Athens, Fri. Dec. 19 2003: workshop with mrs Anna Karamanou and lgbt activists, at the EU offices, on the LGBT community problems and rights. Our country is conservative compared to Europe, and there's no progress on human rights. We got to work on promoting visibility and human rights. Keep an eye on this cooperation, there's happenings coming..

Athens, Wed. Dec. 17 2003: a roundtable meeting organised by Anigone at the national workers union headquarters about the rights of immigrants and LGBT people in a changing european environ. We did learn a lot. Our warmest congratulations to Antigone.gr and we hope there will be more like public discussions in the near future.

*** Athens, 12 Dec. 2003: the Greek Lesbian & Gay Radio Show was also live online tonight .. and we learned a lot ..
ie. we learned that Media Consulta met with Greek lgbt activists a couple of days ago, to inform them that.. by some mistake there's been no mainstreaming campaign about the "new" EE equality rights in Greece, and they're out of money. But they got those posters (I guess it's those horrible ones with the crash-test mummies), and they got "post-it" notepads, and some irrelevant pins (and maybe those yellow pens?), and they'd be more than glad to have us play their bill-stickers for free.. Sorry pals, we would be glad to play your bill-stickers if your posters had any real information about our rights.
Then tonight the KEGE (association of prostitutes) was protesting in front of the parliament until morning, asking for their legitimate professional rights! - the Greek government is trying to play hosting games for the oncoming Olympics, involving.. the sexual needs of male visitors.. but they refuse to recognize legal professional rights to women that are legally registered as prostitutes!!! Olympic Airways employees that were protesting along in the evening for their own personnel cutback rights joined the prostitutes expressing their support.. resulting in quite emotional reactions. Most Greek LGBT groups and organizations support the prostitutes and their professional rights, but some feminist groups seem to mistake professional rights with the abhorrent trafficking practices and come out strongly against women prostitutes. We strongly believe they should talk with some of those women before they identify with the hypocrite church politicians condemning them.. but the extreme feminists seem to believe they don't need to know people before they strike against them.

*** Athens, 3 Dec. 2003: our 9th. Rainbow Forum was held at the NTUA downtown complex, coordinated by SATTE (Trans-women). It was the best organized so far. Visitors showed up: Greek Amnesty International, and Salonica LGBT group Sympraxis. A lot is happening lately in Greece, and we are not exactly ready to follow .. but we're trying our best.
maybe the most interesting news: Antigone's 2003 national round table about discrimination and racism subject is "Discrimination against immigrants and LGBT people in a continuously evolving European environment", at the national confederation of trade unions (GSEE), plateia Aigyptoy (Patission & Alexandras Av.), entrance though Aineianos str. Wednesday, 17 December 2003. The LGBT talk starts at 19:30. A member of the Lesbian Group of Athens will be one of the major speakers.
more.. Mrs Karamanou intends to organize a public discussion - press conference about LGBT rights in January, and has invited LGBT groups to propose subjects and possible participants ..

* Athens, 17 Nov. 2003 : LGBT block of about 70 persons marched along the traditional protest for freedom and rights, on the occasion of the celebration of 30 years since the peoples uprise against the dictatroship in 1973, from Klaftmonos sqr. to the American Embasy.
With rainbow flags, and panels and all, shouting slogans like : "there's no anomalous people in our block .. " - " One kiss is too litle Laskaridis, two kisses are litle enough, .. give me four if you want me to love you!" (based on an old popular greek song), - Lascaridis resign - "we claim the right to love" ..
The Lesbian group of Athens was there, quite prominent, with their own proud panel "Free homosexual desire". The other prominent group included was the "homosexual initiative against oppression", and other groups and orgs participated proudly along with other people, we'd never seen in the street.
In my humble opinion this was the first proud public LGBT march in Greece, demanding homosexual rights and freedoms .. I think the west calls ths "a pride" !
The rise of a sleeping beauty? - 70 people that did not think there would be 70 people marching in the street. Next time the ones that were holding second thoughts this time might also dare come join us ..
Slowly but surely, we're statring to realise the worst oppression put one us, was the remorses and fears planted inside.

*** public Kissing protest !!! - Athens, 14 November 2003, 8:30pm, at Amerikis 5 & Pnepistimiou str., in front of the Greek National TV regulating council building (N.TV.C.)
The first public LGBT demonstration in Greece!
About 30 LGBT activists gathered and some of us kissed in front of dosens of reporters and media people, including two local TV chanels that were broadcisting live on the evening news.
It was not easy, we were scared, we had a lot to worry about, but we were forced to do it - after the N.TV.C imposed a 100.000 euros fine on a local chanel for airing a male-gay kiss on a Greek TV series, acted by Greek actors. more...

***Athens, November 13 2003 - the National TV commitee fines Mega Chanel 100.000 euros for airing a male homosexual kiss on a localy produced TV series !!!

