17/10/2019 | Writer: Kaos GL
IGLYO member organizations from Turkey wrote an open letter to IGLYO: “Unfortunately the times which we dwell inside, remarks our differences rather than our similiraties. Under this circumstances, the class unbalance between activists intensifies.”
IGLYO member organizations from Turkey wrote an open letter which remarks economic imbalances and difficulties regarding participiation to international events. The letter was written by Genç LGBTİ+ and signed by Özgür Renkler, SPoD, Pembe Hayat and Kaos GL.
“Firstly we would like to mention, we are deeply saddened
by the fact that we aren’t able to attend general assembly this year, as much
like the previous one. But we have to clarify that the reason we are not able
to be here, is not simply because we couldn’t find an available delegate.”
“Even though we are following closely your, our European
friends, works and successes with a huge interest, unfortunately we, activists
from Turkey, are having a hard time in making our voices heard. Although there
are several reasons for that, we would like to focus on some specific ones
today.”
“Like all developments throughout the world, financial
problems are affecting us like all countries. And even more, we are being
affected more roughly compared to our Western and Northern European friends.
Let alone coming up with a budget to send a delegate to an assembly abroad, we
are having hard times with finding funds and support for the projects we are
already working on. At the final state, we are even having a hard time in reaching
out to funds that are necessary in keeping our offices open and working.”
“In such conditions, imbalances between activists from
different regions based on class are getting stronger. Sadly, even though we
all are struggling for our identities and for a free world, and that we come
together with our love for struggle and our survival strength, our resilience,
like all worsening global conditions - whether climate change, or financial
depressions - these last times draw attention to our differences, rather than
our similarities.”
“As you can understand, as organisations having trouble
with supplying fundamental resources for ourselves, let alone the required
contribution fee, even if it is reimbursed later, finding budgets specifically
for transportation expenses, the visa fees that are really expensive especially
when converted into original currency is almost impossible for us. This
condition can lead to diminishing of our voice, that we got hardly, and sadly
we guess that we activists from Turkey aren’t the only ones in this sense. And
though it seems as if we have at least one shared language, sometimes the
language barriers prevents possible participations and/or our communication.”
“We needed to write this statement to make a call for
working on problems that are arising in Europe, and in the World generally,
keeping in mind the advantages and disadvantages of everyone, and coming up
with intersectional solutions. Because we fear that, in a saddening future, if
we do not come up with solutions to problems that seems to be happening only a
group of people, the voice of those groups may get lost in activism area. We
are thankful that you are trying to come up with spaces for our voices to be
heard, and we wish for no one to lose their voices, and to say keep up with the
struggle!”
Tags: life
