Queering the Perspective

Welcome to this third and last part of the three part mini-series “Queering the Perspective XAlt Shift Festival 2024"! The conversation of this episode is based on the roundtable discussion “Autonomies and Commons” with the movement anchorsSchool of Commons (a self-organized university based on commoning learning in Zurich, Switzerland,Fisch Acker (a queer-feminist occupation in rural Austria),La Foresta(a community academy that is growing in a collectively regenerated space of the Rovereto train station in Trentino, Italy), and moderated by Tadeas fromNazemi (an organization fostering transformative education and thriving towards a no-growth economy in Brno, Czech RepublicWe begin the episode by defining the quite abstract concept of "commons/commoning" and continue by relating it to queerness and degrowth. Next, we dive a little deeper and tackle the issues of redistributing power and redefining ownership through commons being a place for dissident identities and practices. Towards the end, we talk about the idea of "Nowtopias" and why they are necessary to move forward in our current political climate.Hope you enjoy this episode, and go listen to the two other episode of this mini-series (#47 on Decoloniality & #48 on Queer-Feminism) if you're interested to learn moreThank you Alt-Shift Festival for the opportunity to co-create this podcast series and I hope that this project can continue to educate and inspire listeners to further engage with the topic of degrowth and all its intersecting aspects.If you would like to be part of the podcast community, you can now follow on Instagram and/or join our telegram group for frequent update on new podcast developments I am your host Béla Belissima, non-binary soul from Berlin on the journey to dismantle our cis-heteronormative world and look beyond all binaries. Re-writing our narratives and telling our own stories. Thanks for being here

Here comes the second episode of the three part mini-series “Queering the Perspective X Alt Shift Festival 2024"! The conversation is based on the queer-feminist roundtable discussion with spokespeople of the organizations Sorge Ins ParkCenter, Ni Una Menos Austria, and indigenous, feminist rights activist Airam QuilaThe episode is centered around the queer-feminist underpinnings of de-growth and bringing the repressive cultural element of capitalism to the forefront. In that regard we speak about femi(ni)cides, the necessity of multiple forms of co-existing feminisms as well as allyship between them. Without necessarily planning it, the conversation naturally shifted to the topic of grief, spiritual poverty and active memory as a form of resistance against attempts of erasure.General mood of this episode: "We are the granddaughters (grandchildren) of the witches you couldn't burn"If you would like to be part of the podcast community, you can now follow on Instagram and/or join our telegram group for frequent update on new podcast developments I am your host Béla Belissima, non-binary soul from Berlin on the journey to dismantle our cis-heteronormative world and look beyond all binaries. Re-writing our narratives and telling our own stories. Thanks for being here <3

Hi everyone and welcome to the first episode of the three part mini-series “Queering the Perspective X Alt Shift Festival 2024"! The conversation is based on the roundtable discussion “Anti-Imperialism and Decoloniality” with the activists Chihiro Geuzebroek , Airam Quilla and spokeswomen of the organizations D.E.I. Futuro Antirazzista, Abya Yala De(s)colonial and Debt for Climate Austria We begin the episode by introducing the festival and the concept of degrowth to those that are not (as) familiar to it. We then move on to issues such as climate justice, de-militarization and abolitionism as well as demands such as reparations and land back ! Lastly, we’re taking a critical view inside the structures of the alt-shift festival itself and analyze how to practically apply decoloniality within the degrowth movement to fight for “a world where many worlds fit” inspired by the the Zapatista vision. If you would like to be part of the podcast community, you can now follow on Instagram and/or join our telegram group for frequent update on new podcast developments I am your host Béla Belissima, non-binary soul from Berlin on the journey to dismantle our cis-heteronormative world and look beyond all binaries. Re-writing our narratives and telling our own stories. Thanks for being here

