT, feminist and human rights foundations and organizations, psychologists, sociologists and philosophers, including: dr Katarzyna Kądziela, dr Bożena Umińska, Agata Engel-Bernatowicz (co-author of "Comin-out..."), Agata Teutsch, Monika Serkowska (Konsola, www.bezuprzedzen.org), Anna Dzierzgowska (Amnesty International), Agnieszka Grzybek, Bartek Lech (Zieloni 2004), Katarzyna Bratkowska (Women of 8th March Coalition), Ewa Tomaszewicz (KPH-"Replika", www.Kobiety-Kobietom.com), Marzena Chińcz (Lorga Foundation).
Tomba Tomba (Brzozowa st. 37)

6:30 pm - 7:45 pm
FIRST TIME IN POLAND!

Jet Moon and Sal Tomcat
"Borderfuckers"

"Borderfuckers" begins with a short performance on the policing of border regimes in the context of an S/M scene. This is followed by a workshop/talk with the presenters dressed in high butch/femme attire... playing on ideas of performance/drag and also wanting to break up the academic sterility of "giving papers", because what they talk about is their real lives. The audience is taken on a journey through several geographical and cultural spaces; stories from inside Britain"s detention centres, east-west transit in action, crossing borders of nations, gender and power. Negotiating the borders that some can't avoid and others are oblivious to.
Jet Moon is a member of the London No Borders detainee support group, of radical queer politics, the queer S/M scene and the anarchist network. She is also a member of the Queer Beograd collective and travels to Serbia regularly to collaborate with this group. Sal is currently involved in London no borders activism, London Queer Mutiny, doing immigration detainee support work, writing, and collaborating with Jet Moon on upcoming performances.

tickets 10 PLN (or 12 PLN for those staying for the party)

the performance is in English with Polish written translation available

organization: the team of the queer festival Kvir Svera (it will be held for the first time in Warsaw, Wrocław and other cities autumn 2006), Emancypunx Records, Agniusza ("Rita Baum"), and Lesbian Coalition (LBT)
Tomba Tomba (Brzozowa st. 37)

8:00 pm
"queerEqual gals" women on the Equality Days

  • every full hour vodka for 2 PLN
  • Est, DJ Mode, DJ PinkShot, DJ Megi playing
  • showing: DK (their first time!) and Barbie Girls: Absolutely Fabulous and Rude de Wredne
  • karaoke, movies, competitions, surprises
  • selection: women and TS only

entry fee before 21.00 - 5 PLN, after 21.00 - 10 PLN, with "Borderfuckers" ticket - 2 PLN
organisation: www.lesbijka.net and Lesbian Coalition (LBT)
Tomba Tomba (Brzozowa st. 37)

GREAT OPENING! First and unique series of tops, t-shirts, panties and badges made by homofeminist cream-team ULTRA-FIOLET will be available during Equality Days!

full program of the festival: www.paradarownosci.pl





Imagine a city such as Stockholm with a population of about 800.000 people. It is the number of lesbians in Poland. But many of those 800.000 do not come out in fear of discrimination and aggression. Our presence is frequently ignored as if we were invisible. We, the lesbians, do not truly exist in Polish society.

We have enough of this and want to change it.
We want to show that LES, we are!

Lesbian Coalition (LBT) - Porozumienie Lesbijek (LBT) - was founded at the end of the year 2004. It unites organisations, informal groups and individuals working for the sake of the LGBT community. The abbreviation LBT stands for: lesbians, bisexual women, transsexual and transgender people.

The main aims of Lesbian Coalition (LBT) are to:
  • reinforce the presence, visibility and equal rights of the LBT community in social and political life (Violet Revolution of polish LBT);
  • fight stereotypes and create social acceptance towards the LBT community;
  • strive for legal and actual equality regardless of gender, sexual identity/orientation, age, disability, ethnic origin, religion, social and economical status;
  • counter all forms of aggression because of gender and sexual identity/orientation;
  • help the LGBT community to develop feminist awareness; encourage integration and co-operation between the LBT movement and feminist activists;
  • accentuate the presence of the LBT community in the feminist and the LGBT movement.
Do you feel like saying "LES, I am"? Join us!

