The organizing assembly of «Her Pride 2018 – self-organized festival of gender, body and sexuality of Heraklion» announces the conduction of a two-day festival, which is going to take place at Heraklion, at Georgiadis Park, on the 6th and 7th of July, 2018.
Since the Stonewall riots, the LGBTQIA+ community (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual+) keeps on fighting for equality and visibility in a society dominated by the gender-based oppression and violence, for a world without discriminations. While this fight has been exploited many times and used for profit, losing its radical characteristics, self-organized and non-commercial Pride festivals, by keeping their independence, set the ground for political and social demands. Their heritage, both globally and nationally (specifically in the island of Crete, where 3 Crete Prides took place), gives us strength to continue this struggle.
We stand for the visibility and the liberation of our lives, against patriarchy and the multiple types of oppression deriving from it, in matters of gender, body and sexuality. We stand against sexism, homophobia, transphobia, psychophobia*, fatphobia, ageism, ableism, fascism, nationalism, racism and all types of oppression. We believe that the struggle of every LGBTQIA+ individual, woman, person with disability, refugee, sex worker, worker and everyone that fights for freedom and experiences oppression, is common.
*stigma and discrimination against people based on mental health
Feminist and LGBTQIA+ struggles are still a necessity. Even today, homophobia, transphobia and misogyny surround us. We experience statutory inequality and social oppression and isolation. On the streets, at home, at work and at school we face harassment, intimidation, domestic violence, sexist and homophobic attacks, rape, femicides. From India to Brazil, and from Poland to Mexico, movements are fighting against patriarchy all over the world. We fight for our rights, our safety and our freedom in public and non-public spaces.
The organizing assembly of this festival chooses its procedures to be non-hierarchical, without the participation of sponsors, aegides, businesses or political parties, choosing to stand against all forms of power. We choose to create a non-commercial, anti-capitalistic festival. We choose to engage with every individual that struggles in its own way against the multiple types of oppression, through political dialogue, aiming at a free, inclusive and intersectional festival.
We consider the whole spectrum of the gender issue as a unity, regarding the common resultant of the patriarchal reality, to which it resists. Patriarchy oppresses every person who does not live according to the dominant standards that it sets, hierarchizing people and nature, based on a regime of exploitation and domination. Based on that, we consider that the feminisms and LGBTQIA+ struggles are inextricably linked. We aim to deconstruct gender stereotypes, by breaking down labels and imposed norms.
We oppose the made-up normalcy that dominates our bodies, thus highlighting their diversity.
We pursue the expression of sexuality, which is not limited to interpersonal relationships and "what happens in our bedroom".
We seek to fight against every power that sets ourselves under devaluation, exploitation or violence.
We invite everyone who wants to fight along our side for visibility and freedom to the festival, with discussions and meaningful interactions, and to the radical colorful demonstration that will take place on Saturday, 7th of July, on the streets of Heraklion.