Tupilak, Nordic Rainbow Council, ILGCN Information Secretariat & Nordic Rainbow Humanists members on both sides of the Baltic Sea….!

Tupilak, Nordic Rainbow Council, ILGCN Information Secretariat & Nordic Rainbow Humanists members on both sides of the Baltic Sea….!

After last year's successful Nordic Moonbow cultural brigades to Russia, Poland, Belarus, Latvia, etc., we're searching for funds from Swedish and other Nordic institutions for new challenges this coming year.

We hope to send Nordic musicians, singers, performers, artists, photographers, journalists to special rainbow events in the Nordic region and to the critical rainbow barricades in Eastern European and beyond …. and hope to accept invitations to events in Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius, Torshavn, Mariahamn, Moscow, Minsk, Krakow, Poznan , Istanbul/Ankara, Toronto (Iranians in Exile), Paris/Marseille (Algerians in Exile) and Mauritius.

We're also planning fund-raising cabarets, seminars, photo exhibitions and art lotteries in Stockholm at Gallery Agúeli, Södra Teatern, Liljevalchs art gallery , Norden i Fokus (Nordic Council information center) and Herman's garden cafe, as well as on board Tallink passenger ships to Tallinn and Riga and at the May 17^th Vilnius ILGCN culture conference.

Please let us know if you're interested in any of the above and in what way.

Bill Schiller, Stockholm

info@tupilak.se www.tupilak.se www.ilgcn.tupilak.se

P.S. Realizing that we never receive enough funding to send all the desired "Moonbow warriors" to rainbow events, let us know if you are making any travel plans of your own and might want to join in Stockholm fund-raising events and Moonbow delegations to other cities even when outside financial support becomes available.

EXILE, UNDERGROUND EVENTS PLANNED for BELARUS

ILGCN Information Secretariat - Stockholm
(International Lesbian & Gay Cultural Network) http://www.ilgcn.tupilak.se
_________________________________________________

PRESS RELEASE
November 30, 2006

Response to Police Arrest of Gay Activists,
Cancellation of ILGCN Conference Stage:

EXILE, UNDERGROUND EVENTS PLANNED for BELARUS

Minsk/Stockholm - Plans are underway to organize rainbow events underground in Belarus and in "exile" during the next year - following the cancellation of the November 11th Minsk stage of the 2006 ILGCN (International Lesbian & Gay Cultural Network) world rainbow cultural conference because of the arrest of 7 lesbian and gay Belarus activists.

"We had appealed to the international community to join us in Minsk to help break our isolation and make a difference - and we believe that this human contact is more important than ever before," says Slava Bortnik of LGBT Amnesty Belarus, one of those arrested.

The ILGCN had earlier arranged other "Belarus in Exile" events in Stockholm and London when Belarus authorities denied visas to foreigners and after earlier events in the Belarus capital were marred by police violence and where venues were shut down and participants thrown into the streets.

The Poznan stage of the 2006 ILGCN conference - taking place on November 18 -- supported efforts on behalf of Belarus in the coming year, and the new ILGCN Eastern Europe Secretariat in Warsaw is to give special attention to Belarus.

Exile Events in Warsaw, Riga,Vilnius?

"We are asking our ILGCN colleagues to help arrange "exile" events in neighboring Poland, Latvia and Lithuania -- and plan some kind of international underground rainbow events in Belarus," says Bill Schiller, secretary general of the ILGCN Information Secretariat in Stockholm. "It was crucial to meet face to face with these gay activists who had been detained and interrogated - noting that instead of becoming discouraged and giving up, they take this harassment and threats from the special police as part of daily life in this last dictatorship of Eastern Europe - determined to remain on the rainbow barricades."










"I'm proud also that the Swedish Institute supported my visit to Minsk - underlining that the official Swedish body responsible for international exchange gives both Belarus and rainbow rights there high priority," Schiller concludes.


