The long walk to freedom starts with a “Stand-in” of empty shoes.

Interview with activists from Tbilissi, Georgia on the  International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia 2014

-       Where/how did the idea originate ?

For IDAHOT 2013, LGBT activists tried to hold a public rally, which was labeled by opponents as a ‘Gay pride’ and attracted a huge counter reaction, led by religious leaders. The activists who had gathered barely escaped a terrifying violent mob. This created a big trauma.

In 2014, although some isolated activists wanted to take public action again, a consensus was finally reached that there should be no action where people could be identified, or exposed to public violence. So we had to think about what we could do while still being invisible.

So how do you make visible that you are invisible ???! We brainstormed a lot and came to the idea to put the shoes in the place where the IDAHO rally was crashed last year on 17^th of May. We felt that this would convey two messages at the same time: that LGBT community could not hold a rally this year, and that despite this, the LGBT community is present and its existence will always manifest itself in one way or the other. We thought that shoes indeed were a good symbol: they clearly represent people, and suggest that these people stand, hold their ground, but also are on the move. [The idea of shoes was partially inspired by the holocaust memorial in Budapest, where the shoes stand on the side of Danube honoring the Jews thrown into Danube in 1944-45].

So we decided to ‘occupy’ a popular square in the capital city with an arts installation of roughly 100 pairs of shoes, and pinning all around the premises a text that would explicit this display.

 –       What were the main expectations in terms of outcomes (media attention, public attendance, academic interest,…) ?

We mainly wanted to attract sympathy from the public, by showing that while we (the LGBT people) exist, the menace that people think we constitute, does not. So by displaying this very peaceful and silent protest, we wanted to balance out other more confrontational protest actions.

The notion of ‘invisible’ was also conceived as a way to connect our cause to the lived experiences and the frustrations of many other marginalized groups in Georgian society, among them also some of those that were demonstrating against us: I actually attended the anti-LGBT demonstrations myself, to listen to what people had to say, and it stroke me that many of the participants of counter-demonstration weren’t so much opposing us, but rather they used these demonstrations as a platform to get their own claims heard. Unemployment, poverty, lack of respect, etc. : these were the subjects of discussions, beneath the very thin varnish of anti-gay slogans. People were angry and frustrated that their concerns were not being addressed by those in power, that they were invisible themselves. So by focusing our discourse on invisibility, we wanted to underline that invisibility is not only a challenge for LGBT community but for many other groups in Georgian society, with whom public space is not shared, who’s voices and problems are neglected.

Of course, we also wanted the action to be visual enough to appeal to the media. It indeed attracted immediate coverage by the main online news channels.

- What were the risks/threats involved and how did you mitigate them (counter demonstrations, police harassment, media indifference, etc.) ?

Obviously, the greater risk was the security of the people. Any action in a public space could potentially have grow violent at this point in Tbilisi, as even if the LGBT community didn’t organize any public action, counter-mobilization still took place on 17^th of May. Thus we did not inform the media, or the city authorities in advance, and tried to stay very discrete about the plan.

- How did you get it done ? How much time did it take ? how much did it cost ? how many people did it involved ?

We spent about two weeks collecting shoes from family and friends and bought some second hand. On the 18^th, very early in the morning we drove to the square we had chosen and did the installation rapidly. Police officers on duty immediately showed up but we had a good contact with them and they actually constituted more of an informal protection than a problem, which was nice to experience. If the police had been very hostile, I guess they could have blocked us but the risk was not very high, as we were not doing anything illegal: an arts installation doesn’t require any particular permit, as long as it is not blocking traffic.

The logistics itself cost nothing. A handful of people, or even one dedicated individual, could get this off the ground.

- How did you analyse the impact of this action?

The fact that at least something happened to celebrate the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, and that we did not fully give in to our opponents, was hugely appreciated by the LGBT community. It created a sense of pride and empowerment.

Also, the media which covered the event did a series of interviews with passersby, revealing surprising statements of support, which we might use in future for further campaigning initiatives.

Besides, some people who had learnt about the action through the media, came to the site of the installation and put their own shoes next to the ones standing there, showing support, though we never made a call for This indicates that it caught people’s imagination so we might do this action again next year, in a more collective way, engaging the public for support.

-       what would you have done differently ? what advise would you give to other people who’d like to undertake this activity ?

