Families and Friends of LGBTI+s Association (Lezbiyen Gey Biseksüel Trans Artı Bireylerin Aileleri ve Yakınları Derneği-LISTAG) aims to break prejudice arising from differences based on gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity, and combat discrimination. The association is receiving a grant from the 2022 period of our Gender Equality Fund. LISTAG will use this grant support to strengthen its financial sustainability by employing a financial and administrative affairs officer.
Read below our interview:
Can you tell us about LISTAG’s founding purpose and its activities so that our readers can get to know you better?
First of all, we would like to thank you once again for your support for LISTAG within the scope of the Gender Equality Fund.
LISTAG is a support and solidarity association consisting of family members whose children, siblings, relatives or other acquaintances are LGBTI+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Intersex and +). Founded in 2008 when a group of parents came together under the roof of Lambdaistanbul, LISTAG became an association in May 2019.
We dream of a future where everyone can freely express their sexual orientation and gender identity and are respected. To achieve this, we inform families and relatives of LGBTI+s , provide consultancy to our members and civil society organisations (CSOs) on the problems faced by LGBTI+s, advocate for the creation of necessary laws and policies, and raise awareness to ensure a change of attitude.
With these activities, we aim to break prejudices arising from differences based on gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity, combat discrimination and inform the people correctly. Our documentary My Child, which consists of the stories of seven parents from LISTAG, plays an important role in raising this awareness. We also organise monthly information-sharing meetings in Antalya, Ankara, Istanbul, and Izmir with the support of volunteer mental health experts from the Sexual Education Treatment and Research Association.
We aim to break prejudices arising from differences based on gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity, combat discrimination and inform the people correctly.
Our counselling hotline, where families and relatives of LGBTI+s can call and get support, is available between 10.00-19.00 every day except Sundays. In addition, as the age of coming out is now younger, we organise summer and winter camps and webinars with gender-based information and awareness-raising workshops for the families of LGBTI+ persons.
Since our inception, we have been demonstrating that another family is possible. We have supported thousands of LGBTI+ family groups to accept, love and support their children.
As LISTAG, you have been working to support LGBTI+s and their struggles for 14 years. What kind of an impact do you think the organisation of LGBTI family groups created on the LGBTI+ struggle in Turkey?
As families of LGBTI+s living in Turkey, we come together and fight for the elimination of discrimination and hate speech. In 2008, with the establishment of LISTAG in Istanbul, this struggle started to be waged in a more organised way and continues to grow by spreading to Ankara, Izmir, Antalya and Denizli.
Violence arising from discrimination and inequality based on gender and sexual orientation is a crucial social problem. Today, the state tries to control families through various social and discursive policies. While questioning gender roles and the patriarchal mindset, LISTAG underlines that different families, in other words, another family is possible.
While the number of LGBTI+ family groups is increasing on the one hand, unfortunately, on the other hand, they consciously make themselves invisible. Therefore, our demands for freedom have an indispensable place and weight in the LGBTI+ struggle. Gender equality is vital for the elimination of stigma and discrimination against LGBTI+ children, for them not to be exposed to violence and hatred.
Individuals who do not conform to the uniform family understanding cannot enjoy their rights even though they are responsible for all the obligations required by citizenship. LGBTI+ rights are human rights. As LISTAG, we have been working to ensure that this understanding is widespread in society since 2008.
Since our inception, we have been demonstrating that another family is possible. We have supported thousands of LGBTI+ family groups to accept, love and support their children.
In 2008, as families of LGBTI+s, we used to listen to each other without judgement, support each other and tell our stories wherever we were invited. Today, as LISTAG Association, we organise workshops and trainings for CSOs, universities and companies to raise awareness about LGBTI+ human rights from the perspective of families, and we try to make our voices heard on every platform related to human rights.
You recently published three guides titled LGBTI+ Human Rights Awareness Workshops Facilitator Guide, Counselling Hotline Guide for the Families of LGBTI+s, and Media and Communication Strategy Guide for the Families of LGBTI+s. Can you tell us about the purpose and content of these guides?
