Österreichisches Lesben- und Schwulenforum
Encyclopedia
The Austrian Lesbian and Gay Forum (ALGF), in German: Österreichisches Lesben- und Schwulenforum (ÖLSF), was the driving force in Austria's LGBT movement
in the 1990s and has founded Austria's only CSD
parade, called Regenbogenparade, on Vienna
's Ringstrasse in 1996.
The term ALGF/ÖLSF stands for both an annual meeting of activists and an umbrella association
of important LGBT organisations in Austria. In 1999, the Austrian Lesbian and Gay Forum concluded its activity.
The conferences emphasizied on political and cultural discourse, but also included hedonistic workshops and events - like Tinkering dildos
, Darkroom
s for Lesbians, a lecture by Hermes Phettberg
in a public toilet, midnight readings and dance interludes. The plenary
with representatives from all over Austria always took place on the last day of the conference, it discussed in length all resolutions brought forward and voted on them. Among the most important forum papers agreed upon were the Law Resolution of 1994 and the Transgender
Resolution of 1996. In 1994, the controversial proposal of a Resolution for the Abolition of Genders was not adopted.
of the forum in Vienna decided to institutionalise the forum as association recognized by the law. The founders took some risks, due to § 221 of the Austrian Penal Code. Nevertheless, the foundation of the association took place in Graz, on February 4, 1995. Hedwig Pepelnik-Gründler and Christian Michelides
were elected as presidents, Waltraud Riegler from HOSI Wien and Gernot Wartner from HOSI Linz as vice presidents.
During the following two years the new institution developped a multitude of activities and was constantly present in the public arena. In June 1995 the founders of the Forum organized the International Human Rights Tribunal
against the Republic of Austria. The tribunal was chaired by environmental and human rights activist Freda Meissner-Blau
and by Gerhard Oberschlick
, editor of FORVM
, and was dedicated to the persecution of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender persons in Austria from 1945 to 1995. The Forum was the first Austrian LGBT organisation that successfully invited Austrian politicians to appear and to speak at its public events, like the Appeal to Reason at the Palais Auersperg
.
In 1996 succeeded in founding Austria's first CSD parade, called Rainbow Parade, in supporting the first public blessing
of a lesbian couple in an Austrian church and in staging the Dornbirn Forum - against heavy opposition of the local mayor
, the catholic Vicar general
and large parts of the population of Vorarlberg
. Nine title pages and more than 300 letters to the editors of the local newspapers resonated the public outrage. A public reading of selected letters to the editors, held in Vienna by eight prominent personalities and organized by the ÖLSF, infuriated the local opposition even more. In late summer of 1996 the ÖLSF - due to demands from many same sex couples - installed a Blessing Hotline, that promised them to find a priest
of their confession.
In late fall of 1996 two of the three discriminating paragraphs of the Austrian Penal Code were abolished, and this success was widely seen as a result of the intense lobbying work of ÖLSF and its member organisations, like the Human chain for human rights around the parliament on October 10, 1995 during a critical meeting of a parliamentary committee.
At the general assembly
in January 1997 the leading team was voted off, which was seen as a coup d'état
by most member associations, as the individual members had the same voting powers as the associations. HOSI Wien, the most important pilar of the Forum, left the association. The assertiveness of ÖLSF expired.
Although the Forum St. Pölten again made headlines - due to the resistance of local bishop Kurt Krenn
, ultra catholic publicists and the Israelite Community
, the vigor of the rebels slackened. In 1999, ÖLSF was closed down.
LGBT social movements
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender social movements share inter-related goals of social acceptance of sexual and gender minorities. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their allies have a long history of campaigning for what is generally called LGBT rights, also called gay...
in the 1990s and has founded Austria's only CSD
CSD
CSD may refer to:*Cali Swag District*California School for the Deaf*Cambridge Structural Database*Canonical signed digit*Canteen Stores Department *Canteen Stores Department *Carbonated Soft Drink*Cat scratch disease...
parade, called Regenbogenparade, on Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
's Ringstrasse in 1996.
