Everyone (but you). A debate on rage, pride, a torn community and attempts at sewing it back together - following the screening of WELCOME TO CHECHNYA


Monday, September 7 | 18:00| Kino Muza, screening room #1

Everyone (but you). A debate on rage, pride, a torn community and attempts at sewing it back together - following the screening of WELCOME TO CHECHNYA

Language: Polish

While Poland is not Chechnya, we still have to fight for the rights and liberties of the LGBTQ+ community. Sexual minorities won’t achieve emancipation overnight; it took decades of work before gay and lesbian rights entered the public debate (and other queer identities are still a tough sell). Many people still have to move away or stay in the closet; it takes courage to come out publicly.

We live in a country where many citizens face constant discrimination due to their sexuality or gender identity. Although civil rights and freedoms are theoretically afforded to all residents of Poland, things are less rosy in practice: demands for those rights result in accusations of flamboyance, violation of religious sentiments, ideological propaganda or “sexualization”. Politicians of all sexes repeatedly air their restrictive and arbitrary understanding of “normal families”, the one true way to live, and universally shared values. We’re all equal in theory—but in practice equality is denied to many Polish people (and some even try to prevent them from identifying as Polish).

The Round Table Agreement took place 31 years ago; are we now closer to achieving marriage equality, systemic solutions to hate speech, or an end to homophobia and transphobia? How can we fight for human rights in the 21st century? Is conversation still worthwhile? LGBTQ+ rights activist Bart Staszewski will discuss the ways we can/should protest and engage in civil education.

Guest:

Bart Staszewski — Polish LGBT activist, director of the documentary “Article 18”, co-founder of the Lublin Equality March Association and Love Does Not Exclude Association.

Moderator:

Bartek Lis — sociologist with a PhD, cultural animator, educator. Employee of the Centre for Educational Practices at the ZAMEK Culture Centre. Author of  “Gejowskie (nie)męskości. Normy płciowe a strategie tożsamościowe mężczyzn homoseksualnych”.