What we did:
  • In March 2005 we took our first action in public area, which was participation in organising Manifa, major feminist demonstration on the occasion of The International Women's Day. It gave us opportunity to call for Violet Revolution, the fight for visibility and rights of lesbians, bisexual women and transsexual people.
  • On 22.04.05 we helped LGBT Foundation (www.lgbt.org.pl) organising this year's March of Tolerance in Cracow.
  • Since May 2005 LC (LBT) is the media matron of Coming out - invitation to a dialogue project, including the first polish book on coming out, written by psychologists (see www.comingout.pl).
  • In May 2005 together with LGBT Foundation we started "Les&Gay friendly places in Cracow" action.
  • On 17.05.05 (International Day Against Homophobia) we launched STOP HOMOPHOBIA action, consisting of happenings in public places and demonstrations. Our main idea is the half-mocking, half-serious Homophobia Disease Center, where we inform people on threats of homophobia and the cures for this epidemic illness.
  • On 10-12.06.05 we took part in Equality Days and Equality Parade in Warsaw (www.paradarownosci.pl), inviting every LBT and LC (LBT) sympathisers to join Violet Block with antidiscrimination and feminist slogans.
  • On 25.06.05 we also launched the cycle of discussions for homosexuals, NGO's activists and state officials, focusing on ways of exclusion of different kinds of homosexual people within the society and within LGBT group, as well as crossed-discrimination and methods of countering these problems (under the title: "Over the borders - over the barriers", starting with Algerian Dalila Kadri "Fireflies" movie and discussion).
  • Since August 2005 we participate in Coalition Against All-Poland Youth (polish neofascist movement, supported by conservative parties).
  • During the "Queer community/-ies, queer exclusion/-s" conference in Bielsko Biała (18-20.09.05) we organized discussion panel on "Lesbian communities building and LBT exclusion from public sphere".
  • On 24.09.05 we were present on NGO's meeting during IV Polish Forum of NGO's in Warsaw.
  • Since October 2005 we raise funds for "Our Case" (legal fight with homophobia).
  • We took part in Academy of Tolerance (Zakopane 23.09-01.10.05); "New homophobic trends/Our world - extending the borders" conference (Kiev, 30.09-2.10.05); "Lesbians, gays and friends" festival (Wroclaw 8-9.10.05); ILGA-Europe conference (Paris, 24-30.11.05); Equality and Tolerance Days (Poznan 17-20.11.05); IGLYO conference (Cracow, 27.11-03.12.05); Ladyfest Warsaw (9-11.12.05).
  • On 27.11.05 together with Women Coalition of 8 March we organised huge "Reanimate the democracy" manifestation in Warsaw against police attack on delegalized Equality and Tolerance March in Poznan.
  • On 17-18.12.05 we opened new Homophobia Disease Centers (in Bydgoszcz and Torun).
  • In January 2006 we issued first complete calendar of lesbian presence in cultural, social and political life in Poland (since XIX century till present).
  • On 28.02.06 we took part in Amnesty International public debate: "Lesbians - are they Jews?".
  • On 05.03.06 we again co-organised Warsaw feminist Manifa.
  • In March 2006 we issued brochure "Facts against Myths on Lesbians and Gays" as the part of Homophobia Disease Center project.
What are our plans:
  • In 2006 we will legalise FioLet foundation, which shall enable us to raise funds to continue our current activities and carry out such projects, as queer movies festival or feminist-lesbian magazine).
  • Like in 2005, we will take part in or co-organise major polish LGBT events and manifestations (Culture for Tolerance festival in Cracow, Equality Days in Warsaw, Equality and Tolerance Days in Poznan).
  • In April 2006 we will be present at 5th International Conference on Lesbian Studies in Toulouse (France).
  • On 17.05.06 we will again prepare special event on International Day against Homophobia.
  • We want to organise work meeting and training for LGBT activists (on countering LBT discrimination within the movement).
  • We will continue our open meetings in polish cities and towns.
© Porozumienie Lesbijek (LBT)     e-mail: porozumienie_lesbijek@tlen.pl     hosting: Kobiety Kobietom