Eastern Queerope: Belarus

Queer theatre in Belarus began as an underground burlesque movement in opposition to the formulaic plays of the late Soviet stage. Over time, however, it evolved to engage deeply with the contemporary issues of Belarusian society, addressing topics such as violence, patriarchal national narratives, and attitudes toward migrants, among others.In this episode, we discuss the unique features of the queer theatrical “language” and explore what connects Reykjavík to Eastern Europe.Materials mentioned in the episode:- The Guardian review of Merry Christmas, Ms Meadows: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/aug/20/merry-christmas-ms-meadows-review- Sarah Kane, 4.48 Psychosis: https://rlmalvin.angelfire.com/KaneSarah448Psychosis.pdf- Digital Archive of the Belarus Free Theatre: https://www.europeantheatre.eu/news/belarus-free-theatre-opens-up-its-digital-archive-from-the-past-15-years💚 This publication was produced with ⁠support from n-ost⁠ and funded by the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future (EVZ) and the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) as part of the Education Agenda on NS-Injustice.

As pressure on GayBelarus activists increased, especially after incidents involving threats from far-right groups, police violence, and the rise of homophobia on Belarusian social media, the activists adapted their actions to ensure safety and foster greater solidarity with audiences of Belarusian independent media. This is how the March in Shabany (2011) and the Pride Tram (2012) came about, both of which we discuss in detail in this episode.In her comments for the podcast, Ekaterina Donskova shares her perspective on activism in the 2000s, how it transformed after 2012, and how the connection between national identity and a stronger sense of community influenced queer activism in 2020.💚 This publication was produced with ⁠support from n-ost⁠ and funded by the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future (EVZ) and the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) as part of the Education Agenda on NS-Injustice.

When thinking about queer activism, Belarus is not the first country that comes to mind. However, the first Love Parade in the post-Soviet region took place there, making public activism a visible phenomenon. Through interventions, the activists queered urban spaces and created opportunities for LGBTQ+ people to become more visible in the media.What were the activists' goals? How did they engage with performativity? Why is public activism so important for marginalized groups according to Judith Butler?Mentioned text:Butler, Judith. Notes Toward a Performative Theory of Assembly. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2015.💚 This publication was produced with ⁠support from n-ost⁠ and funded by the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future (EVZ) and the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) as part of the Education Agenda on NS-Injustice.

More than 600 people were imprisoned in the BSSR for so-called "muzhelozhstvo" or sodomy from 1934, when the article was introduced into the criminal code, to 1994, when homosexual intercourse between two men was decriminalized in modern Belarus. The history of persecution remains heavily understudied: we have almost no data on lesbians and trans people, and sources on men usually reflect a prison discourse and perspective. Ula talks about medical institutions, prison conditions, and daily life, as depicted by a temporary immigrant from Latvia.Texts, that this episode is based on:- Alexander, Rustam. Red Closet: The Hidden History of Gay Oppression in the USSR.- Alexander, Rustam. Regulating Homosexuality in Soviet Russia, 1956–91.- Escoto, Rafael. The Shadows of Repression: Homosexuality, Identity, and the Lasting Legacy of the Soviet GULAG.- Healey, Dan. Homosexual Desire in Revolutionary Russia: The Regulation of Sexual and Gender Dissent. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001.- O’Dwyer, Conor. Coming Out of Communism: The Emergence of LGBT Activism in Eastern Europe. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2018.- Valodzin, Uladzimir. Queer History of Belarus in the Second Half of the 20th Century: A Preliminary Study. 2016.- Vazyanau, Andrei. Queer and Ethnicity in Minsk, 1952: Belarusian Reading of Kaspars Irbe’s Diary.💚 This publication was produced with ⁠support from n-ost⁠ and funded by the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future (EVZ) and the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) as part of the Education Agenda on NS-Injustice.

During the Middle Ages, Christian morality shaped how people understood their sexuality. The story of Sodom and the punishment of its inhabitants was a common subject of moral teachings and judgments. In the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, a region that absorbed the traditions of Baltic polytheistic rulers, Scandinavian dynasties in the Rus' lands, and the Christian Church, understandings of sexuality remain speculative. Viktsya talks about the difficulties of studying this time period and warns against making hasty conclusions about the identities of the people who lived then.Articles mentioned:Bychowski, M. W. "The Necropolitics of Narcissus: Confessions of Transgender Suicide in the Middle Ages." Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality ( Vol. 55, No. 1), 2019. Pp. 207-248.Handbook of Medieval Sexuality. Ed. by Vern L. Bullough and James A. Bundage. Routledge, 2010.Kusek R.;Szymański W. "Kings as ‘Queens’—Textual and Visual Homophobic Fabrications of Two Polish Kings: The Curious Cases of Bolesław the Generous and Henry I of Poland." Royal Studies Journal (Vol. 6 No. 2), 2019.Follow us on Instagram: ⁠instagram.com/eastern_queerope⁠And TikTok: ⁠tiktok.com/@eastern_queerope⁠💚 This publication was produced with ⁠support from n-ost⁠ and funded by the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future (EVZ) and the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) as part of the Education Agenda on NS-Injustice.

Rather than seeking to destroy myths or refute heteronormative truths, queer history provides a lens through which we can broaden our understanding of the past, challenge classical interpretations and give a voice to those who have never been heard. In the first episode, Viktsya and Ula discuss the challenges of studying queer history, how they convey the importance of this work to themselves and others, and the role of Belarus and its colonial past in all of this.Names mentioned in the episode: March Bloch, Philippe Ariès, Georges Duby, Michel Foucault, Monicque Wittig, Simone de Bouvoir, Judith Butler, Carolyn Dinshaw.Articles mentioned:Ariès, Philippe. Centuries of Childhood. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1962. Butler, Judith. Gender Trouble. Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. Routledge, 1999.De Beauvoir, Simone. Le Deuxième Sexe. Gallimard, 1949.Dinshaw, Carolyne. Getting Medieval. Sexualities and Communities, Pre- and Postmodern. Duke University Press, 1999. Foucault, Michel. The History of Sexuality. Vol.I: An Introduction. Pantheon Books, 1978.Hale, Jacob. Are Lesbians Women? Hypatia, Vol.11, No.2 (Spring, 1996).Hanisch, Carol. The Personal Is Political, 1969.W. Scott, Joan. Gender: A Useful Category of Historical Analysis. The American Historical Review, Vol. 91, No. 5 (Dec., 1986).Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/eastern_queeropeAnd TikTok: tiktok.com/@eastern_queerope💚 This publication was produced with support from n-ost and funded by the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future (EVZ) and the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) as part of the Education Agenda on NS-Injustice.