Chemo Dao
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

“This Is My Feminist Manifesto”

Behind the Mask: Contemporary Drag Culture in Kazakhstan

Queer Self-Expression in Kyrgyzstan: Between Cultural Norms and Personal Values

Three Stories from Moldova: Drag, Cinema, Literature

Drag in Armenia: An Evolution of the Artform

Guess the Fact – Queer Artist Edition

“Discover Your Own Point of Tension and Pleasure. Trust Both”

Colourful Petals

Emotions. Feelings. Uzbekistan

Peculiarities of Running LGBTQ Spaces in Kazakhstan

Defying Boundaries: Azerbaijan’s Drag Star

“In Prison, They Named Me Rayhon”

From Street Violence to Stand-Up Scene

“The Most Important Thing For Me Is That My Son Is Happy”

“There Are Things One Doesn’t Choose”

“I Was Told I Had Disgraced Kazakhstan”

I Am Queer, but Am I Safe?

“If Your Protesting Hand Gets Tired, I’ll Be There To Take It”

Trans Solidarity Against Bigoted Institutions

“I Gave Up a Lot To Be Who I Am”

Influence

A Story of One Migration

In Armenia, Trans Community Faces Fear, Neglect

“If We Call the Police, They Laugh at Us”

No Trauma, No Drama. Rewriting Media LGBTQI+ Narratives

What if homophobia in Central Asia is a product of colonialism?

Russian Propaganda’s Influence on Soviet and Post-Soviet Homophobic Narratives in South Caucasus

Russian Colonialism and Homophobia in Moldova

Migration Is the Path to Freedom. A Photo Report about Sumaya

Russia’s Homophobic Law Inspires Azerbaijani Political Elites

“I Put a Lid On My Sexual Orientation, I Buried It”: Life of LGBTQ+ People in the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine

Non-traditional Values: Did Uzbekistan Inherit Homophobia and Family Concepts from Soviet Union?

Gay Pride Parade, “Dazhynki” or White March: which holiday suits “Belarusians of the future”?

Beyond Blurred Existence