The term ALGF/ÖLSF stands for both an annual meeting of activists and an umbrella association
Umbrella organization
An umbrella organization is an association of institutions, who work together formally to coordinate activities or pool resources. In business, political, or other environments, one group, the umbrella organization, provides resources and often an identity to the smaller organizations...
of important LGBT organisations in Austria. In 1999, the Austrian Lesbian and Gay Forum concluded its activity.
Annual meetings
The ÖLSF conferences took place in seven of nine Austrian provinces and were organized mainly by local groups and associations. These meetings furthered the development of a proud and self-confident identy of Austria's LGBT community:- 1991 LinzLinzLinz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately south of the Czech border, on both sides of the river Danube. The population of the city is , and that of the Greater Linz conurbation is about...
- 1992 InnsbruckInnsbruck- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
- 1993 GrazGrazThe more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
- 1994 WienWienWien is the German language name for Vienna, the city and federal state in Austria.* Wien , in Vienna, Austria* Theater an der Wien, a theater in Vienna located at the former river WienWien may also refer to:...
: Alpenglühen [ GlowAlpenglowAlpenglow is an optical phenomenon. When the Sun is just below the horizon, a horizontal red glowing band can sometimes be observed on the opposite horizon...
of the AlpsAlpsThe Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
] with Avantgarde Festival UP-art - 1995 LinzLinzLinz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately south of the Czech border, on both sides of the river Danube. The population of the city is , and that of the Greater Linz conurbation is about...
: Donauwellen [Waves of the DanubeDanubeThe Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
] - 1996 DornbirnDornbirnDornbirn is a city in Vorarlberg, Austria. It is the administrative center of the district Dornbirn, which also includes the city of Hohenems, and the market town Lustenau....
: L(i)eben gegen den Strom [Loving and living against the stream] - 1997 St. Pölten: Lebenswelten - Menschenrechte [Living environments - Human rights]
- 1998 KlagenfurtKlagenfurt-Name:Carinthia's eminent linguists Primus Lessiak and Eberhard Kranzmayer assumed that the city's name, which literally translates as "ford of lament" or "ford of complaints", had something to do with the superstitious thought that fateful fairies or demons tend to live around treacherous waters...
The conferences emphasizied on political and cultural discourse, but also included hedonistic workshops and events - like Tinkering dildos
Dildo
A dildo is a sex toy, often explicitly phallic in appearance, intended for bodily penetration during masturbation or sex with partners.- Description and uses :...
, Darkroom
Darkroom
A darkroom is a room that can be made completely dark to allow the processing of light sensitive photographic materials, including photographic film and photographic paper. Darkrooms have been created and used since the inception of photography in the early 19th century...
s for Lesbians, a lecture by Hermes Phettberg
Hermes Phettberg
Hermes Phettberg is an Austrian artist, comedian, actor, author and talk show host. His nom de plume is taken from the ancient Greek god Hermes.- Early life and career :...
in a public toilet, midnight readings and dance interludes. The plenary
Plenary
Plenary is an adjective related to the noun plenum carrying a general connotation of fullness.Plenary may refer to:*Plenary session or meeting, the part of a conference when all members of all parties are in attendance,...
with representatives from all over Austria always took place on the last day of the conference, it discussed in length all resolutions brought forward and voted on them. Among the most important forum papers agreed upon were the Law Resolution of 1994 and the Transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
Resolution of 1996. In 1994, the controversial proposal of a Resolution for the Abolition of Genders was not adopted.
Umbrella association
In 1994, the plenaryPlenary
Plenary is an adjective related to the noun plenum carrying a general connotation of fullness.Plenary may refer to:*Plenary session or meeting, the part of a conference when all members of all parties are in attendance,...
of the forum in Vienna decided to institutionalise the forum as association recognized by the law. The founders took some risks, due to § 221 of the Austrian Penal Code. Nevertheless, the foundation of the association took place in Graz, on February 4, 1995. Hedwig Pepelnik-Gründler and Christian Michelides
Christian Michelides
Christian Michelides is an Austrian psychotherapist. He is the director of Lighthouse Wien.-Life and Career:In 1973 Michelides started to work as an opera critic of a provincial newspaper called Südost Tagespost. He earned his high school diploma in 1978...
were elected as presidents, Waltraud Riegler from HOSI Wien and Gernot Wartner from HOSI Linz as vice presidents.