**************************

Supporting the ILGCN Information Secretariat:

Tupilak (Nordic rainbow cultural workers)
Nordic Rainbow Council
Nordic Rainbow Humanists

ILGCN POZNAN CONFERENCE PART of EQUALITY WEEK

PRESS RELEASE
November 19, 2006

Rainbow Parade in Poland a Triumphant Success over Homophobes:

ILGCN POZNAN CONFERENCE PART of EQUALITY WEEK

Poznan - The 3rd stage of the ILGCN world rainbow culture conference
2006 in this western Polish city was a successful part of a highly
impressive week-long cultural, social and political festival including
discussions, debates, performances and exhibitions - culminating with a
triumphant rainbow parade with police clearing the homphobes and neo
Nazis determined to occupy the final meters of "Freedom Square."

Waiving rainbow flags from the podium and speakers at the
microphone denouncing homophobia earned loud cheers from the parade
participants who had refused to abort the march forcing the police to
take action - a sharp contrast to last year's homophobic, violent
attacks and police lethargy and arrests of LGBT participants.

Rainbow Culture, Humanist LGBT Support, New E.E. Secretariat

The conference includes reports on ILGCN activities in Poland by
Warsaw-based cultural ambassador, Lukasz Palucki and information work
carried out by the ILGCN secretariat in Stockholm. Rolf Solheim
reported on Humanist work in his native Norway and world humanist
support for LGBT rights.

"We are very pleased to have approved the idea of a new ILGCN
Secretariat for Eastern Europe in Warsaw - to give special emphasis on
the situations in Poland, Belarus, Ukraine and elsewhere," says Bill
Schiller of the Information Secretariat.

The conference also confirmed the sites of next year's
conference stages - in Mauritius and Vilnius, for Iranians in exile
(Toronto) and Algerians in exile (Paris/Marseille). The conference
approved new cultural ambassadors and co-ordinators from Lithuania,
Italy, Mauritius and Iran. (see website)

Because the 2nd ILGCN conference stage to be held in Minsk
November 3-5 was cancelled after KGB arrests of the organizers, the
Poznan conference approved plans to hold ILGCN "Belarus in Exile"
events in 2007 in Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. (The Poznan stage
replaced the stage scheduled for Jerusalem postponed because of the war.)

ILGCN Support for Europride & Outgames, Grizzly Bear Award to Poznan

Conference participants also approved support for ILGCN
activities in Poland when Stockholm and Warsaw share Europride 2008
events and continuing efforts to help the 2nd Outgames -- blending
human rights, culture and sports in Copenhagen in 2009 -- focus on the
crucial rainbow battles on Eastern European barricades.

Conference "Rainbow Warrior" awards were handed out to
Poles providing special help to the conference and LGBT identity in
Poland, and the organizers of the Poznan "Equality Week" received
the ILGCN "Grizzly Bear" 2006 for carrying out the successful
festival in the face of threats and shadows of last year's violence.

Also during the week, the ILGCN Warsaw ambassador and the
Information Secretariat protested over the Polish President's
statements on BBC news that gay culture "threatened to make
heterosexual culture disappear" as ridiculous and homophobic.

Moscow 2006 Stage Terminated by Bloody Violence

The first stage of the 2006 ILGCN world rainbow culture
conference took place in Moscow in May -- including a special 'Nordic
Lights' presentation supported by the Nordic Council's culture fund
and the Norwegian Embassy. However, the three days of events ended with
a bloody, violent, and tear-gas filled battle on Red Square with both
homophobes and police attacking LGBT activists trying to place flowers
at a memorial -- since the Pride parade itself was banned by the mayor
and condemned by all religious leaders in the city.

More information, photos:
Lukasz Palucki www.santi-moblog.pl santi@santi.net.pl

Information Secretariat www.ilgcn.tupilak.se

****************************

Supporting the ILGCN Information Secretariat:

TUPILAK -- Nordic rainbow cultural workers

Nordic Rainbow Council

Nordic Rainbow Humanists

The annual ILGCN "Arco Nordica" 2006 award

Press Release from the International Lesbian & Gay Cultural Network
Information Secretariat in Stockholm:

The annual ILGCN "Arco Nordica" 2006 award goes to Sweden's
Pol-Balt Network for pioneering efforts uniting many groups in this
Scandinavian nation - big and small, political, social and cultural -
into an active network linking colleagues at home and with those on the
barricades on the eastern side of the Baltic Sea - Estonia, Latvia,
Lithuania and Poland," says Bill Schiller, secretary general at the
secretariat.

