Sasha
7th April 2012, 18:56
In the weekend from the 21st to the 23rd of September a Queer Weekend is going to take place in Den Dolder. In this first call out we want to introduce ourselves and invite everybody to join in making this weekend a big success. Please forward this to people if you think they might also be interested in joining the preparations.
Queer?
For us 'queer' goes beyond a specific identity, sexual practice or bodies. Queer is that which does not want to be identified in an unproblematic way. It undermines easy definitions, categories and expected behaviour. Queer is what surprises us and keeps us attentive.
This understanding of queer developed out of a critique of dominant heteronormative structures, norms concerning sexual orientation, gender identity... in society. Queer can be connected to questions evolving around the body, (dis)ability, or how sexuality and sexual rights get shaped on these issues. Queer can also mean that the common ideal of a monogamous relationship does not work for you, that you want to raise children in a different environment than the traditional family model or that your sexual desires are different to what is seen as 'normal'.
Queer has also become a movement and identity. Queers do not want to be 'normal', but want everybody to be able to live their sexual desires and gender the way they want, while respecting the needs of others.
Weekend?
During the weekend we want to create a space for discussion and workshops where different aspects of queer can be approached. We want to set the focus on political issues, especially from a left/anarchist perspective. How can we do queer politics? We want to make room for discussions on what is queer today in the Netherlands and beyond. We want to stimulate an atmosphere where we can surprise each other and share new perspectives and ideas. It is also about what you think is the most urgent to discuss.
There are some topics which we ourselves want to bring up. One is that queer related issues such as homosexuality and women's rights are misused to harden the discourse against migrants and people of colour in the Netherlands. How can we change this development and
win back queer to undermine power, hierarchy and violence?
The personal is still political and this idea is tightly woven into queer politics. We want to also create the space for a special program for queer parents and their children as well as queer children and their parents.
Den Dolder?
Den Dolder is a village between Utrecht and Amersfoort (easily accessible by public transport). There is a big squat in this village, close to the forest, where a successful Queer Weekend with a lot of participants was already held in 2005. The time seems to be ripe for another one.
Preparations?
To make the Queer Weekend a success we still need a lot of help. There are many practical issues: from making a website to cooking during the weekend, from preparing discussions to writing requests for funds. Next to this everybody can also join the general organisation. The later does imply to regularly come for gatherings and to really put some effort into the project.
Interested? Then send us an e-mail to queerweekend[at]riseup.net with one of the following reactions:
- I will help with practical things, namely...
- I will organize a workshop/discussion on...
- I want to help with the overall organisation and will come on the 24rd of April at 20 hours to Utrecht (you will then receive details on how to get to the meeting place)/unfortunately I do not have time on the 24rd but I would like to join the following meeting.
- At the moment I don't want to join with a specific task, but would like to stay updated how things are going
Queer?
For us 'queer' goes beyond a specific identity, sexual practice or bodies. Queer is that which does not want to be identified in an unproblematic way. It undermines easy definitions, categories and expected behaviour. Queer is what surprises us and keeps us attentive.
This understanding of queer developed out of a critique of dominant heteronormative structures, norms concerning sexual orientation, gender identity... in society. Queer can be connected to questions evolving around the body, (dis)ability, or how sexuality and sexual rights get shaped on these issues. Queer can also mean that the common ideal of a monogamous relationship does not work for you, that you want to raise children in a different environment than the traditional family model or that your sexual desires are different to what is seen as 'normal'.
Queer has also become a movement and identity. Queers do not want to be 'normal', but want everybody to be able to live their sexual desires and gender the way they want, while respecting the needs of others.
Weekend?
During the weekend we want to create a space for discussion and workshops where different aspects of queer can be approached. We want to set the focus on political issues, especially from a left/anarchist perspective. How can we do queer politics? We want to make room for discussions on what is queer today in the Netherlands and beyond. We want to stimulate an atmosphere where we can surprise each other and share new perspectives and ideas. It is also about what you think is the most urgent to discuss.
There are some topics which we ourselves want to bring up. One is that queer related issues such as homosexuality and women's rights are misused to harden the discourse against migrants and people of colour in the Netherlands. How can we change this development and
win back queer to undermine power, hierarchy and violence?
The personal is still political and this idea is tightly woven into queer politics. We want to also create the space for a special program for queer parents and their children as well as queer children and their parents.
Den Dolder?
Den Dolder is a village between Utrecht and Amersfoort (easily accessible by public transport). There is a big squat in this village, close to the forest, where a successful Queer Weekend with a lot of participants was already held in 2005. The time seems to be ripe for another one.
Preparations?
To make the Queer Weekend a success we still need a lot of help. There are many practical issues: from making a website to cooking during the weekend, from preparing discussions to writing requests for funds. Next to this everybody can also join the general organisation. The later does imply to regularly come for gatherings and to really put some effort into the project.
Interested? Then send us an e-mail to queerweekend[at]riseup.net with one of the following reactions:
- I will help with practical things, namely...
- I will organize a workshop/discussion on...
- I want to help with the overall organisation and will come on the 24rd of April at 20 hours to Utrecht (you will then receive details on how to get to the meeting place)/unfortunately I do not have time on the 24rd but I would like to join the following meeting.
- At the moment I don't want to join with a specific task, but would like to stay updated how things are going