During the following two years the new institution developped a multitude of activities and was constantly present in the public arena. In June 1995 the founders of the Forum organized the International Human Rights Tribunal
International Human Rights Tribunal
The International Human Rights Tribunal took place in Vienna in June of 1995. It was chaired by environmental and human rights activist Freda Meissner-Blau and Gerhard Oberschlick, editor of FORVM, and was dedicated to the persecution of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender persons in...
against the Republic of Austria. The tribunal was chaired by environmental and human rights activist Freda Meissner-Blau
Freda Meissner-Blau
Freda Meissner-Blau is an Austrian politician, activist, and prominent figurehead in the Austrian environmental movement. She was a founder and the federal spokesperson of the Austrian Green Party.-Early life:...
and by Gerhard Oberschlick
Gerhard Oberschlick
Gerhard Fritz Oberschlick is an Austrian essayist. From 1985 to 1995 he was the editor of the political and cultural magazine FORVM. Today he serves as the literary executor of Günther Anders.- Life and career :...
, editor of FORVM
FORVM
FORVM was an Austrian cultural and political magazine, published in Vienna from 1954 till 1995, founded by Friedrich Hansen-Loeve, Felix Hubalek, Alexander Lernet-Holenia und Friedrich Torberg with the financial and logistical support of the Congress for Cultural Freedom...
, and was dedicated to the persecution of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender persons in Austria from 1945 to 1995. The Forum was the first Austrian LGBT organisation that successfully invited Austrian politicians to appear and to speak at its public events, like the Appeal to Reason at the Palais Auersperg
Palais Auersperg
The Palais Auersperg, earlier called Palais Rosenkavalier, is a baroque palace at Auerspergstraße 1 in Vienna's Josefstadt district.- History :...
.
In 1996 succeeded in founding Austria's first CSD parade, called Rainbow Parade, in supporting the first public blessing
Blessing
A blessing, is the infusion of something with holiness, spiritual redemption, divine will, or one's hope or approval.- Etymology and Germanic paganism :...
of a lesbian couple in an Austrian church and in staging the Dornbirn Forum - against heavy opposition of the local mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
, the catholic Vicar general
Vicar general
A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...
and large parts of the population of Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg is the westernmost federal-state of Austria. Although it is the second smallest in terms of area and population , it borders three countries: Germany , Switzerland and Liechtenstein...
. Nine title pages and more than 300 letters to the editors of the local newspapers resonated the public outrage. A public reading of selected letters to the editors, held in Vienna by eight prominent personalities and organized by the ÖLSF, infuriated the local opposition even more. In late summer of 1996 the ÖLSF - due to demands from many same sex couples - installed a Blessing Hotline, that promised them to find a priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
of their confession.
In late fall of 1996 two of the three discriminating paragraphs of the Austrian Penal Code were abolished, and this success was widely seen as a result of the intense lobbying work of ÖLSF and its member organisations, like the Human chain for human rights around the parliament on October 10, 1995 during a critical meeting of a parliamentary committee.
At the general assembly
General assembly
General assembly may refer to an official meeting of the members of a trade union, church, association, or similar organization, or of their representatives, in particular:-Governing bodies of international organizations:*The United Nations General Assembly...
in January 1997 the leading team was voted off, which was seen as a coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
by most member associations, as the individual members had the same voting powers as the associations. HOSI Wien, the most important pilar of the Forum, left the association. The assertiveness of ÖLSF expired.
Although the Forum St. Pölten again made headlines - due to the resistance of local bishop Kurt Krenn
Kurt Krenn
Kurt Krenn is an Austrian Roman Catholic prelate and Bishop who ran a priests seminary in Sankt Pölten, near Vienna.-Views:...
, ultra catholic publicists and the Israelite Community
Israelitische Kultusgemeinde Wien
The Israelitische Kultusgemeinde Wien is the body that represents Vienna’s Jewish community. Today, the IKG has around 7000 members...
, the vigor of the rebels slackened. In 1999, ÖLSF was closed down.