Tag: queer

Throughout the summer of 2022, Queer Art Festival Baku carried out workshops on filmmaking and urbanism for around 40 participants. The workshops addressed the challenges marginalised communities face in city design and the built environment. Participants started with exploring the theoretical focus of  issues affecting vulnerable/marginalised communities in the local context and understanding the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (particularly the “Leave No One Behind” Agenda) at the local level and how they are reflected globally. The activities continued with the practical workshops on filmmaking. At the end of the process, the participants produced short films addressing the lack of inclusivity in city design in Azerbaijan and could translate the challenges of diverse underprivileged groups into short films.

As the continuation of the project, in early autumn, QAF organised three community meetings to discuss the queer experiences of city planning, share the knowledge gained during the workshops, and to have discussions about inclusive city design. The first topic of the meeting was “Do You Feel Safe in Baku?” and participants reflected on questions about safety in public transport, toilets, and leisure facilities.  

According to the participants, most LGBTI+s experience stress and anxiety in public due to the ongoing systemic and social violence and discrimination in the country. Being in the public eye of cishet toxic men makes most queers uncomfortable. Some participants mentioned that the police are also very discriminative against them during security control in public spaces. Queer people are more likely to go through security check-ups at the entrance of metros (which is a general practice since the pandemic and war) and some mentioned that others could carry a cold weapon, yet it is people who are seemingly “different” to go through the security control. Some brought up the example of a hate speech: once a man filmed footage of himself carrying an axe in the metro and mentioned “I will attack anyone who is seemingly queer”. Thus, the police also do not make LGBTI+s feel safe in public and there are many situations where police officers dismissed reports of gays being chased and did not help the survivors against the harassers. 

Later discussion followed with a strong statement that “Nobody without patriarchal and class privileges could feel safe in Azerbaijan, the public infrastructure is not suitable for that”. One very interesting point was made on public transport that it feels l  safer in buses where people are not sitting face to face, yet metro trains are more uncomfortable spaces for women* and LGBTI+s as you are seated face to face with the other passengers. Many mentioned that it is very challenging for them to use public transport when they newly moved to Baku for their studies. An example was brought up – “During my freshman year, I took a metro to university and almost burst into tears after leaving the train because I felt like all eyes were on me”. Also, there is a toxic social etiquette in public transport that young people should give space for elders to take the seats. However,  some people experiencing menstruation feel really uncomfortable during their period in public transport because of this social pressure. Due to the overpopulation, lack of bus lanes, and poorly organised public transport, citizens experience severe crowds usually during rush hours. Consequently, overcrowded buses and trains worsen the situation for women* and queers, leaving them more vulnerable to harassment, attack, and verbal/physical abuse.    

To avoid the challenges of other public transport means, most LGBTI+s and women* prefer taxis for their own safety and security. However, taxi drivers are also very likely to create unpleasant situations for the community. The majority of the participants agreed that there is no fully safe and convenient public transport in Baku for them. An example from the audience was as they pretend to be talking to a lawyer or their parents on the phone to avoid interactions with the drivers which are usually very uncomfortable, discriminative, and belittling. Additionally, it is not only public transport but also other public entertainment facilities are not safe for the community. Few of so-called “queer-friendly” public spaces in Baku are very trans-exclusive. A participant brought up an example of owners either voluming up the music or artificially creating some other inconveniences for the trans guests to make sure they leave the facility as soon as possible. The gay entertainment scene is very underground and the organised exclusive gay parties are commercial. One mentioned that they do not even allow to open the LGBTI+ flags and usually trans folks face challenges to have access to the clubs.

Last, the audience concluded that they do not feel safe in Baku and it is very challenging to find space for collective entertainment. Dark public spaces are the most dangerous for them, and they do not feel safe and secure in the neighbourhoods they reside, public toilets are not queer-friendly. It is an unpleasant experience for most to use public toilets, and all eyes are almost on queer folks when they enter, pass through or just simply exist in public spaces. The situation is very challenging for the community and the audience agreed that most of the problems are very systematic and lack of education, policies, and ignorance of the community by the state create space for most of the issues.    