We are back in time for the cozy podcast fall with our third episode of Queering the Perspective Season 5 ! This episode was recorded at Whole Festival 2023 and included many different festival guests that were sitting down and sharing their experiences as well as an audience of people taking a moment to listen to this live conversation from a distance. Note: With the conversation taking place at a loud queer festival and unfortunately an error with the recording input from the technical side, the audio quality of the episode is not where I would like it to be. However, I hope you still give it a chance because the content of the episode is very important and worth listening ;) What we talk about specifically is the meaning of being a sl*t, unlearning (internalized shame) especially within a queer context as well as exploring the asexual spectrum, non-Western perspectives on sexualities and celebrating non-normative sexual practices. Overall, the main message of this episode is reappropriating and owning s*x positive identities outside of heteronormative frameworks. All day, every day! Especially together with other queer & trans people! If you would like to be part of the podcast community, you can now follow on Instagram and/or join our telegram group for frequent update on new podcast developments I am your host Béla Belissima, non-binary soul from Berlin on the journey to dismantle our cis-heteronormative world and look beyond all binaries. Re-writing our narratives and telling our own stories. Thanks for being here

It’s been a hot second but we’re back with the second episode of season 5: All About Transitions. In this conversation, we: Blumen (he/him), Lux (they/she), Magda (she/her), Minu (he/she/they), Pars (they/them) , Thea (she/her) and me) talk about our experiences, reflections and feelings with regards to our gender transition journeys. Central to this episode is the fact that there are infinite ways of transitioning beyond the two normative ones: Female-to-Male and Male-to-Female. We talk about our journeys of coming into our trans bodies, the feeling of somehow not being trans enough as well as the idea of passing v. gender non-conformity/staying uncomfortable and not easily digestible to the cis-gaze. Send this episode to your loved ones, trans friends and arguably most importantly your uncle or colleague that has never met a trans person. In 50 minutes they’ll have the chance to get to know seven of us up close, might learn a thing or two (or 30 lol) and possibly even laugh with us because… TRANS IS JOY TRANS IS EUPHORIA and TRANS IS THE FUTURE If you would like to be part of the podcast community, you can now follow on Instagram and/or join our telegram group for frequent update on new podcast developments I am your host Béla Belissima, non-binary soul from Berlin on the journey to dismantle our cis-heteronormative world and look beyond all binaries. Re-writing our narratives and telling our own stories. Thanks for being here

Welcome to Queering the Perspective Season 5 <3 This first episode is an episode recorded at the fluid.vision X Anti-Mass Fundraising event for Uganda after the passing of the Anti-LGBT* law there in 2023. We talk with two of Anti-Mass' founders: Nsasi (they/them) and Turkana (she/her) about the vision of the Anti-Mass Collective, the situation in Uganda and how to foster global queer solidarity. The episode was recorded on July 7th 2023, so it's already a year old. However with the passing of yet another anti-LGBT law in Ghana earlier this year pushed for by similar Christian fundamentalist actors, this episode seems as important as ever. This first episode of the season is very special and dear to my hear because it is co-moderated with our very close friend Nada who is no longer with us. So listening to his voice, hearing his joy, dedication & revisiting the general atmosphere of the conversation felt similarly heartbreaking and healing at the same time. His legacy keeps on living and reminds us to fight harder than ever before for the most marginalized members of our (global) queer community if you would like to be part of the podcast community, you can now join our telegram group for frequent update on new podcast developments I am your host Béla Belissima, non-binary soul from Berlin on the journey to dismantle our cis-heteronormative world and look beyond all binaries. Re-writing our narratives and telling our own stories. Thanks for being here

There is no other word than inspirational to introduce today's guest: Prumsodun Ok (he/him), an artist, dancer, writer and founder of Cambodia's first gay dance company "Prumsodun Ok & NATYARASA". In the studio, he teaches classical Khmer dance and focuses on re-telling ancient Cambodian tales with a contemporary spirit incorporating queer expression. In our conversation, Prum talks about his identity as growing up gay and Asian-American in the USA and then migrating to Cambodia to build a new life through dancing and rediscovering his ancestrial roots. Prum goes in detail into the description of a few Cambodian tales and how they can be reinterpretated via the lens of queerness while still remaining a part of Cambodian culture and heritage. This is the very last episode of this Season 4: (South) East Asia Edition. We hope you enjoyed this season and all the background information on the countries we visited and people/communities we met along the way. It certainly has been a journey and we feel so grateful and fortunate to have had the opportunity of learning from our guests and sharing their voices with the wider podcast community. If you want to learn more about the Classical Khmer Dance and how Prum is "queering" this art form, check this blogpost on our website This podcast is partially funded by Heinrich Böll Stiftung Phnom Penh, Cambodia & Heinrich Böll Stiftung New Delhi, India in collaboration with SafeSpaceBTB ------ if you would like to be part of the podcast community, you can now join our telegram group for frequent update on new podcast developments feel free to reach out if you have any feedback, questions, suggestions for future topics/guests via Instagram or e-mail: belissima@riseup.net I am your host Béla Belissima, non-binary soul from Berlin on the journey to dismantle our cis-heteronormative world and look beyond all binaries. Re-writing our narratives and telling our own stories. Thanks for being here

