20/09/2024 | Writer: Kaos GL
No matter who, where, or what lies they tell, no one can take our sparkle from us anymore. The liberation of LGBTI+ will also liberate heterosexuals!
In the early 90s, our journey began with gathering in parks and homes. In fact, long before that, our story had already been told by others. But the 90s became a turning point when we took control of telling our own narrative. Determined to claim our lives and say, “We exist,” the first issue of our magazine was published on 20 September 1994. On the cover, we boldly declared, “We live in a society that is not only sexist but also heterosexist.”
We started by proclaiming, “We are coming out of the closet.” When no path was laid out for us, we created new roads and trails. We reached out to everyone who longed for equality, freedom, and justice in our land. Sometimes, doors slammed in our faces, and sometimes our calls were met with silence. Yet, empowered by the LGBTI+ community’s unwavering desire for a dignified life, we refused to give up. We kept knocking on those doors, again and again.
We have now crossed the 30-year mark in our struggle. Over these three decades, we’ve reached tens of thousands through the Kaos GL magazine, association, KaosGL.org news portal, KaosQueer+ peer-reviewed journal, human rights reports, workshops, conferences, marches, parties, meetings, and our women to women story competition, among other efforts. Each encounter has taught us valuable lessons, allowing us to transform ourselves.
Through the years, while challenging the systems that taught us shame, silence, and invisibility, we’ve stumbled and stood back up. We tried, failed, tried again, and succeeded. We’ve won and lost, been filled with hope and despair, faced fear, and, in the end, joined hands… In this journey, we have strived to write our own stories, raw and real, in all their authenticity.
Looking back after 30 years, we realize once again how vital this struggle for truth is. These are difficult times—but when have they ever been easy? We recall the pain of our first loves being torn away, the shame we were made to feel for the clothes we wore, the stories belittled, and the hearts broken. But now, our memories are filled with more than just pain. We remember the bright spark in the eyes of lubunyas (queers) who took the mic for the first time, told their stories, and sang their songs. And now we know, no matter who they are, where they are, or what lies they tell, no one can ever take that sparkle from us again.
Greetings to all our Kaos GL friends with whom we’ve crossed paths, from Kaos GL Magazine to the Cultural Centre, from May 1st to March 8th. A heartfelt salute to all the lubunyas who have changed us, and to all the refugee LGBTI+s struggling to survive in the provinces, reminding us of how hard it is to be LGBTI+ in those areas. Here’s to many more 30 years of multiplying our stories!
The liberation of LGBTI+ will also liberate heterosexuals!
Kaos GL
Tags: human rights
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