anders deutsch

Among the participants of the Young Media Summit there was also an lgbtqi activist (lesbian gay trans* queer intersex - in my reading). We talked a bit about the struggle for lgbtqi rights during the revolution. When is the right time to do what? How can one concentrate on different issues at different times without hierarchising between causes? How can one phrase the demands of lgbtqi?

She also told us that the embassy of a country from the global North had approached them and wanted to give them money to establish an lgbt (I do not know how far the embassy went in it's inclusion) organisation. They did not want the money. And in particular they did not want to be told from some embassy that they have to found an organisation. They know themselves what they want to do.

The lgbtqi activist also told us about an open gay blogger in Syria Gay Girl in Damascus.

PS 09.06.11: Gay Girl in Damascus has now been detained already several days. There is a Free Amina Abdalla Facebook site. German feminist blogs have published the news and now it also has reached the German newspaper taz.

It is good that there is so much publicity for 'Gay Gril in Damascus' and I hope it helps. But it has to be remembered - as was said at the Young Media Summit - there are (I am not sure whether I remember the correct number) something like 12.000 detainees in Syria and most of them do not have a facebook identity.

PS 12.06.11: The "Gay Girl in Damascus" seems to have been a hoax. One Syrian twitterer asks:

"Back to real activists in danger: are you going to support them like you supported "Amina"? or they have to be gay and speak English first?"

but says also:

"Re Amina hoax, I am utterly disgusted. That said, I'll always follow and love anonymous blogging till proved hoaxed."

With some of the participants of the Young Media Summit I was talking about the nationalism within the revolution. Everywhere there are nationalist graffitis, flags dominate the protests. I suppose Egypt is referred to to unite the people against the regime. But this is always linked to exclusions.

One of the participants tells us that after a football match between Algeria and Egypt he was taking pictures of the celebrations in Cairo. After his flatemate was sexually harrased they went quickly away and attention was focussed on them. The crowd attacked them, alleging they were Algerians. Some protected them and so they were able to get away.

So Egyptian nationalism can be dangerous. Is there a possibilty of a revolution without nationalist slogans?