LGBTI+ Human Rights Awareness Workshops Facilitator Guide targets families that struggle with discrimination against LGBTI+ persons. The guide aims for parent groups and CSOs to gain skills in planning and facilitating workshops in this field. For this reason, we have included theoretical and practical information in the guide. The guide consists of online parent workshops conducted by the Nonviolent Education and Research Centre with 13 parent-participant groups.
The guide includes the topics of gender, prejudice and discrimination, and common myths about LGBTI+s to raise awareness of human rights. For parents to plan and conduct awareness workshops, the guide has information on training types, learning styles, programme design, and facilitation methods. Games, online and physical exercises, and evaluation tools were also included.
Our other guide, the Counselling Hotline Guide for the Families of LGBTI+s aims to ensure that parents in LGBTI+ family groups are capable of responding to the Hotline. The Hotline is how we connect with new families, gain new volunteers, and expand our groups. This guide supports LGBTI+ families in healing and empowering themselves first. It shows parents that they are not alone. Although this guide aims to train well-equipped volunteers for the Hotline, it also explains how volunteers can empower themselves. It consists of the topics identities and coming out, becoming a Hotline volunteer, becoming a volunteer, interview techniques, questions and answers to the Hotline, and role plays.
While questioning gender roles and the patriarchal mindset, LISTAG underlines that different families, in other words, another family is possible.
Finally, we prepared the Media and Communication Strategy Guide for the Families of LGBTI+s with the awareness that the media has a big role in the struggle for rights. Traditional and new media tools are vital for us to make our voices and stories heard. However, LGBTI+ persons are almost invisible in the media; censorship is taken for granted and normalised. The news produced with an understanding that does not question prejudice and discrimination causes hate speech and sexism to become widespread and cause a cycle of violence. Therefore, it is crucial for LGBTI+ family organisations and journalists to be visible in the media and to share their own stories to raise awareness and break this negative perception in the media. This guide provides LGBTI+ family organisations with tips and tricks for interviews with the media.
Can you tell us about the importance of Pride Month and Pride March for the LGBTI+ movement?
The riots that took place in the gay bar Stonewall Inn on 28 June 1969 are considered the first mass revolt and open resistance of LGBTI+ people against this system. Since the beginning of this honourable rebellion, the last week of June is celebrated worldwide as LGBTI+ Pride Week. As the celebrations and activities spread over the whole month, June is called Pride Month.
Although the dates vary in each country, a crowded and festive Pride March is held in the last week of June with the participation of the entire LGBTI+ community. We can summarise the purpose of Pride Month events and marches as increasing the visibility of the LGBTI+ community all over the world, strengthening the struggle for rights and solidarity, and celebrating the common history they share.
Unfortunately, the Pride March, which has been subjected to violent police intervention in Turkey since 2015, was banned by the Istanbul Governorate in 2016. Nevertheless, the Pride March continues to be held in small groups in various cities despite police intervention and bans.
Gender equality is vital for the elimination of stigma and discrimination against LGBTI+ children, for them not to be exposed to violence and hatred.
As LISTAG, we celebrate Pride Month and Pride Week every year and share this enthusiasm with our families. We organise dinners where we meet with LISTAG families. We attend the events organised by consulates and LISTAG-friendly companies and support LGBTI+ visibility. This year we created a lot of digital content and conducted interviews about Pride Month. In summary, although we could not march on the streets with our children as we would like, we celebrated Pride Month and Pride Week with enthusiasm.
Which organisational development areas will you focus on with the grant we are providing in the 2022 term of the Gender Equality Fund? How do you expect this support to contribute to your association?
LISTAG needs to be able to continue supporting and empowering LGBTI+ families by strengthening its organisational structure and raising funds to cover its expenses. This grant support will make a significant contribution to our financial sustainability. In addition, we will realise our mission of supporting LGBTI+ families through webinars, providing gender-based information and awareness-raising workshops, and a summer camp.
As LISTAG, we provide consultancy to our members, other CSOs, and institutions to increase the visibility of and awareness about LGBTI+s. With your support, we will continue our activities in the field of counselling, which is an important part of our mission.
About LISTAG
LISTAG aims to support families whose children or relatives are LGBTI+ and works to ensure that families accept and love their LGBTI+ children and/or relatives, and LGBTI+s live in dignity and are accepted in society.