"This comes at a crucial time when new waves of violent homophobia
and political and religious hostility threaten the rainbow struggle for
human rights. The network promotes awareness, solidarity and
action."

The award is presented in collaboration with the Nordic Rainbow
Council and Tupilak (Nordic rainbow cultural workers).

The ILGCN Arco Nordica has gone earlier to a number of pioneering
organizations in the Nordic region promoting cultural and political
rights to those realizing that efforts to cross borders enhances rather
than weakens the colors of the rainbow, and that putting a focus also on
the darker sides of the rainbow makes the whole rainbow that much more
brilliant.

Information: info@tupilak.se www.ilgcn.tupilak.se

Sappho in Paradise Award to Kyrgyzstan, Sweden

ILGCN Information Secretariat - Stockholm

(International Lesbian & Gay Cultural Network) www.tupilak.ilgcn.se

Press Release October 25, 2006

'Labrys' Publication in Bishkek, 'Normal' Publishers in Stockholm

Sappho in Paradise Award to Kyrgyzstan, Sweden

London/Stockholm – This year's library and publishing award from the ILGCN (International Lesbian & Gay Cultural Network and Paradise Press is shared by 'Labrys' -- a pioneering publication in the former Soviet republic of Krygyzstan and the Stockholm-based, lesbian-owned 'Normal' publishers -- giving special emphasis to rainbow novels, literature, documentaries, biographies and photography.

"The Labrys publication is honored with the "Sappho in Paradise 2006" for its courageous struggle to create rainbow visibility in a region where rainbow identities are fighting for existence and where rainbow rights are under threat in a hostile environment," according to the ILGCN motivation.

"The Stockholm award winners are women who have brilliantly and successfully challenged forces in the publishing world so often dominated by hetero, macho and commercial interests -- only rarely and reluctantly giving space to the high quality of rainbow writers and photographers of Swedish and foreign backgrounds."

Joining Estonian, British, Danish, Latvian, Zimbabwean Winners

The award diploma also includes the latest publication of the Paradise Press in London and is named after the ancient Greek poet. The 1st 'Sappho in Paradise' – announced at the ILGCN world conference on homo culture in Berlin in 2003-- went to the pioneering, lesbian & gay Mea Culpa Library in Tallinn – the 1st of its kind in Estonia. The 2004 award went jointly to the courageous and pioneering Gays the Word Bookshop in London and the Danish-Latvian-owned Atena Publishing House in Riga and the 2005 award went to the Library Project of Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ).

……………………………

More information: info@tupilak.se

NORDIC RAINBOW COUNCIL MEETS in SWEDEN

NORDIC RAINBOW COUNCIL

http://www.tupilak.se

Formerly Nordic Homo Council

Member of ILGCN (International Lesbian & Gay Cultural Network )

Member of ILGA (International Lesbian & Gay Association)

Co-operating across Nordic borders & beyond - Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania

PRESS RELEASE ------------------------------------------------------------------------

September 30, 2006

Continued Solidarity with Refugees, Eastern Europe

NORDIC RAINBOW COUNCIL MEETS in SWEDEN

Gothenburg - The annual session of the newly-renamed Nordic Rainbow Council -- this time in this Swedish west coast city on the sidelines of the giant annual international book fair - approved efforts for continued solidarity over Nordic borders, with rainbow immigrants and refugees in the Nordic region and with colleagues on the barricades in Eastern Europe - including Belarus and Russia.

The main priority is to continue to support events on the Eastern side of the Nordic region - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania struggling with hostile and increasingly homophobic forces.

"We agreed to change the "Homo" in our name to "Rainbow" to be more up-to date and to make sure that trans people, bisexuals and other supportive "rainbow-minded" colleagues feel welcome," says Bill Schiller, international secretary of the Council.

2007 Nordic Rainbow Flags to Fly at Gothenburg Fair?

The session also agreed to co-ordinate a joint effort in 2007 to repeat this year's successful pioneering effort of raising Nordic rainbow flags at the International Square - the largest section of the Gothenburg Book Fair, which is the biggest annual cultural event in the Nordicarea. This was made possible with the financial grant from Tupilak (Nordic rainbow cultural workers) in the form of the 2006 Loke Sister's award supporting rainbow cultural projects outside of the Swedish capital.

