Chemo Dao
A short film about the flourishing drag scene in Tbilisi.
13 September 2023
Hermine Virabian
Chemo dao (Sister of mine) is an attempt to bring together the diverse and sometimes contradictory layers of Tbilisi. From suburban bazaars to the underground queer scene, the merging of the pieces gives it life. “Why do you need those things?” the old lady asks from the back of her tiny-messy shop, “It’s for the theater,” the short answer comes from the drag queen, who is just a simple guy in the daytime bazaar.
Director’s note
Sister of mine, can you see me?
Not in your dreams, but somewhere there
where we pretend to coexist.
Sister of mine, space
can you question and then unlearn me?
To be able to find me again
in new forms, in a new phase.
Sister of mine, community
do you accept me?
For solidarity and liberation,
where we get lost in mutual esteem.
Sister of mine,
provide some room,
and give me some space
to exist.
Read more articles from the Issue
Nothing Found
The Prisoners with the Pink Triangle
Published on Publik-Forum, Deutschlandfunk Kultur
Among the millions of people murdered by the Nazi regime were thousands of gay men. For a long time, there was no commemoration of them or other queer victims.
Intertwined Queer Stories: First LGTBIQ Museum in Eastern Europe
Published on taz
The QueerMuzeum has opened in Warsaw. It tells of pride, joy and sex, but also of stigmatisation and persecution.
“The Smaller the Settlement, the Greater the Influence of Religion”: Belarusian Trans Non-Binary Activist in Poland
Published on Nash Vybir
Ray shares its journey of self-discovery, self-acceptance and struggle for queer rights
Queer Holocaust Voices – the Price of Silence
Published on Hukanne
Aren’t the sufferings of all prisoners the same? Why bring up gender issues at all? What’s the point of comparing trauma?
“I Accept Myself with All My Features”: Ukrainian Queer Person and Her Identity in Catholic Poland
Published on Nash Vybir
Natalia's story presents a different, more down-to-earth perspective on queer Ukrainians in Poland.
Belarusian on Bisexuality, Theatre and Emigration
Published on Das.Hip
A documentary short about Palina, Belarusian actress, director, and singer from Minsk.
Forgotten Stories of Eastern European LGBTQ+ Heroes
Published on Instagram
Stories of those who were lacking remembrance acknowledgment. Sometimes unintentionally, but more often purposefully.
Shelters, Help for Queer People and Support: How Uzhhorod Became a New Home for LGBTQI+ People
Published on Hromadske
Gender Stream housed 32 people when the full-scale war began. Throughout its operation, the shelter has provided a home to 320 queer people from occupied and liberated territories.
Diversity in Brandenburg: Queers Take a Stand
Published on taz
A memorial for gay prisoners murdered in Sachsenhausen coincided with a Pride in nearby Oranienburg, uniting commemoration with celebration of present-day queer life.
Being Yourself. How Kharkiv’s LGBTQI Community Fights for Their Rights
Published on Hromadske
A report on queer representation in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, on Prides and aid in times of war
Queer in One of Most Catholic Countries in Europe: Stimulus or Hindrance?
Published on Nash Vybir
Stereotypes suggest that Catholicism complicates the presence and activities of queer movements in Poland. Is this truly the case?
How Queer People Live in Frontline City: Report from Zaporizhzhia
Published on Hromadske
A story from the wartime Ukraine about queer people and the organizations supporting them
“This Is My Feminist Manifesto”
The story of Violetta Tarasenko, a Ukrainian LGBTQ activist and a lesbian woman in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Behind the Mask: Contemporary Drag Culture in Kazakhstan
In Tolganay Talgat's documentary, artists and performers of different ages, ethnicities, and genders share how they find ways to self-expression and activism in drag.
Queer Self-Expression in Kyrgyzstan: Between Cultural Norms and Personal Values
An essay about the desire to live out queerness clashing with cultural context and family needs.