In today's episode, we visited the LGBTQIA* center A Place To Be Yourself in the city of Siem Riep and talked with four of the community members: Kimmouy, Mouy Heng, Khunyeam and Lyhuor about their genderfluid identity. We speak about gender roles growing up in Cambodia, struggles and joys in transgressing them and different beauty standards. Towards the end of our conversation, we address the importance of standing up for each other, supporting one another in their identity discovery journey and how to center gender euphoria over negative societal attitudes. If you want to learn more about beauty standarts and how to challenge them through queerness, check this blogpost on our website This podcast is partially funded by Heinrich Böll Stiftung Phnom Penh, Cambodia & Heinrich Böll Stiftung New Delhi, India in collaboration with SafeSpaceBTB ------ if you would like to be part of the podcast community, you can now join our telegram group for frequent update on new podcast developments feel free to reach out if you have any feedback, questions, suggestions for future topics/guests via Instagram or e-mail: belissima@riseup.net I am your host Béla Belissima, non-binary soul from Berlin on the journey to dismantle our cis-heteronormative world and look beyond all binaries. Re-writing our narratives and telling our own stories. Thanks for being here

Our last guest during our visit of the SafeSpaceBTB community, is the fashion designer Koemyean Hin (he/him). We met him at the Phare Ponleu Selpak Artistic Centre where he works as an art teacher. In our conversation, we speak about his path to fashion and the role it played/plays in his life and identity. We then talk about his role at the artistic centre which provides (artistic) education for 1000+ children per year and the attitude and awareness of the students towards LGBTQIA* people in general. If you want to see more of the work of Koemyean Hin, follow his Facebook pageand check this blogpost on our website This podcast is partially funded by Heinrich Böll Stiftung Phnom Penh, Cambodia & Heinrich Böll Stiftung New Delhi, India in collaboration with SafeSpaceBTB ------ if you would like to be part of the podcast community, you can now join our telegram group for frequent update on new podcast developments feel free to reach out if you have any feedback, questions, suggestions for future topics/guests via Instagram or e-mail: belissima@riseup.net I am your host Béla Belissima, non-binary soul from Berlin on the journey to dismantle our cis-heteronormative world and look beyond all binaries. Re-writing our narratives and telling our own stories. Thanks for being here

Today's episode is once again a double trouble episode with the Sonik and Somphor, two young members of SafeSpaceBTB , as our guests Our coversation is very personal and vulnerable as the two tell us about their life as queer youngsters in Battambang (Cambodia). We talk about their upbringing, the relationship to their family, friends, school, university, social surrounding, community lovelife etc. etc.etc. allowing us a glimpse into their lived reality in the good, the less good, the joys, the pains and most importantly the resilience and once again the importance of community. If you want to learn more about the value of queer community and safe spaces in check this blogpost on our website This podcast is partially funded by Heinrich Böll Stiftung Phnom Penh, Cambodia & Heinrich Böll Stiftung New Delhi, India in collaboration with SafeSpaceBTB ------ if you would like to be part of the podcast community, you can now join our telegram group for frequent update on new podcast developments feel free to reach out if you have any feedback, questions, suggestions for future topics/guests via Instagram or e-mail: belissima@riseup.net I am your host Béla Belissima, non-binary soul from Berlin on the journey to dismantle our cis-heteronormative world and look beyond all binaries. Re-writing our narratives and telling our own stories. Thanks for being here