The Nordic rainbow stand presented books, poetry, CD's, printed information, art and photography - and also co-ordianted two stage presentations on Nordic co-operation with Eastern Europe and with rainbow immigrants and refugees in the Nordic zone combined with highly-appreciated, humor-filled erotic poetry performances.

The Council also agreed to seek further financial support - such as from the Nordic Culture Fund assistance for the Nordic delegation to the 1st Moscow Pride in May, and other institutions. And to send Nordic delegations to the ILGCN (International Lesbian & Gay Cultural Network) world rainbow cultural conference stages in Minsk and Posnan this November, following the first stage in Moscow.

The Council also pledged support to the first Nordic rainbow event in the Åland Islands this December - the "Rainbow Lucia" and to continue searching for projects in the other semi-independent areas of the Nordic region -- Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

The session also approved continued membership in the ILGA (International Lesbian & Gay Association (with the annual fee partly covered by Tupilak, the Nordic Rainbow Humanists, the ILGCN Information Secretariat in Stockholm and others.

Swedish Pol-Balt Solidarity Network Saluted

In co-operation with Tupilak and the ILGCN Information Secretariat, the Council approved the proposal to grant the 2006 ILGCN "Arco Nordica" award diploma to Sweden's newly-created "Pol-Balt Network" - providing assistance, solidarity and exchanges with colleagues in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

Decisions were also taken to keep Council bureaucracy to a minimum, charge no membership fee but instead to seek voluntary contributions, and to search for more Network members even among more local sections of national organizations, since some of these are at times more interested in Nordic and international co-operation than the mother organizations

Earlier Council sessions have taken place in Riga, Tallinn, Tampere, Oslo, Wasa and Stockholm. Next year's session is preliminarily planned for Vilnius.

************************

More Information: info@tupilak.se

Note: Photo available of Gothenburg Tupilak activists, Filip Vrba & Mats Råsmark, at erotic poetry performance at Gothenburg International Book Fair.

************************

1st NORDIC RAINBOWS at GOTHENBERG BOOK FAIR

NORDIC RAINBOW COUNCIL ( Formerly Nordic Homo Council)
www.nrc.tupilak.se

Member of ILGCN (International Lesbian & Gay Cultural Network )

Member of ILGA (International Lesbian & Gay Association)

Co-operating across Nordic borders & beyond - Sweden, Denmark,
Norway, Finland, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania

____________________________________________

PRESS RELEASE September 25, 2006


"International Square" Solidarity with Eastern Europeans,
Immigrants & Refugees:

1st NORDIC RAINBOWS at GOTHENBURG BOOK FAIR

Gothenburg - The first rainbow flags were raised September 21-23,
2006 at the "International Square" - the largest section of the
giant Gothenburg Book Fair in this Swedish west coast city - at a
colorful stand displaying art work, photography, poems, literature and
publications - and including humor-filled, erotic poetry readings and
happenings.

"Nordic rainbow cultural co-operation and solidarity with
colleagues in Eastern Europe under the title of 'Rainbows in Chains
and under Siege' -- and sharing Nordic rainbows with immigrants and
refugees were the themes of the our stage presentations and in the
information provided at our stand," says Bill Schiller of the Nordic
Rainbow Council.

Thanks to co-operation with RFSU (the Swedish sexual information
federation), the stage presentation on Eastern European barricades
included lawyer Evita Gosa of the Latvian rainbow organization, Mozaika
and Anna Kirey of the LGBT organization LABRYS of Kyrgyzstan.

"Freedom of Expression," Sweden's 'Multi-Cultural Year'

"With the city of Riga banning the Pride Parade again this
year and even worse violent homophobic attacks on Pride events there,
the visible presence of Latvia was especially important to illustrate
the Gothenburg fair's theme this year: "Freedom of Expression,"
adds Schiller.

