1.
Please explain the meaning of the term “intersectional” (for you and for your
organization)
For the national LGBT* rights organization LGL the term “intersectional” represents a
broader struggle for equality and non-discrimination under the Lithuanian national
circumstances. As the discourse on human rights in the country is characterized by the
essentialist approach (i.e. reduction of personal experiences to the single attribute of
individual identity), there is a pressing need to raise awareness about the fact that each
human being encompasses a spectrum of identities shaping personal experiences on a
daily basis. Within the scope of our organizational activities, the term “intersectional”
represents the fact that all LGBTIQ individuals are very different from each other, i.e.
they differ in their gender, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, age, ability, etc.
Therefore it is very important to tailor our advocacy, awareness raising, capacity
building and adult education activities with the view of developing inclusive and
empowering approaches. However, it has to be noted that due to the socially hostile
atmosphere in the country regarding sexual orientation and/or gender identity issues,
very often LGBTIQ identities are prevailing over other personal characteristics or
attributes (i.e. queer identities cause the biggest challenges in relation to prospective
social integration). Therefore it is very important for us to mainstream LGBTIQ issues
within the broader civil society perspective, so that other NGOs working on different
grounds of discrimination could also respond to the needs of LGBTIQ individuals
comprehensively.
2.
In what respect (e.g. team work, issues, target group, …) is an intersectional
perspective relevant in the political and/ or educational work of your organization?
The national LGBT* rights organization is a member organziation of two national
human rights coalitions, namely – the National Equality and Diversity Forum (NEDF)
and the Human Rights Coalition (HRC). These national coalitions consist of civil society
organizations representing social groups vulnerable to discrimination on grounds of
gender, age, (dis)ability, sexual orientation and/or gender identity, religion or belief and
ethnic origin. The main challenge under the scope of activities by the above mentioned
coalitions is the capacity to formulate a common human rights position in the course of
the processes of public policy. It became apparent that knowledge, skills and sensitivity
of partner organizations have to be continuously improved regarding different grounds
of discrimination. However, the importance of this effort could not be emphasized
enough, because the possibility of formulating unanimous positions provides civil
society organizations with increased legitimacy in the field of human rights. The
intersectional perspective encourages mutual understanding and cooperative efforts
with the human rights coalitions, as it is very suitable for challenging essentialist
approaches towards individual identities. For example, discourse on intersectionality
empowers civil society organizations to discover, acknowledge and empower of, inter
alia, LGBTIQ people with disabilities, queer Jews, socio-economically disadvantaged
LGBTIQ youth and transgender women in sex work.
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3.
Which attributes (e.g. gender, age, religion, disability) are relevant? Why and
when?
In the course of the activities by the national LGBT* rights association LGL on the topic
of intersectionality, six grounds of discrimination are relevant, namely – gender, age,
(dis)ability, sexual orientation and/or gender identity, religion or belief and ethnic
origin. These grounds are relevant due to their establishment in the anti-discrimination
legislation on the EU level. Therefore they have the prominent position in conducting
advocacy and awareness raising activities within the scope of the organizational
strategies and goals. It is noteworthy that the Lithuanian Law on Equal Opportunities
establishes more comprehensive list of prohibited grounds of discrimination including,
inter alia, nationality, language and social status. As a result, these attributes are also
relevant in our work on intersectionality. When talking about intersectional identities
with the local LGBTIQ communities, the corresponding identities in relation to
(dis)ability, socio-economic status and gender merit special attention in the course of
our daily activities. (Dis)ablity and gender are extremely relevant in relation to
transgender identities, because, unfortunately, trans* identities are still being
pathologized with the Lithuanian health care system. The importance of socio-economic
status pertains to economically disadvantaged LGBTIQ individuals, who suffer from
social and economic marginalization and stigmatization due to the lack in resources and
accumulated benefits (e.g. homeless LGBIQ youth).
4.
Your experiences: a) Best practice: which exercises and/ or methods do you use to
work on an intersectional perspective on LGBT*I*Q issues? b) Which problems/
difficulties you had to face when trying to work with an intersectional perspective?
(a) In order to mainstream LGBT*I*Q perspective into the activities of nongovernmental organizations representing various social groups vulnerable to
discrimination, the national LGBT* rights organization LGL organized series of study
visits within the framework of the National Equality and Diversity Forum (NEDF). The
concept of these study visits was based on the idea of one-day field visits to each partner
organization. In the course of a particular visit, the representatives of various nongovernmental organizations would educate themselves on the realities and pressing
issues by the hosting organization through workshops, presentations by the individuals
belonging to the particular social (sub)group, peer-to-pear learning and other
interactive methods (e.g. excursion to the historically relevant LGBTIQ spaces around
the city). These study visits have served as a perfect tool for increasing mutual
understanding, counteracting negative stereotypes and getting to know each other more
comprehensively. This particular tool was identified as a good practice by the European
Commission agencies in mainstreaming equality and non-discrimination within the civil
society sector.
(b) The biggest challenge when trying to work with the intersectional perspective in
Lithuania is related to the limitations of the essentialist approach characterizing the
discourse on human rights in the country. To put it in other words, other civil society
actors find it difficult to comprehend why LGBTIQ experiences might be relevant for
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their work. For example, activists representing the interests of people with disabilities
do not find it obvious that people with disabilities might also have an LGBTIQ identity.
In addition to that it is not comprehended that multiple identities vulnerable to
discrimination might contribute to increased stigmatization and marginalization. The
other problem is related to discriminatory attitudes prevailing within certain segments
or (sub)groups within the local LGBTI community itself. We have witnessed antiimmigrant, anti-Muslim, racist, sexist, misogynist and transphobic tendencies among
the members of the local LGBTI community. Therefore it is very important to promote
the general culture of human rights within various segments of the Lithuanian society,
including minority groups themselves.
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