As we embark on this year’s Pride Month, Stichting Urgent and Queer City invite you to an evening of learning, artistic performances, and most of all: dissent. We will delve into the topic of what it means to provide a safe and affirming environment for LGBTQI+ children and youth. In line with Queer City’s programme on Decolonization, our activists will shed light on the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ children and youth from a non-western and decolonial perspective, emphasizing the importance of dissident pride as an instrument to safeguard and prioritize this group that faces a systematic and pervasive exclusion worldwide. This underrepresentation, coupled with the systemic challenges they face, makes LGBTQI+ children and youth vulnerable to harassment, violence, and homelessness. The evening closes with a sound and visual performance by artists Nene Monè and Anllel.
House Rules
We’re all about inclusivity here. Discrimination and hate speech have no place in our space. Let’s keep it open, respectful, and queer-friendly.
On the programme
Stichting URGENT promotes social debate on urgent topics. We organize meetings and initiate media projects on human rights and other social issues.
The Dissident, a project of Stichting URGENT, features prominent activists and human rights defenders at its core. The show disseminates personal conversations and intriguing stories about various contexts, themes, and people.
This edition of The Dissident will feature a live discussion among prominent LGBTQI+ activists from Central and South America. They will share their collective ideas on the reality of LGBTQI+ children and youth and what this entails for their mental health.
This event draws inspiration from the activism of LGBTQI+ child and youth advocate Shi Alarcón (they/them), a human rights defender from Costa Rica visiting Amsterdam as a part of the Shelter City program. They are the founder and director of Casa Rara, an organization that offers a safe space for LGBTQI+ children and youth who have faced difficulties, exclusion, discrimination, and homelessness.
This discussion is brought about by the fact that the underrepresentation of LGBTQI+ children and youth is a pervasive issue spanning various cultures and nations. This systematic exclusion of such a vulnerable demographic poses significant risks, leaving them susceptible to harassment, violence, and even homelessness. Moreover, generally, society seems to be frequently not well suited to providing a safe and affirming environment for LGBTQI+ children and youth. In particular, the most dangerous outcome regards children and youth in out-of-home care, who, because of their precarious situations, are the subjects that need the biggest support.
Considering these premises it is fundamental to discuss how the authoritative and right-leaning political shift we are witnessing in so many governments around the globe will affect this vulnerable category. The discussion will cover the situation in Central and South America where conservative and ultra-orthodox parties are winning, and the situation in the Netherlands, where the new transgender law is sparking high controversies and anti-trans hate.
About the speakers
Shi Alarcòn: Activist and Feminist researcher. Director of Casa Rara: a safe space for LGBTQI+ youth in Costa Rica. A colleague from Costa Rica or an ex-resident of Casa Rara who will add to Shi’s words through a video call.
Gabriela Martínez: Gabriela Martinez Jothar is a third year PhD researcher at the University of Groningen. She is a board member of the EuSARF Academy, and has participated in research and training projects such as FIRMUS and Brighter Future. She obtained an undergraduate degree in Psychology from the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosi, and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Sheffield. Her work focuses on the stigmatization of youth in out of home care, viewed through an intersectional lens.
Joana Cavaco: Joana Cavaco is a passionate advocate for politics, women’s rights, and culture. Her journey led her to pursue a BA at Leiden University, specializing in North American politics and Gender and Sexuality studies. Currently residing in Rotterdam, Joana works as the coordinator of The Hang Out 010, a sanctuary for queer youth under the umbrella of the Dutch NGO Humanitas.Until 2023, she contributed significantly to the organizations such as KONTRA and Black Pride NL. As a community organizer, Joana tirelessly campaigns against verbal and physical sexual harassment, particularly within urban environments, drawing on her extensive experience working with youth from diverse backgrounds across Europe. Joana’s expertise lies in creating safe and inclusive spaces, where she implements various strategies for queer emancipation and inclusivity. Her commitment to catalyzing grassroots change is evident through initiatives such as organizing the international Women’s Day SLUTWALK and collaborating on programs that prioritize inclusivity and sustainability.
Performer: Queer City collaboration
“Queer City” is a programme of “Fite Qlub – a place to belong”, which is a platform and safer space by & for BIPOC. Queer City: Art and Conversations with Legends & Riots will be an interdisciplinary programme including cabaret, music, performance, spoken word, poetry, and drag celebrating the queer community. The essence is simple and urgent: they are all queer.
Nene Moné is a non-binary, transdisciplinary artist, activist and researcher working on social and environmental justice issues. Their experience with social and environmental issues began at an early age with their family’s struggles for access to education, healthcare and general livelihoods in Chile. At the age of 16, they were very active in social protests during the Penguin Revolution. In 2012, Nene was president of the student federation at the Universidad del Mar and led the first massive protests for access to higher education in Valparaiso. Later, they were involved in organising protests for the right to water and against monocultures in the same city. In the same year, they organised and led #FuerzaValpo, a volunteer aid group that supported and helped families during the 2012 wildfires in the city.
Anllel: dance performer from – Academie voor Theater en Dans.
Stichting URGENT promotes social debate on urgent topics. We organize meetings and initiate media projects on human rights and other social issues.
The Dissident, a project of Stichting URGENT, features prominent activists and human rights defenders at its core. The show disseminates personal conversations and intriguing stories about various contexts, themes, and people.
