Date: Thu, 24 Nov 1994 12:19:00 +0100
From: JULIE.MERTUS@ZAMIR-BG.ztn.zer.de (Julie Mertus)

              Eastern European Lesbian Networking

     One of the biggest female events of the European fall of 1994,
was certainly  the Vienna NGO Forum, a preparatory meeting for the
UN Conference on Women in Beijing 1995.  Women from (almost)
all over the Europe and North America, gathered to make their
language for the UN Document. It was a huge and very important
meeting, although several aspects of the conference were very
disappointing from the Eastern European point of view.
     
     First, I was disappointed to discover that I was the only out
Eastern European lesbian, on the Lesbian workshop, in attendance.
I had a support of three other out Eastern European lesbians
(two from Hungary and one from Yugoslavia) who were, unfortunately,
fully engaged in other workshops and couldn't attend this one.
Lesbians from Eastern Europe are not to be blamed for this poor 
showing, because they never had the chance to be there.  Both
money and lack of information kept them away.  I myself was
confused by what was expected of me at such a conference,
but now I realize the importance of being involved in drafting
language for these large conferences.  If I hadn't been there, the 
language on lesbian human rights would not have addressed
Eastern European Lesbians concerns at all. 

     Second,  I was dismayed at the patronizing and dismissive
attitude of the ILGA representatives, lesbians who were leading the
workshop on lesbian human rights.  They have no understanding
whatsoever of our problems because our problems are so different
from theirs (If Eastern Europeans were better organized and more
present at those thirteen ILGA's Conferences, something like that 
wouldn't have happened!)  They kept asking for concrete suggestions
with which I could lobby my government, not even realizing that it is
insane to suggest that anyone lobby the Serbian government.
Fortunately, Rachel Rosenbloom, from the International Gay and
Lesbian Human Rights Commission, was there.  If they didn't respect
me, at least they respected her, and she somehow understood that those
of us from the East have different concerns.  For example, I pushed
hard for the inclusion of education as a goal, because that is the
only means we have for reaching the public -- demonstrations are
out of the question!  I also suggested that we include the language
"lesbians, single women, and women who are not attached to men"
because many Eastern European lesbians do not identify themselves
as lesbians.  We were able to get this language into the document,
largely as a product of Rachel's efforts, but the final result was like
we haven't done anything during those two days.

     I'm sure it would not be so hard if more Eastern European
lesbians were there.  I could only speak for women from my region;
I worry about the concerns of all of the lesbians who were
excluded.  It would also not be so hard if we had more support.  I
am a part of a lesbian and gay right organization -- ARKADIJA --
that operates without any budget whatsoever.

     I have been talking to Rachel Wareham (presently working
for the Women's Anti-War Center in Croatia) about creating an
Eastern European lesbian network to make our problem more
visible than it is, and Shelly Anderson (ILIS) of the Netherlands
offered her full support.
 
     All three of us are working on this ever since the meeting,
but we are facing a lot of difficulties. Getting in touch with Eastern
European lesbians is not the easiest thing to do. Usually they don't
have addresses which could be publicized, they are not members of
any international gay and lesbian associations, they don't attend gay
and lesbian international events. They exist only for themselves,
usually cut off from the rest of the world.   

     Their main problem, being invisible in their own countries
becomes even worse by remaining invisible in the women's human
rights and the western lesbian community as well. 

     In order to do something about that and improve our
position, I would ask everybody who has any connections with
Eastern European lesbian groups, to pass on this information or
give me the clue how to get in touch with them. 

     I can be reached at the following e-mail address:

         Jelica.Todosijevic@zamir-bg.ztn.zer.de

                                       Jelica Todosijevic
                                       Arkadija - Belgrade

     
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