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Rev. Elder Diane Fisher
(Email)
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MCC'S EASTERN EUROPE INITIATIVE
Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Serbia, and
Latvia
"Tearing down walls. Building up
hope."
Romanian Lesbians Post
Romanian Lesbians - May
24, 2006 (View
Pictures)
A year ago at the time of Gay Pride in Romania,
there was no active lesbian group. Since the march and the events
associated with GayFest 2005, there is a new spirit moving in Bucharest.
ACCEPT, the LGBT Human Rights, group has seen an increase in the number
of people using the service. One of the most hope filled outcomes
for the LGBT community has been the formation of a lesbian group in
Bucharest. I was lucky enough to
be asked to meet with the group at one of their weekly meetings.
As I made my way into the café, a young woman approached and
asked me if I would like to join them. The café was filled
with young LGBT people, drinking coffee, beer or a soda. It was
early in the evening and already the space was full and there was smoke
hovering in the air, much like in an old black and white movie, where
smoking was still seen as chic. The group facilitator Florentina,
had not yet arrived and so we sat and shared small talk and
introductions. Many of the small tables had groups of gay men and
lesbians chatting and laughing.
Florentina arrived and we moved upstairs to the meeting space.
We moved the sewing machine and fabric which was being used to create an
enormous rainbow flag for pride.
There were about twenty women gathered into the space. One
woman, who is the editor of the magazine the group will be producing,
was taking notes to include in the magazine.
It will be their premier issue. She began by asking me to talk
about my life and why I was in Romania.
I briefly shared my story and spoke at length about MCC.
Then the questions began. I was quite an oddity for the
group. I had been out for thirty years, which was a time frame
that seemed to stun them. They wanted to know about my life and my
loves. They asked about Karli, and how I had a daughter. I
shared with them my story and Karli’s. They had a lot of
questions. Then they asked: “how old is Karli?”
I told them that she is 22 and I discovered much to my astonishment that
many of the women in the room were younger than my daughter. Most
of the women had been “out” for less than a year. A
few had been out longer and one had been at last year’s gay pride
march. We talked about love and my relationship and
marriage. Then discussion turned to the church and how it could
possibly be that there was a church that supported and celebrated the
LGBT community and the fact that we are all loved by God, as we are for
who we are.
I shared with them my experiences of being a LGBT activist and what
it meant. This was a new concept for most of the women present and
while they were comfortable within the group, the outside world for most
was a place to be feared. They knew that they would not be
accepted and that if they were open about themselves violence would
ensue.
We looked at safe ways to get involved and I assured them that there
were many ways to make a difference in the world. The notion that
they have power to change the situation or assist in making change
happen was very new. I told them that just by being present in the
group, they were already making a difference in tearing down walls and
building up hope. Their very existence meant there was a place
where young women could gather and offer each other support.
I left that evening having been touched by the courage of these young
women and knowing that they are at the very beginning of their journey
towards freedom. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to meet
with them. It was quite an eye opener for me to realize just how
young they were and how old I am, the concept of someone who had been
out for thirty years was amazing to them. I remember wishing for
role models when I first came out and how exciting it was to meet older
lesbians and now here I am, the older lesbian. I am so glad that
MCC is here offering hope, sharing the good news of God’s all
inclusive love and standing with the emerging LGBT movement. MCC
you are making a difference in tearing down walls and building up
hope.
Until next time.
God Bless,
Diane
P.S. I am off to Riga, Latvia today for the European
Forum of Gay and Lesbian Christian Groups Conference, where I will be
offering a workshop on MCC in the world.
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