My piece of advise to others would be that any action has to be carefully crafted in collaboration with all major existing LGBT groups, as they are the ones who have a longer term strategy into which this kind of action can fit, or not. These discussions can take time. Be prepared to handle that.

Also, these actions are a very good hook for media education. You should be prepared to use them strategically to further their understanding of the cause.

For more information, you can contact us at

pataraazazelo@gmail.com

Displayed text :

Protest of the Invisible

This is an installation for the invisible. Those who are unseen, those who are not heard, whose existence is not recognized. This installation is for all of us who encounter daily, but don’t see and listen to each other. 

For those who cannot leave home and for those who have no home to shelter,

For those  who were forcefully displaced several times by: 

the military,  the government,

the banks, 

their own families, 

For those whose work remains unappreciated, 

For those  on hunger strike demanding to be heard, 

For those for whom we do not have enough public space,

For those  we cannot protect from insult, 

For the victims of violence and blackmail that have never been investigated, 

For those that have to pray in silence, 

For those who have to hide their names. 

Today, these empty shoes stand instead of the persons, who had the courage to stand against the invisibility of one of the groups, the LGBTQ community one year ago on May 17th –  who attempted to unmask how merciless we are, and discuss our common challenges, but who’s gathering was violently dissolved. Those who wish to stand here today to share their woes and joys, but neither the state, nor the society respect their voice and their existence.

This is a protest for the invisible and against invisibility. Despite the fact that we still do not manage to acknowledge and appreciate each other, we all exist, with our dreams, thoughts, with our daily lives. Turning a blind eye and covering up ears will not won’t erase our existence, will not heal our wounds, will not disable us to on  May 18.

Made famous by Tunisian anti-censorship protesters, in 2005, who covered Ben Ali’s presidential palace with video testimonies of political prisoners, Google Earth Bombing is a really simple way to put love, justice and human rights on the map – especially where physical protests are impossible, due to state restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly. It’s also an effective way for people to participate who can’t attend a public event for other reasons (e.g. lack of community spaces, mobility issues).

Since anyone can upload images, videos or text additions to a particular place, all you really need are these instructions – absolutely no programming skills are required.

You could ‘love’ bomb anywhere you want – for example, by putting a picture of you and your partner kissing, in the place you first fell in love, or a huge rainbow coloured heart on the top of Mount Everest.

You could also organise as a community – identifying a particular local or national place for collective action, and spreading it out via social media.

If you are looking to join in an international effort, one would guess that the Congress/Parliament building of certain countries which criminalise same sex relationships or public Expressions of LGBT rights, might be quite popular on the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia 2014.

Once you’ve done it, post a link (or screen-shot) of your contribution to Twitter, Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #lovebomb (and #IDAHOT) to help get this viral.

The idea is really simple: people can get together on May 17 in a public space, not to explicitly hold a ‘protest’, ‘demonstration’ or ‘march’, but to just stand still and/or just talk to one another.

Because it’s not exactly a protest – just a group of people who’ve come together to stand around and talk – it makes it difficult for police to justify dispersing crowds or arresting people. After all, why would a supposedly democratic state arrest people for just talking, or just happening to be together in a public space?

Symbolically, it’s a powerful way to speak up about restrictions on freedoms of expression, assembly and association, and to practically challenge those restrictions at the same time.

Whilst the tactic is designed to work well in places where police repression is likely, it could also make for a thought provoking act of solidarity in places where people do enjoy the right to freely express themselves, and to protest in public.

And even in some really open contexts, where recent crackdowns on freedoms of assembly make public demonstrations difficult (e.g. the UK), it could be a good way for LGBT communities to use May 17 to provoke debate about wider democratic freedoms.

It should also provoke interest from pubic and media. People passing by should be interested in why on everyone has suddenly stopped in the streets and started talking to each other? A good way to amplify the message is to build the action up on social media before hand, and make sure to have plenty of people ready to post live updates.

Use the hashtag #JustTalkin (and #IDAHOT) to help get your message out on the Day.

After all, these messages threaten our integrity as human beings and reinforce the idea that LGBT people are fair targets for humiliation and attack!

A group of activists from Uruguay – the Ovejas Negras (Black Sheep) collective – created a great project to challenge this. They invited people to send pictures of graffiti or writings against LGBT people which could be found on the street or in their workplace or school. Loads of people sent in images from their cameras or cellphones, via social media.