The stage presentation on immigrants and refugees in the Nordic
area included Ardeshir Bibakabadi of Homan, (Persian-speaking and other
rainbow immigrants) - helping underline the reality that despite
dedicating this year as Sweden's "multi-cultural year," many
rainbow immigrants are often left in the shadows of the Nordic rainbows
celebrated by the native-born.

"There was great interest in our rainbow stand where we
re-discovered old members and recruited new ones, and established
working contact with several other International Square colleagues for
future co-operation," Schiller adds. "We hope to increase the
number of rainbow organizations working together with us next year at
this the biggest annual cultural event in the Nordic region."

Co-hosts of the 2006 stand included Tupilak, (Nordic
organization of rainbow cultural workers), Nordic Rainbow Humanists and
the Stockholm Information Secretariat of the ILGCN (International
Lesbian & Gay Cultural Network). Tupilak's annual "Loke's Sisters'
Award for cultural projects outside of the capital helped make the
rainbow stand a reality.

New Name for 'Nordic Rainbow Council'

On the sidelines of the Gothenburg event, the annual session of
the Nordic Homo Council (see separate press release) discussed ongoing
and future Nordic co-operation in the Nordic region and in Eastern
Europe and approved a proposal to change the name of the Council to the
'Nordic Rainbow Council' to be more inclusive and up-to-date. The
change is to be communicated to the ILGA where the Council is a member.

At the International Square, over 60 exhibitors work with
international issues and development co-operation: NGO's, publishers,
businesses and agencies with a program including Swedish and foreign
guests, performances, debates and images.

The Square also hosts a number of stands and exhibits where the
participating organizations offer information and activities; present
pedagogical tools and travelling tips; sell books and arrange meetings
and book signings with authors and other guests. The middle of the
Square features a big book stand with books from all over the world.

The Square has been a part of the International Book Fair in
Gothenburg since 2000.


***************

TUPILAK - Nordic Rainbow Cultural Workers
info@tupilak.se
www.nrc.tupilak.se


ILGCN Information Secretariat- Stockholm
www.ilgcn.tupilak.se


NORDIC RAINBOW HUMANISTS

1st NORDIC RAINBOWS at GOTHENBURG BOOK FAIR

PRESS RELEASE September 4, 2006

Joining 65 Solidarity Groups at the "International Square"



Stockholm/Gothenburg - The first rainbow flags will be raised
September 21-23, 2006 at the "International Square" - the largest
section of the giant Gothenburg Book Fair - the biggest annual cultural
event in the Nordic region.

"Nordic cultural and other co-operation, solidarity with
colleagues in Eastern Europe under the title of 'Rainbows in Chains
and under Siege' -- and sharing rainbows with immigrants and refugees
are the themes of our Nordic Rainbow Stand and presentations on
stage," says Bill Schiller of the Nordic Homo Council.

The rainbow event in the Swedish west coast city of Gothenburg
will be co-hosted by Tupilak, (Nordic organization of rainbow cultural
workers), Nordic Rainbow Humanists and the Stockholm Information
Secretariat of the ILGCN (International Lesbian & Gay Cultural Network)
- in co-operation with the Latvian rainbow organization, Mozaika -- to
be represented by lawyer Evita Gosa -- and Homan, (Persian-speaking and
other rainbow immigrants).

Violent Attacks on Banned Rainbow Prides

"With the city of Riga banning the Pride Parade again this
year and even worse violent homophobic attacks on Pride events there,
the visible presence of Latvia is especially important to illustrate the
Gothenburg fair's theme this year: "Freedom of Expression," adds
Schiller. "It's also important to focus on how rainbow immigrants
and refugees are often left on the sidelines of the Nordic rainbows -
even in this Sweden's "multi-cultural year."

At the International Square, over 60 exhibitors work with
international issues and development co-operation: NGO's, publishers,
businesses and agencies with a program including Swedish and foreign
guests, performances, debates and images.

The Square also hosts a number of stands and exhibits where the
participating organizations offer information and activities; present
pedagogical tools and travelling tips; sell books and arrange meetings
and book signings with authors and other guests. The middle of the
Square features a big book stand with books from all over the world.

The International Square has been a part of the International
Book Fair in Gothenburg, Sweden, since 2000.