***Athens, November 10, 2003 - press conferance about human rights at the EU offices, Amalias str...
We learned a lot .. like that the state issues expired residency permits to non EU- nationals .. And the rigth party justifies their voting against the Sylla report on human rights because.. ".. the local public opinion is 10 years behind Europe .." and I guess they'd rather have it stay that way .. I also guess consumer habits are allowed to progress. But not human rights. We'd better stay behind on this one.. as "we can't force people to learn new rights." There's great insight involved when you hear those words from the Greek EMP working on the EU Constitution project. It explains a lot .. like what the government thinks about "mainstreaming" the "new" rights.. and why ever the government-controled agencies called "NGO's" and supposedly working on mainstreaming are not so sure about what those rights are after all. Or why the actuall word "mainstreaming" tecnhiques is just copied in recent local work laws, just like that, in english, like that was the best they could do to keep it as obscure as possible, while at the same time fulfilling their obligation to refer to it. We also learned Mrs. Karamanoy wants us, the Greek LGBT people to throw a wild proud public party during the Olympics .. but unfortunately she regrets she is unable to arrange a press-conference on our current LGBT basic rights. And a couple of days later she opts for baning a book.. So much for expecting support from the obviously more open-minded Greek politician so far. We also learned that the EU charter of basic human rights that is supposed to be included in the EU future constitution, is a quite severed version of the original. The brightest moment was when mrs. Sofia ... , an ECLU prominent member, and strong supporter of the inclusion of gender equality in the basic principles of the EU stated in the future constitution, instead of limiting the equality to "EU citizents" said loud and clear "there's much more and broader rights than stated in the Chart, and there are ways to claim them." Thank you MRS Sofia, that's the only statement we heard loud and clear in that meeting, and the one we like to keep in our hearts and in our minds and list first in our objectives and intentions for a very long time to come, as it looks like we're going to need it.

***Athens, November 7 2003 - public announcement of the new draft law about equal treatment, refering to EU directives 78/2000 and 43/2000.
The draft does not mention any real support for persons facing discrimination, is so vague about army and religious exclusions, that could well be interpreted to exclude (ie. permit discrimination) by anyone even remotely connected to public security forces or any kind or religious institution, organization and busines, bluntly permits discrimination for personal reasons (from people that know us), and refers victims of discrimination made by the state to the ombudsman .. which shows threre is no intention of offering any real support. It also limits any minor protection it is offering almost exclusively to employment and occupation, thus minimising the racial or ethnic origin protections. This is Greece, after all.

*** November Rainbow forum: Wednesday, November 5th 2003, at the Gini building of the NTUA downtown complex of Athens

* Athens, Thu. 23 Oct. 2003, second meeting of the new cycle of AI - Sexual Identity chapter

* Athens, Wed. 22 Oct. 2003, the first Dance of the new transexual union "SATTE", at Koukles club. The organisation is already participating in the Rainbow forum, and in inter-group workgroups about specific subjects, like the anti-violence group, the newly revived AI-sexual ID chapter and more, and especially friendly with Ermis.de, POP, Lesbians in Action, and obviously very glad about it.

* Athens, Wednesday 1 Oct. 2003, the 7th meeting of our Rainbow forum. Organisations refered to their recent work, discussion & updates on the integration of the new equality European directives (framework and Gender Equality), and lesbian group proposals about more substantial functions of this forum. About the directives .. the government tried to pass them as a presidential decree, identical to the actuall text of the directives according to mr. Giannelos, but with considerable flaws according to mr. Peponas, a layer and the president of AKOE. Some important differences include the ways a discriminated against person might seek justice, in civil courts, which will usually take long years and great cost, while there's nothing to support the jobless person.. instead of suporting appeals within the work lawthat would be much simpler, faster and cheaper .. but still no proposition about independent support institutions. The plan was finally droped, and now they're supposed to be preparing some better plan that will normally go through parliament. For more detailed information, please seek AKOE contact details on our Greek Organisations page.

* 4 ,5, 6 July 2003, Athens, Ilissia Park: 8th Antiracism Festival of Athens. Five local LGBT groups & organisations participated: Athens Lesbian Group, Homosexual Citizents Initiative, Act-Up, Synthesis, Homosexuals' initiative against Opression, No discrimination for any reason!
.. the place where we practically learn we're all sisters & brothers.. female groups, immigrants from a lot of places with their interesting cuisines.. and everyone that fights for an equal TODAY dor everyone. We were there proudly.
On Sunday night there was an open discussion about the various forms of homophibia.

*** 6th Rainbow forum, Athens, 11 June 2003
the cooperative Rainbow Forum of women and men is a fact! It's already met six times. In responce to the social homophobia and to the unacceptable way that a good part of the mainstream media presents us, for equal rights at last. Next sceduled meeting after the summer, possibly on the first Wednesday of October - and on the first Wednesday of every other month, provided it's not a local holiday. For more information about next rainbow forums, check with our Calendar, or watch for detailed announcements on the Omofylofilia mailing list about a week before, of contact any of the participating groups and Organisations. (our Greek Support Groups & NGOs section will soon be updated with the latest available groups & contact information - we hope)

* Athens, saturday, May 10th 2003: protest in front of the Egyptian Embassy, along with simmilaractivities in other cities internationally, after an AI call, about the 21 homosexual men sentenced in Egupt.
EOK article in GR, and a photo

* Athens, ... May 2003: the Homosexuals Initiative Against Opression 9a chater of the Genoa Initiative) organized a happening about "Freeing homosexuals and the new movement", including a speech, discussions, a movie screening (But I'm a cheerleader) and a small book display. At the downtown complex of the National Technical Univercity of Athens (NTUA), Averof building, starting 6pm.

* Salonica, May 14th, 2003 - the Lesbian cinema night of the homosexual Cinema Panorama, and a speech/discussion about the lesbian image on the big screen.

* Athens, May 14th, 2003 - 5th Rainbow forum

* Athens, May 10th, 2003 - workshop about "Political and social demands about the Lesbian rights" - within the founding meeting of the Greek Netwrk of the Women World March against poverty & violence, at downtown NTUA.

* Athens, Sunday, April 13th, 2003 - a Lesbian theater night at the Argo theater, Metaxourgeio.The "Sins and petty offences" (?) of Mammet, staring mrs. Aimilia Ypsilandi, followed by an open discussion about women seeking their sexual identity, love (eros, romantic & sexual love), love (agape, spiritual and soul-level love), and companionship.
link to EOK article in Greek & a picture