The group then created a photo montage of them all (some are pictured above), and created a whole album here. They also used the contributions to produce a short video about homophobia, transphobia and lesbophobia in Uruguay (released for May 17 2013).

The video got over 10,000 views and the group got loads of positive feedback from teachers in particular who found it a useful tool to open up discussion about discrimination.

You can check out the video here:

And here’s one of the posters they created to help get the word out:

Another great example from Egypt:

pro-LGBT activists transformed “an anti-gay mural on Mohamed Mahmoud Street in Cairo, which took a swing at the city’s cops calling them gay.

” Activists altered the homophobic graffiti to promote a pro-gay message. A young Arab woman, Leil Zahra Mortada, later shared the before and after photos of the mural (below) on Facebook, which caused much discussion and debate on LGBT issues

In over 300 cities worldwide, Stitch ‘n Bitch groups organize social gatherings during which the participants chat or gossip while engaging in knitting, needlework and hand sewing. The term dates back to at least World War II, during which certain social, political, ethnic groups rarely found safe shelters.

Performing a public stitching session will not only be relaxing but also expressive. It will be about claiming and re-playing with traditional roles in public space. It will also express individualism and anti-consumerism for some…

If you can’t think of anything to bitch about, we have some suggestions !

The fact that:

* 78 countries in the world criminalise same sex relationships.
* Many more – 70% of the world population – live under regimes which restrict freedoms of expression and assembly for LGBT communities.
* In Europe, 16 countries deny trans people the rights to change their name and gender on official documents.
* And 23 of the 33 countries which do allow it, require forced sterilization as a pre-requisite for such changes. 19 countries require divorce.
* Only a grim 7% of the world population benefit of explicit laws restricting hate speech against sexual and gender minorities !

Depending on your context, you can play with the name of this public gathering.

For example, you could hold a ‘Stitch and Kitsch’ (for extra stye!), or a ‘Stitch, Bitch and Get Rich’ (if you wanted to blend the event with a community fundraising push!).

The possibilities are sew endless !

Photo: from the Glasgow women’s library history article here !

Whilst it might be difficult to stage a dance flashmob with a unique choreography, like they are done by artistic or commercial groups, it can be simple and really effective to pick one well-known dance and to invite people to join in.

Madonna’s Express Yourself, Salt-n-Pepa’s Expression or, of course, Gloria Gaynor’s I Am What I Am could be good choices for this year’s focus on Freedom of Expression. Waltz, rock-and-roll, samba or reggaeton could also be great alternatives – whatever style you like !

The Global Rainbow Flashmob for the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia 2013, saw loads of dance flashmobs all over the world – in cities as diverse as Johannesburg, London and Jakarta. Check out the Global Rainbow Flashmob video for inspiration :

The Global Rainbow Flashmob 2013 – Original Version from IDAHO Committee on Vimeo.

To make the video really buzz, you might want to organize for participants to dress in rainbow colors. Color combinations make for excellent graphic and symbolic results.

For example the dance can start with different sexed pairs of different colors (e.g. one man in yellow and one woman in red) and at some critical moment the dancers change partners and reassemble as same-sex couples of same color. The underlying image here is that each dancer has found back harmony with someone of the same sex !

Picture: Dance flashmob for the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia 2013 in Jakarta.

Rainbow crossings are a great message (tracing the safe passage to ‘the other side’!). See our special post on this.  But getting people together in a public square for a day of activities – where everyone is Free to Express their own personal message to the world for the IDAHOT 2014 – could also be a great way to engage people.

The photos afterwards are really great to share on social media.

For IDAHOT 2014, Unesco had 4 schools chalk rainbows on Bangkok’s streets. Read our Activist Voice interview here for inspiration on how you can organise such an event.

One project, Chalk 4 Peace, has been doing collective chalk projects for children and young people since 2004. Schools or youth groups get together in a public place and each gets a paving slab or concrete area on which to design their own message for peace. A Chalk-in or ‘Chalk 4 Free Expression’ is a really great option for a family friendly event, and could be easily joined up with other actions, as part of day of action, community get together, or celebration.

For more inspiration check out the chalk festivals held annually in Sarasota and Pasadena, US.