The panel took place in German sign language and German spoken language.
LGBT, LGBTQ, LGBTQIA+ and queer, gay, trans, ace: There are various alliance terms for people who are affected by anti-queer and/or anti-trans discrimination. The terms are and have always been part of the communities and carry meaning, power and resistance. However, as with many identity terms, there are one (or more) discourses, disputes, perhaps even arguments. They also change: through various movements and waves and also from generation to generation and from community to community. That’s why we want to create a space in which we can shift our focus and ask ourselves: How do we feel about the term? What problems come up with the acronym? And who is actually talking to whom here?
We exchanged experiences on this ‘90s topic’ (quote from Jin Haritaworn on the panel) with the wonderful panellists Yezenia León Mezu, Judy Gummich, Paula Güllü and Jin Haritaworn.
Our panelists:
Jin Haritaworn
… grew up at Queer of Colour kitchen tables in London and Berlin. Jin currently lives between Berlin and Toronto/Tkaronto/Three Fires Territory, where Jin is an Associate Professor at York University. Jin has written two books, including ‘Queer Lovers and Hateful Others: Regenerating Violent Times and Places’, about racism and gentrification in queer communities in Berlin in the 2000s and 2010s. Jin has also co-edited several anthologies, including ‘Queer Necropolitics’. Their last three collections as well as the blog MarvellousGrounds.com were co-published with the Marvellous Grounds collective and co-authored with community members in Tkaronto, aiming to archive QTBIPOC’s contributions to social movements there. Jin has made seminal contributions to German- and English-language debates on subaltern spaces, homonationalism, intersectionality, neoliberal cities, police violence/abolition and trans/queer of colour theories.
Judy Gummich
… is a diversity trainer and instructor, process consultant and systemic coach with a focus on human rights, inclusion and diversity. For almost 40 years, she has worked professionally, freelance and on a voluntary basis in various contexts on issues relating to the African diaspora in Germany, gender and sexual diversity, people with disabilities and intersectional realities and discrimination. She has been – and still is – involved in numerous committees in the course of her activist work.
Yezenia León Mezu
… is a freelance translator, writer and anti-discrimination lecturer from Colombia. Yezenia has a degree in Spanish Literature, Linguistics and Religious Studies. As an educational lecturer, Yezenia works on the topics of race, body, tradition and heritage. As a consultant, Yezenia León Mezu works on the intersections of race and intersex and researches and writes from an intersectional perspective on antiblackness, coloniality, politics of the body and desire, and mental health.
Paula Güllü
… is Deaf, Brown, Queer and was born in Berlin. She is active in the Deaf community and is currently training to become a sign language interpreter. In addition to her training, Paula is also active in theatre and contributes her experiences and perspectives as a Deaf person to artistic projects.
The event took place as part of the LADS-funded project #CommunitiesSolidarischDenken.
In cooperation with federal foundation Magnus-Hirschfeld and the AWO-Begegnungszentrum in Berlin-Kreuzberg.