More information: info@tupilak.se

***************************************

NORDIC HOMO COUNCIL 2006 SESSION IN GOTHENBURG

PRESS RELEASE
September 1, 2006



Stockholm/Gothenburg -- The 2006 session of the Nordic Homo
Council will take place as earlier announced in the Swedish west coast
city on September 23 - on the sidelines of the Gothenburg Book Fair

where the NHC and other Nordic rainbow groups will raise the first

rainbow flags at the 'International Square' - a special zone with
many other solidarity groups.

Discussions will cover proposals to change the name to Nordic
Rainbow Council to make the organization's name more inclusive and
Nordic co-operation at coming ILGCN (International Lesbian & Gay
Cultural Network) cultural stages in Posnan (to be visited by a
Swedish-Finnish-Norwegian delegation) and Minsk in November.

Other proposals will deal with the newly-established Nordic
Cultural Fund, a report on the Nordic delegation to Moscow pride
(supported by the Nordic Culture Fund and the Norwegian Embassy), more
cultural co-operation over Nordic borders and beyond and at the next
ILGA (International Lesbian & Gay Association) European conference in
Vilnius in 2007.

Continued Membership in ILGCN, ILGA

Another proposal calls for maintaining the continued
"informal" structure of the council, no membership fee and
continued membership in the ILGCN and the ILGA.

"Nordic Homo Council fees to the ILGA are paid through voluntary
contributions - and we really appreciate the largest annual
contributions coming from Tupilak (the organization of rainbow cultural
workers in the Nordic region)," says NHC international secretary, Bill
Schiller. "And we're proud to have received this years Tupilak
"Loke's Sisters Award" to help pay costs for the rent for the
Gothenburg fair's Nordic Rainbow Stand."

Other proposals via e-mail or in person at the session are welcome.

More information: via Tupilak www.tupilak.se info@tupilak.se
_________________________________________________________

Earlier Nordic Homo Council sessions have taken place in Stockholm,
Wasa, Tallinn, Riga, Oslo and Tampere.

Membership is open to organizations and individuals in Sweden,
Denmark, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

*******************************

STOCKHOLM DEMONSTRATION against the IRANIAN DEATH PENALTY for HOMOSEXUALS

on the 1-year anniversary of the public execution of 2 gay teen-agers

-- an international solidarity event with colleagues in Vienna, London,
San Francisco, Mexico City, Toronto, Warsaw, Berlin, Amsterdam, Vancouver, Paris, Moscow,
Marseilles, Brussels, New York and other cities.


At the Iranian Embassy (Elfviksvägen, Västra Yttringe gård, Lidingö)

Wednesday, July 19, 2006 17.00

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nordic Homo Council

ILGCN Information Secretariat (International Lesbian & Gay Cultural Network) - Stockholm
www.ilgcn.tupilak.se

Tupilak (Nordic Rainbow Cultural Workers www.tupilak.se

Nordic Rainbow Humanists

Hello ILGCN activists, ambassadors, co-ordinators, ex-ambassadors, supporters, etc....

Hello ILGCN activists, ambassadors, co-ordinators,
ex-ambassadors, supporters,  etc....

The June ERATO newsletter  from Stockholm is coming on the web.
Any one needed printed versions, contact us.


PROPOSALS FROM ILGCN FOR NEW AWARDS:

An annual ILGCN award for international contributions in art & photography (similar to those for literature, publishing and music.)

   Nomination:  Lee Andrew, American photogrpher, combining a sharp eye for the international traveller l and erotic -- not the Hollywood sterotypes but the everyday male -- from the fireman to the farmer.

   An appropirate name for the award...?

An annual ILGCN award for outstanding international work * promoting rainbow culture and human rights  -- the Iceberg Award underlining the enormous potential of what seems to be just the tip, and a confirmation of the enormous hidden  amount of work and engery going into every project and event.

   Nomination:  Montreal's giant "Right to be Different" international culture and human rights conference -- July, 2006  (To be followed by Copenhagen in 2009)

   Comments from ILGCN contacts welcome!


Note: names of new ILGCN co-ordinators/ambassadors as mentioned in the Erato article to be included on our website!


   Keep in touch,

Bill Schiller, general secretary at the ILGCN Information Secretariat