Three Stories from Moldova: Drag, Cinema, Literature
Interviews with drag dancer Jenny, film festival director Max Cârlan, and writer Sasha Zare.
Drag in Armenia: An Evolution of the Artform
An interview with drag artists from Armenia.
Guess the Fact – Queer Artist Edition
In this video queer artists learn different facts about each other through a game called “Guess the Fact”.
“Discover Your Own Point of Tension and Pleasure. Trust Both”
Meet Ukrainian queer photographer Katherina Turenko and the Sapphic women* captured in her images.
Colourful Petals
A Belarusian poet reflects on the ways to create queer poetry using no historical precedent, and on finding that precedent, nonetheless.
Emotions. Feelings. Uzbekistan
Community art can encourage positive changes on an individual, community, and local level. It can bring awareness to the community’s issues nationally and internationally while offering new perspectives.
Peculiarities of Running LGBTQ Spaces in Kazakhstan
How and why do LGBTQ Spaces work in Kazakhstan, and are heterosexuals welcome there?
Defying Boundaries: Azerbaijan’s Drag Star
Lady Slim, an Azerbaijani drag queen, pushes back against growing anti-queer restrictions to perform at home and abroad.
“In Prison, They Named Me Rayhon”
In Uzbekistan, sex between men carries a prison sentence. Ex-inmates who were imprisoned under Article 120 share their stories.
From Street Violence to Stand-Up Scene
Meet Nata Talikishvili, a trans woman who started doing stand up after years of trailblazing activism in Georgia.
“The Most Important Thing For Me Is That My Son Is Happy”
A mother of a queer person from Kazakhstan shares her story on acceptance, love, and trust.
“There Are Things One Doesn’t Choose”
Three persons from Kyrgyzstan on the profound impact of queerness and disability on their life and worldview, and the things that help to carry on.
“I Was Told I Had Disgraced Kazakhstan”
Cases of police harassment, extortion, and surveillance of members of the queer community in Kazakhstan.
I Am Queer, but Am I Safe?
Four interviews on the relationship between LGBTQ+ communities and public spaces in Chișinău bring to the fore the need for a safe and inclusive public landscape for all.
“If Your Protesting Hand Gets Tired, I’ll Be There To Take It”
Ali Malikov tells their story of self-discovery, fighting for their rights and queer activism in Azerbaijan.
Trans Solidarity Against Bigoted Institutions
Azad on his experience of transitioning in Turkey and Azerbaijan, lack of access to HRT, and potential allies of trans people.
“I Gave Up a Lot To Be Who I Am”
A personal story on internalized homophobia, self-acceptance, and the LGBTQ+ community in Kazakhstan.
Influence
The short documentary tells the story of Leo, a young stand-up comedian from Armenia.
A Story of One Migration
A story told between cities and refugee camps, between identities, vulnerability, and privileges.
“If We Call the Police, They Laugh at Us”
Queer people from Kyrgyzstan talk about their lives and the problems they face, personally and as a group.
In Armenia, Trans Community Faces Fear, Neglect
Transgender people in Armenia face discrimination both in hospitals and by psychological services and therapists. Trans activists fight the stigma every day.
No Trauma, No Drama. Rewriting Media LGBTQI+ Narratives
Nora Petrossian and Mischa Badasyan advocate for a more nuanced portrayal of queer individuals in media.
What if homophobia in Central Asia is a product of colonialism?
A look at Soviet prison culture, colonial experience and Orientalism as roots of homophobia in Kazakhstan.
Russian Propaganda’s Influence on Soviet and Post-Soviet Homophobic Narratives in South Caucasus
Examining the roots of anti-LGBTQI agenda propagated by present-day Russia, and how it spreads in the South Caucasus countries.
Russian Colonialism and Homophobia in Moldova
An attempt to see if homophobia in Moldova is linked to Russian colonialism and cultural policy since the annexation of Bessarabia in 1812.