In this second episode from our visit to Battambang (Cambodia) we talk with B. Pov, the mother of SafeSpaceBTB community (see #38 for more information on the community organization) and today it is all about language! B. Pov talks to us about a specific queer language which is an adaptation of the Khmer language spoken in Cambodia. She explains to us the origins of the language as well as the importance and further development of it during the brutal Khmer Rouge regime (1975 - 1979). Towards the end of the conversation we speak about her own story, her role as a trans elder in Battambang and the hopes she has for the LGBTQIA+* community in Cambodia at large. If you want to learn more about the lessons on queer survival during the Khmer Rouge regime check this blogpost on our website. This podcast is partially funded by Heinrich Böll Stiftung Phnom Penh, Cambodia & Heinrich Böll Stiftung New Delhi, India in collaboration with SafeSpaceBTB ------ if you would like to be part of the podcast community, you can now join our telegram group for frequent update on new podcast developments feel free to reach out if you have any feedback, questions, suggestions for future topics/guests via Instagram or e-mail: belissima@riseup.net I am your host Béla Belissima, non-binary soul from Berlin on the journey to dismantle our cis-heteronormative world and look beyond all binaries. Re-writing our narratives and telling our own stories. Thanks for being here

In this very first Cambodia episode, we talk with the founder of the LGBTQIA* community organization SafeSpaceBTB (Battambang). We were fortunate enough to get to know this vibrant community and spend a few days there (more on that to come in the next weeks ;)). With Thida, we talk in this initial episode about the early beginnings of SafeSpaceBTB, how they organize themselves and Thida tells us about some of the artistic and educational projects they have been involved in recently. If you want to learn more about the SafeSpaceBTB community organizing as well as getting an overview on queer rights in Cambodia in general, check this blogpost on our website. This podcast is partially funded by Heinrich Böll Stiftung Phnom Penh, Cambodia & Heinrich Böll Stiftung New Delhi, India in collaboration with SafeSpaceBTB ------ if you would like to be part of the podcast community, you can now join our telegram group for frequent update on new podcast developments feel free to reach out if you have any feedback, questions, suggestions for future topics/guests via Instagram or e-mail: belissima@riseup.net I am your host Béla Belissima, non-binary soul from Berlin on the journey to dismantle our cis-heteronormative world and look beyond all binaries. Re-writing our narratives and telling our own stories. Thanks for being here

For this week's episode, we met with Tata (she/her). Tata is a trans sex worker as well as an LGBTQIA* advocate and public figure in Thailand fighting for the rights of trans* people, homeless people and sex workers. In our conversation, we go through various intersections surrounding sex work and Tata explains what it means to be a sex worker and elderly/trans*/homeless/working on the streets vs. in private establishments. Towards the end of the episode, we also talk about the sex tourism industry and the difference between the trans* and gay community in Thailand If you want to learn more about sex work in Thailand, check this blogpost on our website. This podcast is partially funded by Heinrich Böll Stiftung Phnom Penh, Cambodia & Heinrich Böll Stiftung New Delhi, India in collaboration with SafeSpaceBtB ------ if you would like to join the podcast community, you can now become a member via Steady starting at 2,50€ per month or donate directly to us via paypal: belaben@web.de and as always feel free to reach out if you have any feedback, questions, suggestions for future topics/guests via Instagram or e-mail: belissima@riseup.net I am your host Béla Belissima, non-binary soul from Berlin on the journey to dismantle our cis-heteronormative world and look beyond all binaries. Re-writing our narratives and telling our own stories. Thanks for being here

Today we are meeting Erik (he/him) in Bangkok! We begin our conversation by talking about different past projects of Erik such as his non-binary comic project We Have Always Been Here (CHECK IT OUT VIA THIS LINK). This comic echoes many of our recent episodes in the fact that queerness and transness is deeply rooted in the Asia Pacific region and today's widely spread hatred against the LGBTQIA* community stems from colonization and the erasure of queer and trans* bodies and history. Erik, who grew up in Indonesia and just recently migrated to Thailand, then tells us about the Indonesian queer/trans* diaspora and particularly his experience of creating the Non-Binary Forum Indonesian which is a closed discord group but can be contacted through Instagram. In line with different trans* experiences, Erik tells us towards the end of the episode about the difference in trans* rights in Indonesia and Thailand and we discuss about the aspect of the increased trans visibility in Thailand and if that automatically leads to greater rights for trans people This episode truly goes beyond borders and is picked with empowerment (and lots of laughter). For more background information check this blogpost on our website This podcast is partially funded by Heinrich Böll Stiftung Phnom Penh, Cambodia & Heinrich Böll Stiftung New Delhi, India in collaboration with SafeSpaceBtB ------ if you would like to join the podcast community, you can now become a member via Steady starting at 2,50€ per month or donate directly to us via paypal: belaben@web.de and as always feel free to reach out if you have any feedback, questions, suggestions for future topics/guests via Instagram or e-mail: belissima@riseup.net I am your host Béla Belissima, non-binary soul from Berlin on the journey to dismantle our cis-heteronormative world and look beyond all binaries. Re-writing our narratives and telling our own stories. Thanks for being here

