17/12/2019 | Writer: Kaos GL

Kaos GL Association publishes the activities of its programs that create fields of work and struggle.

What does the Kaos GL Academic and Cultural Studies Program do? Kaos GL - News Portal for LGBTI+

Illustration: Aslı Alpar

The Kaos GL Association, which celebrates its age of 25, publishes the activities of its programs that create fields of work and struggle. Today we will share the Academic and Cultural Studies Program's fields of activity with kaosGL.org readers.

The Academic and Cultural Studies Program aims to create discussion bases from a queer/LGBTI perspective on cultural policies, representation ideologies and the existence of individuals/groups in Turkey and around the world.

The program works with events such as symposiums, forums, exhibitions, anti-homophobia meetings with regular up-to-date and academic publications and developing queer alliances to create an impact in the transform of the political and cultural axis that is becoming more and more uniformized.

The program carries out its activities under 10 topics.

Kaos GL Magazine

Kaos GL Magazine, which has a mission to combat gender discrimination and contribute to gender policies in Turkey, also constitutes a radical basis where otherwise ignored LGBTI and Queer creating their own discourses, their own agendas, and hold discussions.

For 25 years, despite the censorship, prohibitions, the criminalization of self-possession and love, and all the hatred, it has been bringing voices from LGBTI agenda, history, and organizations to us by touching every aspect of life.

Long story short, it's the voice of the queer! What more is there to say?

Kaos Q+

Kaos Q+ Magazine, which meets with its readers once a year, challenges uniforming approaches and practices with idea exercises and contributions from all academical study fields under the condition of being aware of the fact that 'information' is genderified and this, in fact, is a problem.

KaosQ+, which set out to understand the effects of natural/essentialist approaches and on which the social, cultural, economic, political structure relations stand on, and on the existence and lives of individuals and groups, has been in contact with our lives with the aim of to dream a change with a critical perspective and to empower efforts on the struggle since 2014.

Exhibition

Kaos GL Association creates alternative spaces by bringing together LGBTI+ rights defenders and individuals and institutions from different fields through its exhibitions. Thanks to the various forms of expression of art, the way in which the problems it deals with penetrate into our lives are carried out through much more diverse channels, enabling us to express and announce social problems and quests for solutions more effectively. 

The productive, limitless and creative power of art helps us to perceive and interpret today's world more clearly, allowing us to read sexual policies, LGBTI+ identity and queer existences from a transcendent perspective on politics.

Therefore, the exhibitions organized by Kaos GL identify the past events in the field of LGBTI+ rights through the artist's prism, reflecting them to the present and the future, as well as providing awareness and visibility in the field of human rights and LGBTI+.

Anti-Discrimination Courses

Kaos GL Association introduces "Anti-Discrimination Courses" as a guest to the faculties and departments such as sociology, public administration, political sciences, international relations, communication, women's studies, social services, psychology, psychological guidance and counseling, law, medicine, and health.

Kaos GL, which aims to establish the foundations of obtaining accurate information about sexual orientation and gender identity and transforming the heteronormative education structure together, continues to manifest itself on the campuses with actors who specialize in different professions.

IDAHOBIT Meetings 

The IDAHOBIT Meetings, where the basis for discourse regarding homophobia as the manifestation of systematical hatred and all forms of discrimination imposed by the political agenda were formed, continues to take place with forums, interviews, and workshops since May 17, 2006.

With its international connections, the events that bring homophobia and all discrimination issues to Turkey's agenda on a global scale create an opportunity to face-to-face talk regarding gender policies so that all identities can be liberated together. 

Rainbow activities 

Rainbow events, where LGBTI+ policies to combat all discrimination ideologies based on gender identity and sexual orientation are shared with all segments of society and where bases for discourses are created, have been organized since 2006 by Kaos GL.

The chain of events that have been held in 35 different cities to date has created an environment to discuss heterosexism sometimes by bringing academic discussions to universities through student communities, and sometimes by professional groups, local activists, women's organizations and other social movements.

As a result, activities aimed at discussing and ensuring the visibility of discrimination against LGBTI people in Turkey can be said to have played an important role in strengthening local organizations since the first day. 

Women’s Story Contest 

Kaos GL Association integrates the stories of women who love women into people's lives with the Women to Women Story Contest, which it organizes with different themes every year. 

The competition, which has carried an archival value for lesbian-bisexual women literature for 13 years, plays an important role in announcing stories written "from women to women, by women for women" and to make love between women visible.

In addition to the fact that they are featured by internet journalism and magazines, the third edition of the book "Aşkın L Hali" (L Version of Love) includes stories about 28 different women, compiled from the competition.

Feminist Forum

Since 2007, Kaos GL Association has been bringing the possibilities of a common struggle against homophobia from a feminist perspective with the Feminist Forum. 

The Feminist Forum, where the transformation of the untouchable masculine area is questioned and feminist policies have been repeatedly brought up; has a function of opening political and queer intersections for discussion, and serves as an important bridge connecting feminist pioneers from different geography with LGBTI+ and feminist activists in Turkey.

The Feminist Forum which has an international influence, so far created alternative areas of discourse by addressing many themes and topics such as "The Consequence of Sexuality", "Utopia in the Twilight of Hope", lesbian feminism, trans-feminism, masculinity, body, political representation and participation, women publishing experiences and lesbian feminism.

Queer alliances

For 25 years, the Kaos GL Association has been trying to take its steps with a collective consciousness, aiming to prevent anti-homosexual hate speech and create a social transformation.

At this point, the influence and value of the queer alliances we knit against the hegemony of the state, the system that plagues our lives under the yoke of heterosexism through the rising discriminatory and violent populist movements are of great importance and value.

The solidarity networks we create with other social movements also have a great impact on the efforts for an inclusive rights advocacy. Kaos GL Association maintains this collective intellectual background in its work in order to strengthen, maintain and to interact with further areas.

International Guest Artist Program

The Kaos Guest Artist Program, which plans to host 5 visual artists from Turkey and abroad in Ankara every year, focuses on the possibilities of artistic expression of queer politics and new possibilities. The program provides artists with 2 months of both living and working space while supporting and promoting production and research processes.  During this time, artists have the opportunity to work with artists, activists, academicians, and curators from Turkey and hold meet-and-greet meetings for possible collaborations with different art fields.

Translation: Yiğit E. Korkmaz


Tags: arts and culture, life
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