In August 2022, Nafas LGBTI Azerbaijan Alliance organised a Networking Camp that brought 17 LGBTI+/feminist activists from different local Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and young people from the queer community. During three days, participants discussed and brainstormed to identify the challenges of CSOs and explored paths toward solidarity in the future. Additionally, general problems such as social inclusion, mental health faced by the community, and the rights of LGBTI+s were discussed during the event. Throughout the camp period, the participants also had a chance to discuss recent problems of the community more clearly, which would be considered as opportunities for possible collaboration in the future. The workshop helped the participants learn more about the social rights of young people and how to get help from local organisations regarding their rights when they are in need. Below are the main takeaways from the event.

More work toward underprivileged communities

Initially, the discussion was around the privileges and participants have agreed that some community members who are already able and available to come to the events that are organised for the community are privileged to a certain extent. It is of great importance for LGBTI+ organisations in the country to challenge themselves to reach out to underprivileged groups, to make sure that they are involved in activities and could benefit from the services of CSOs. During the discussions, participants mentioned that it is crucial to put more effort toward working with and for trans sex workers. Some argued that trans sex workers have other basic priorities and struggles such as financial stability and housing, thus they would not be interested in the events for the community. However, some participants suggested designing and organising events in a format and topic attractive to the trans community, which could potentially solve the issue. In the course of the discussion, Nafas members added that in 2018, the organisation invited a guest gynecologist from Turkiye who explained the safe and healthy ways of hormone replacement therapy and there was a huge interest from the trans community to be part of the event. However, for the majority of participants who work for and with trans folks, the biggest challenge they face is the community’s financial instability. It is the result of the epidemic levels of discrimination and the transphobic job market of the country that leaves many trans folks in precarious situations.

Later, it was discussed that many people from the community are closeted and do not have the ability to engage with the community comfortably. Some participants brought examples of internalized phobias they experienced communicating with closeted people on dating apps. The discourse showed that people who come here self-select because they feel safe around their community and have a certain understanding of their own identity. However, people who are in need of education, networking, and a safe space to feel more comfortable about themselves and explore their identity are very hard to reach, and they would also (in their turn) refuse to engage with the community to protect their public image. Living in very hostile and discriminative settings, the worries and the choices of closeted people are understandable and later it was agreed that we need to put efforts toward widening our reach out. An example was given that a queer rights activist, Ali Malikov initiated “Qiy Var!” platform, an exclusive social media outlet where only LGBTI+ people are part of the group, is a great example for people to follow and (whenever they feel comfortable) engage with the community without exposing their identity to the public.

The importance of attending protests and how to support the community in the process 

Slowly, the discussion continued around the topic of public protests. Unfortunately, public and peaceful protests in Azerbaijan are not very welcomed by the ruling regime and although it is legal, protests are often interrupted and stopped by the police forces. One of the participants mentioned that activism requires sacrifices. You need to sacrifice your own security, safety, family, social relationships, and unfortunately your own life to be brave enough to go out into the streets and publicly advocate for your own rights. An unfortunate case of Avaz Hafizli (queer Azerbaijani journalist) was brought into the discourse, that he was one of the brave activists who chained himself to the gates of the Prosecutor General’s Office in September 2021 to protest government inaction against homophobic and transphobic incitement by popular public figure Sevinj Huseynova. Avaz was later found dead in his home in Baku, allegedly murdered by his cousin for being queer. Following a very challenging and unfair trial of the alleged murderer, Ali Malikov was one of the activists who was actively involved in the case and attended the protests to require a fair sentence. Ali Malikov, an activist involved in the case, protested a very challenging and unfair trial, demanding a fair sentence. A question was addressed during the workshop: “If we do not go out in public and protest for a fair trial, or for our own rights, who will do it for us if they are the next victim”? 

The discussion was very emotional for the participants and some raised concerns about their own security if they ever join a public protest. Some brought examples of the challenges and pressure they faced from their family, workplace, colleagues, and friends after joining certain protests. Many participants of the 8th of March protests in Baku stated that they were followed or visited by the police after attending the event, and it raises great concerns for their future participation. As a solution, it was recommended that the first priority is always the safety and security of activists, and acknowledging that not everybody could sacrifice as much as some other activists. However, it is crucial to support people who participate in the protests, support doesn’t always have to be public. Support could include helping people in the background with technical issues or asking for the needs of activists and providing resources.

In conclusion, the event was very beneficial for Nafas, other organisation representatives, and participants to understand the most important problems of the community. The majority of the participants agreed that the takeaways of the event will be very helpful for them to formulate their future actions. Nafas also learned many great lessons and will take the discussed specific needs of the community into account in its upcoming work plan.