The charming guest of this episode is Charlotte (they/them) . Charlotte is part of the young feminist activist group Southern Feminist Liberation Front which is active in South Thailand and organized the first pride of the region in the city of Songkhla in 2022. In our conversation, Charlotte tells us about their road to activism, the experience of queer-feminist organizing in South Thailand as well as Bangkok Pride and also the intersection between queer activism and the pro-democracy movement in Thailand. Talking to Charlotte left us majorly empowered and hopeful for the future with a young generation of queer-feminists stepping up the game. For more background information on particularly the pro-democracy movement and the role of queer politics in it check this blogpost on our website This podcast is partially funded by Heinrich Böll Stiftung Phnom Penh, Cambodia & Heinrich Böll Stiftung New Delhi, India in collaboration with SafeSpaceBtB ------ if you would like to join the podcast community, you can now become a member via Steady starting at 2,50€ per month or donate directly to us via paypal: belaben@web.de and as always feel free to reach out if you have any feedback, questions, suggestions for future topics/guests via Instagram or e-mail: belissima@riseup.net I am your host Béla Belissima, non-binary soul from Berlin on the journey to dismantle our cis-heteronormative world and look beyond all binaries. Re-writing our narratives and telling our own stories. Thanks for being here

Our next guest of the podcast is Febby (she/her) an activist and advocate for the rights of waria women in the city of Surabaya (located in East Java). "Waria" combines the Indonesian words for a woman (wanita) and a man (pria) and can be equated to trans women in the Western context. While waria women have existed throughout Indonesian history, they face many forms of discrimination and persecution today. Febby works with the organization Perwakos to support waria women in Surabaya In this episode, we talk about this work and all the issues that waria women are facing: HIV (and the stigmatization), struggles around sex work, lack of access to jobs, no legal recognition of their gender etc. etc. etc. If you want to learn more about waria people, check this blogpost on our website This podcast is partially funded by Heinrich Böll Stiftung Phnom Penh, Cambodia & Heinrich Böll Stiftung New Delhi, India in collaboration with SafeSpaceBtB ------ if you would like to join the podcast community, you can now become a member via Steady starting at 2,50€ per month or donate directly to us via paypal: belaben@web.de and as always feel free to reach out if you have any feedback, questions, suggestions for future topics/guests via Instagram or e-mail: belissima@riseup.net I am your host Béla Belissima, non-binary soul from Berlin on the journey to dismantle our cis-heteronormative world and look beyond all binaries. Re-writing our narratives and telling our own stories. Thanks for being here

This episode is truly a double trouble: our guests are Asmara (they/them) and Samri (all pronouns) , two QTBIPOC (Queer & Trans Black, Indigenous and People of Color) community organizers based in Bali, Indonesia. In this episode, they take us on a whole journey through Indonesian queer history and contemporary issues surrounding queerness in different parts of the country. In one part of the account of queer history, our guests talk about bugis culture which recognizes five genders, among them the bissu people which are not defined as man or woman and serve as spiritual leaders int the community. For more background information Check this blogpost on our website This podcast is partially funded by Heinrich Böll Stiftung Phnom Penh, Cambodia & Heinrich Böll Stiftung New Delhi, India in collaboration with SafeSpaceBtB ------ if you would like to join the podcast community, you can now become a member via Steady starting at 2,50€ per month or donate directly to us via paypal: belaben@web.de and as always feel free to reach out if you have any feedback, questions, suggestions for future topics/guests via Instagram or e-mail: belissima@riseup.net I am your host Béla Belissima, non-binary soul from Berlin on the journey to dismantle our cis-heteronormative world and look beyond all binaries. Re-writing our narratives and telling our own stories. Thanks for being here

