Norwegian Opera Singer Björn Haugan Dies

Stockholm – Long-time Tupilak (Nordic rainbow cultural workers)

member and strong supporter of ILGCN (International Lesbian & Gay Cultural

Network) activities, Norwegian opera singer and music teacher, Björn Haugan, has died at a Stockholm hospital after a long illness.

Aside from his professional work as a singer and teacher, Haugan performed voluntarily at a number of rainbow cultural events arranged by Tupilak and by the ILGCN, including IDAHO (International Day Against Homophobia) events in the Swedish capital – singing cheerfully and powerfully even from his wheelchair in the last years.

Björn Haugan was especially proud of his participation in 2002 in an ILGCN-arranged “Nazi & neo Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals” event in Linz, Austria, co-arranged at a city theater with the Austrian LGBT organization, HOSI-Linz, and including a rainbow ceremony at the near-by Nazi concentration camp, Mauthausen, where Haugan sang Wagner’s “Liebestod” at the gathering in front of the camp’s pink triangle monument marked “Beaten to Death, Silenced to Death” -- honoring the LGBT prisoners who were interned, tortured and murdered in the camp.

Björn Haugan carried out the visit to Austria despite severe pains from his diabetes.

. A memorial concert will take place on Saturday, February 7 at 17.00 at Sofia Church in Stockholm.

Bill Schiller – Tupilak international secretary

HOSI-Linzp photo from of a rainbow ceremony in Mauthausen -- honoring the LGBT prisoners

TUPILAK CALLING * January 2009

TUPILAK CALLING * January 2009

-- from the international desk

Stockholm -- Tupilak/ILGCN cultural evening: a successful event at the Musik Valvet in the Old Town with live music, presentations and the exhibition of some of Tupilak & ILGCN Travelling Art and Photography on November 30, 2008.

Special participation (thanks to funding from the Swedish International Development Assistance Baltic Unit in Visby) with visiting Polina Savchenko of *Coming Out* and ILGCN co-ordinator - St.Petersburg, Lukasz Palucki -- ILGCN Eastern European Secretariat * Warsaw and Siarhei Padssonny -- journalist and ILGCN ambassador - Belarus, who also made presentations at the RFSU Youth Center in Visby
on November 29 .

Discussions with local activists also covered plans for a Baltic Rainbow Festival in the Gotlandic capital in July, 2009. and continued co-operation with the Nordic Rainbow Council and the Nordic Rainbow Humanists during the year.


Tupilak and ILGCN plans for 2009:

• Stockholm * Tupilak yearly meeting February
• Riga * Baltic Pride May 15-17
• Reykjavik * Solidarity with the Faroe Islands (with Nordic parliamentarians) Spring
• Stockholm -- Nordic Focus on LGBT Nigeria (with Swedish Humanists) Spring.
• Bucharest * ILGCN World Cultural Conference (stage 1) June
• Budapest * ILGCN World Cultural Conference (stage 2) June
• Visby * Rainbow Human Rights & Culture Festival July
• Helsinki -- 10th Tribade Day & Night Festival: focus on Tallinn, St.Petersburg September .
• St. Petersburg -- ILGCN World Conference (stage 3) September
• Stockholm * Cultural evenings at Musik Valvet, Art Exhibition
  (volunteers welcome!)
  
  
  -- Bill Schiller, Tupilak international secretary and secretary general of ILGCN
  (International Lesbian & Gay Cultural Network) Information Secretariat - Stockholm
  
  
  NOTE: Tupilak yearly membership fees greatly needed for Swedish,
  Nordic, & international projects! (100 kr. post giro 498 37 67-7)