“Where love is illegal”
What do two young Russian lesbians, who insist on expressing their love despite state repression and societal backlash, an American gay man who dedicated himself to activism after losing his partner to AIDS, a trans woman from Nepal who was compelled to marry and start a ‘normal’ family at a great personal expense, a Tunisian gay couple living under semi-legal circumstances and an Iraqi gay man who fled his homeland fearing for his life due to the fury of his family and community over his sexual orientation, all have in common?
How is a trans woman from Syria, who escaped her country when ISIS captured her partner, whose fate remains unknown, connected to a heartbroken South African mother whose daughter was brutally beaten, raped, and murdered for being a lesbian? What ties a fearless LGBTQ+ rights activist from Uganda to a young gay man from Cameroon who was forced to endure a humiliating ‘exorcism’ to rid him of his ‘evil spirit’?
The overarching aim is to record, document, and publicize personal survival stories from the global LGBTQ+ community.
These are just some of the twenty powerful tales of resilience, acceptance, and love encapsulated in an equal number of photographic portraits featured in the exhibition “Where Love Is Illegal – Exhibition in a Box”. The exhibition opens on June 1 at the Positive Hub, the community center of Positive Voice, in celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride Month. Curated by Miro Pascalev, the exhibition will make its debut in Athens and at the Positive Hub, before being showcased in numerous cities worldwide.
The project, which seeks to record, document, and disseminate personal survival stories from the global LGBTQ+ community, is an initiative of the NGO Witness Change, which is dedicated to promoting human rights through long-term visual storytelling projects. Its founder is renowned British photographer Robin Hammond, who primarily focuses on oppressed and underprivileged groups and individuals.
Hammond’s work has been recognized with two Word Press Photo awards, six International Photography of the Year awards, the RF Kennedy Journalism Award, and the W. Eugene Smith Award. He has also received numerous accolades from Amnesty International and was named by Foreign Policy magazine as one of the top 100 contemporary thinkers.
“In seventy-two countries around the world, laws still exist that suppress and criminalize everything from sexual preferences to the very existence of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, or intersex individuals. In seventy-two countries worldwide, individuals who love or identify differently than the societal norm must do so clandestinely. The laws vary from location to location – ranging from charges of indecent conduct to criminal suppression of the right to freely express one’s sexuality and gender identity. The severity of the penalties is alarming, with punishments spanning from fines and social ostracism to imprisonment, torture, and in some instances, death…
However, violence, discrimination, prejudice, and hate speech against LGBTQ+ individuals are not confined to countries that actively persecute and marginalise them. “People worldwide who simply wish to live and love authentically are suffering,” states the mission statement of the photographer and team behind the “Where Love Is Illegal” project.
Progressive laws and inclusive policies alone are insufficient. Shifts in societal perceptions, attitudes, and norms are also necessary. This is why you’ll find testimonials from countries where homosexuality is legal, and even from places where LGBTQ+ individuals now live openly and freely.
“The media frequently report on oppressive laws, crimes, and atrocities, but seldom do they give a voice to the very individuals who dare to love in places where their love is deemed illegal. We aim to change that narrative. We believe that stories have the power to connect people, transform viewpoints, open minds, and influence policies,” the team adds.
The subjects of the “Where Love Is Illegal” project are given the autonomy to choose their poses, attire, and self-introductions. Their personal stories and testimonials, as they have recorded them, accompany their portraits. Through this initiative, Witness Change invites members of the LGBTQ+ community from all corners of the globe to join the international campaign against violence, intolerance, discrimination, and stigma. This campaign is being propelled forward in the media and on social media, thanks to the collaboration of volunteers and activists.
Exhibitions held under the banner of this project, along with the funds raised, are aimed at supporting LGBTQ+ individuals and their rights across the world. The focus is particularly on those countries where their safety is most at risk. In 2018, after launching this project, Robin Hammond appealed to the United Nations to initiate a campaign to end the torture and extrajudicial killings of LGBTQ+ individuals.
The exhibition “Where Love Is Illegal – Exhibition in a box” will be on display throughout June at the Positive Hub (4 Pittaki Street, Monastiraki). It will be open every Thursday and Friday from 16:00-20:00, in celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride month. The opening is scheduled for Friday, June 2nd at 19:00.
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