LESBO 15/16
Id. 2002: KARNEVAL
Lesbo is a Slovene political, social and cultural non-profit
making quarterly. Its founder and publisher is the lesbian group
ŠKUC-LL. The editor-in-chief is Nataša Velikonja, the design editor
is Barbara Predan.
Lesbo magazine aims at sharpening the critical and intellectual
blades. It promotes politics, stories and views, arts and attitudes,
practices and theories about the resistance and radical fights
against homophobia and any other exclusive orientations. As such
it participates in wider civil, political, social and cultural
efforts aiming at breaking the massive walls of civil apathy,
political ignorance, ideological terror and mind exploitation.
The 15-16th (spring-summer 2002) issue of Lesbo magazine is titled
"CARNIVAL". The title refers to the revival of carnival
practises of political and social rebellion: from the anti-globalistic
manifestations all around the world, fighting economic or political
injustices, to the gay and lesbian pride marches. Carnival breaks
the monotony of public sphere on different representational levels
- its main points are listed in Nataša Sukič's "Carnival
body", an essay, which can be found in the cultural part
of magazine. The 2nd homo march in Ljubljana is described in Nataša
Velikonja's article at the rubric "The Scenes".
Another one of the central topics again deals with "Violence
on the basis of sexual orientation" - this issue publishes
the second part. If the last issue (Lesbo, No. 13-14/2001) gave
some general information on political strategies to act against
the homophobic violence, violence against gays and lesbians and
between same-sex partners, some personal stories, forms of behaviour
or language which can be understood as violence etc, this issue
brings the political-artistic project of Henrik Olesen, "Homosexual
Rights Around the World": it is an overview of the situation
(mainly legal) of gays and lesbians in countries all around the
world, from which the level of homophobic repression is obvious.
The project, accompanied by casual photographs from everyday life,
was done to raise general awareness of the violations homosexuals
experienced on a daily basis.
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Focus on "Violence on the basis of sexual orientation",
which should equip the readership with the consciousness and will
to act against it, is spread throughout the magazine. In the political
part Tatjana Greif, in an article "Dossier: The First 9 years
- Bureau of Ombudsman of Republic of Slovenia", writes about
the work of a Slovene ombudsman and the general concept of civil
and human rights (with emphasis on gays and lesbians) and protection
of them in context of the Republic of Slovenia. Political commentaries
in the section "LLobby", which is designed to monitor
state policy and general politics, are Suzana Tratnik's editorial,
Urška Sterle's "Assimilation is not Emancipation" and
Nataša Velikonja's "What did we want at first place?";
all three comment on the events, that were significant from January
to June 2002: the selection of transvestite trio Sestre for the
Eurovision song contest; Maja Wiess's film "The Guardian
of the Frontier"; gay and lesbian Pride march in Ljubljana;
and practises of solidarity among leftist, anarchist groups in
Slovenia. The political part also contains interviews with the
candidates in this year's autumn's Slovene presidental and local
elections - with dr. Lev Kreft, Zmago Jelinčič, Barbara Brezigar
and dr. Janez Drnovšek.
The foreign policy part consists of a report from this year's
Pride march in Zagreb, written by Urška Sterle, and Kurt Krickler's
essay "Combating discrimination on the grounds of sexual
orientation and gender identity outside employment".
The second strongly emphasised part is a section "The East
and the Homosexuality". It is an examination and insight
into the conditions of gay and lesbian life in the states and
societies, marked as countries of the ex-socialist block. This
issue brings ex-Yugoslavia: the magazine brings an interview with
dr. Vlasta Jalušič, researcher in the field of political theory
and feminism; an article of Dean Vuletić, "Popular faggot:
the discourse about homosexuality in the Croatian popular culture";
the research of Rijeka's lesbian group LORI about "Croatian
media and homosexuality"; review of Slavenka Drakulić's book
“As I am Nothing”; Wendy Bracewell's article "Women, matherhood
and the contemporary Serbian nationalism"; and Dejan Nebrigić's
"Personal/Political".
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The section "Out of Closet" brings forth three events
which succeeded to break the walls of homophobic amnesia or successfully
included anti-homophobic struggle in a wider social platform in
the last six months of 2002. Their common characteristic is their
access to crossing-over communities, breaking out of the gay and
lesbian ghetto, but without veiling the homosexual context. The
first ones are Sestre again, their election to the Eurovision
song contest; the second is Suzana Tratnik's theatre play "My
name is Damjan"; and the third is this year's Pride march
in Ljubljana on the 6th of July.
The section "The School" brings Nataša Koražija's study
"Prejudices: the means for keeping the domination alive",
and Boris Pintar's essay "What can be expected from the intelligentia",
that draws attention to the historical connection between sexual
life of important rulers and politics; it emphasises that neither
sexual matters nor sexual minorities are not unimportant. The
third is a satire, psychological counsellor dr. Branimira Črešnjak-Cevc,
giving some really interesting and useful advice for troubled
and confused homosexual mind.
The cultural part of Lesbo magazine is composed of three interviews
- with Maja Weiss, the director of the film "The Guardian
of the Frontier"; with authors of the theatre play "My
Name is Damjan" - the playwriter Suzana Tratnik, the director
Alen Jelen and actress Neva Jana Flajs; and with three Berlin-based
contemporary artists, Henrik Olesen, Michael Elmgreen and Ingar
Dragset. Vanja Velikonja in her article "Why is the girl
so sad?" writes about conceptions of gender and sexuality
in the lyrics of Slovene and ex-Yugoslav rock and popular music.
The new part of cultural section is rubric "The objects of
lust", where Pauline describes sex toys and their usage.
This issue's portrait is dedicated to German actress Marlene
Dietrich; Acija Alfirević walked through an exhibition that Berlin's
Homo Museum prepared about her life. Special attention is given
to the literary creativity: "The Literature" part publishes
two new stories by Nataša Sukič. "Surpassing the Love of
Men", the classic study of Lillian Faderman, will be published
this year - Lesbo brings some excerpts from the book.
Lesbo ends with the section "The Scenes", where some
points and segments of gay and lesbian social gatherings are described:
this year's Ljubljana's homo carnival on the 6th of July is reviewed
in Nataša Velikonja's previously mentioned article; and Andreja
Gomišček in an essay "Time for curiosity" also gives
some thoughts about it. Suzana Tratnik in "Summer in Metelkova"
and Vesna Vravnik in "Partying" discuss the squat in
Metelkova city, the lesbian club Monocle and possibilities for
"going out" - to party. KamaSutra shortly comments on
the success of transvestite trio Sestre, in an essay "The
Anatomy of story of love". And finally - the section "Pornovision"
brings Roman Kuhar's next episode of lesbian and gay history -
the study "A guy that invented the word 'homosexuality'",
about Karoly Maria Kertbeny.
Back to English sites
Vrni v seznam kazala - LESBO 15/16
LLOBBY - notranji | Carnival
= defense | LLOBBY - zunanji
| JUGOSLAVIJA | TEMA3MESEČJA
- Nasilje| VEN IZ KLOZETA | ŠOLA | KULTURA | LITERATURA | PORTRET
- Marlene Diestrich | SCENA | MEDIJSKE
REALNOSTI | PORNOVIZIJA | EVA (strip)
| SUMMARY (in English)
Za pregled vsebine posamezne številke, spodaj izberi naslovnico.
NAZAJ NA NOVICE
Vrni na vrh
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