Stockholm -- Tupilak (Nordic rainbow culture workers) and the ILGCN (international rainbow cultur network) marked August 9 - International Day of Rainbow Culture -- with participants in person and via Zoom from Sweden, UK, Canada, Argentina, Bulgaria, Austria and Japan.
The day was chosen as the birthday of Finnish author, Tove Jansson, creator of the "Mumintroll" books.
Two award diplomas were handed out at the event -- "Thor's Hammer 2024" -- to two Canadians for their long supportfor Tupilak and the ILGCN -- Ian Stewart -- gay writer of short stories, heading the ILGCN Literature Secretariat, and co-inspiration of the International Rainbow Culture Day -- and and Alister MacKinnon -- year's long, crucial web master for the ILGCN.
The award is named after Thor -- the Viking god of thunder and lightnig, using his hammer to combat giants and serpents and defend mankind.
Special guests via Zoom helping honoring the International day were Rosemary and Ian Hembury of the London-based Gay Author's Workshop -- encoouraging lesbian and gay writers to get feed-back on their works in progress in the aim of future publication.
International Day ipnut from Austria, Argnetina, Bulgaria, Sweden
Also via Zoom was Barbara Flöhlich of Vienna -- member of the Austrian LGBT anti-fascist committee, explaining about the coming December ceremony at the Mauthausen concentration camp -- marking the 40th anniversary of the LGBT monument there -- the oldest such monument in the world.
Other gests were Marysol de Pablo and Juliette Brizzi, of the duo, Capusa Tango -- the ILGCN Secretariat for Latin America, now living in the southern Swedish city of Malmö and performing and running workshops in different cities in Sweden and Denmark.
Poetry was read by Tomas Åberg, Tupilak´s "house poet". Another participant in Stockholm was Felix S, a Bulgarian student of films here in Stockholm, who mentioned how difficult it is to "come out" in Bulgaria where homosexuals are labled "pedophiles" and how rainbow culture is almost totally non-existent there.
"As a salute to the International Day, Tupilak & the ILGCN have pledged with Felix to work together to create a film that could reach LGBT people in Bulgaria to give them a stronger voice and the confirmation they are not alone, " says Bill Schiller of
The event also screened one of the films from the United Nations LGBT film series, "Free and Equal". This was "The Welcome" filmed in India, where a young gay man brings home his boyfriend for the first time -- at first getting silence and frozen looks and then the entire family bursts into smiles and cheers and furious dancing.
"It is high time to salute the LGBT culture workers of the world --- in half the planet LGBT rights are still banned and even where homosexual relations are legalized, there are many nations where rainbow culture workers are still outlawed with risk of getting fired from the theatre, schools, the tv or radio or newspaper, dance company or publishing house," adds Schiller
"Even many LGBT activits have long frowned on rainbow culture workers -- fearing this was competition instead of an important ally in the struggle," Schiller
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Photos: Tove, Bill, Ian, Barbara, Mauthausen monument, Carpusa, Tomas, Free and Equal, The Welcome, Tupilak, ILGCN
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| Tove-Jansson and Mummin Face |
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| Tommy Åberg |
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| Mauthausen Monument |
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| Ian Stewart |
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| Carpusa Tango |
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| Bill Schiller |
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| Barbara Getting Orfeo Iris |