Shan De Silva (all pronouns) is a gender fluid/non binary model in Sri Lanka for the past 7 years working for local and international brands. Let's talk fashion! What got you into fashion? What was it like being the first gender non-conforming model walking Colombo Fashion Week? What were the reactions? Do you see any changes in the fashion world since? Shan gives answers to all these questions and goes on taking it from the fashion world to the queer world in Sri Lanka. They talk about the first pride in Sri Lanka and gives an insight into the community in its beauty, power and challenges. In doing so Shan talks about the intersection of gender and class as well as queerness in the "Aragalaya" Breaking boundaries is a "Queering the Perspective" passion and certainly Shan fits very well into this taking on the fashion world by storm and refusing a "NO" from the gender binary. For more background information on the importance of fashion in queer identities as well as the intersections with colonization check this blogpost on our website This podcast is partially funded by Heinrich Böll Stiftung Phnom Penh, Cambodia & Heinrich Böll Stiftung New Delhi, India in collaboration with SafeSpaceBtB ------ if you would like to join the podcast community, you can now become a member via Steady starting at 2,50€ per month or donate directly to us via paypal: belaben@web.de and as always feel free to reach out if you have any feedback, questions, suggestions for future topics/guests via Instagram or e-mail: belissima@riseup.net I am your host Béla Belissima, non-binary soul from Berlin on the journey to dismantle our cis-heteronormative world and look beyond all binaries. Re-writing our narratives and telling our own stories. Thanks for being here

Vasi Samudra Devi (she/they) is a non-binary trans woman and a multidisciplinary artist working with poetry, performance, theater, paint and pencils. We start off the episode by talking about the complicated process of transitioning in Sri Lanka which quickly also turns into a discussion about the economic crisis and the lack of access to hormones during the beginning of it. Because of that daunting experience Vasi being the artist she is created the Performance "Hormone Replacement crisis which she showcased among other places also at the #GotaGoGoma protest site. Towards the end of our conversation, we speak about gender expectations, her identity a Lesbian non-binary trans woman and her refusal to fit into trans normative boxes and instead thrive in the multiplicity of her desires. Meeting Vasi and listen to her was/is a big encouragement to define yourself outside of supposed contradictions in the outdated concept of the gender binary. For more background information on her work as an artist Check this blogpost on our website This podcast is partially funded by Heinrich Böll Stiftung Phnom Penh, Cambodia & Heinrich Böll Stiftung New Delhi, India in collaboration with SafeSpaceBtB ------ if you would like to join the podcast community, you can now become a member via Steady starting at 2,50€ per month or donate directly to us via paypal: belaben@web.de and as always feel free to reach out if you have any feedback, questions, suggestions for future topics/guests via Instagram or e-mail: belissima@riseup.net I am your host Béla Belissima, non-binary soul from Berlin on the journey to dismantle our cis-heteronormative world and look beyond all binaries. Re-writing our narratives and telling our own stories. Thanks for being here

Jeana De Zoysa (she/her) is a Sri Lankan writer, safari guide sustainable fashion model and activist. She became involved with the "Aragalaya" (the Sri Lankan national uprising at the face of economic collpase) in April 2022, volunteered in the People Power essentials distribution tent at the #GotaGoGama (main occupation site in Colombo) and was present at the frontlines at most of the major protests. The "Aragalaya" is also the main topic of this episode. We discuss the origins of the protest movement and the uniting element of the protest which bound together various ethnic, religious, sexual and gender minorities. Then it gets hot as Jeana tells us about the storming about the presidents palace, the reaction of the state force and she shares reflections on the challenges of the decentralized nature of the movement. Lastly, we speak about the current developments of the movement and new forms of resistance. In this episode it gets POLITICAL and we understand the meaning of "One struggle, One fight" and the calls for system change over reformist efforts on a whole other level. For more background information on the "Aragalaya" Check this blogpost on our website This podcast is partially funded by Heinrich Böll Stiftung Phnom Penh, Cambodia & Heinrich Böll Stiftung New Delhi, India in collaboration with SafeSpaceBtB ------ if you would like to join the podcast community, you can now become a member via Steady starting at 2,50€ per month or donate directly to us via paypal: belaben@web.de and as always feel free to reach out if you have any feedback, questions, suggestions for future topics/guests via Instagram or e-mail: belissima@riseup.net I am your host Béla Belissima, non-binary soul from Berlin on the journey to dismantle our cis-heteronormative world and look beyond all binaries. Re-writing our narratives and telling our own stories. Thanks for being here