Description
The connection between gender equality and LGBTI rights is more than crucial. Gender equality does not only assume equitable treatment of men and women who are attracted to each other (heteronormativity and cisgenderism), but also an implementation of such living conditions, that would enable the quality of life to all women and men. This should include same-sex couples (ensuring of legal security, partnership law existence etc.). The main goal of the project is improving and increasing the quality of life of LGBTI people and their close ones through providing of informed and specific counseling services (psychological, legal, social). By providing services mentioned, we will be not only improving and increasing the quality of life of LGBTI people and their close ones, but also strengthening others and mainly advocacy LGBTI project in Slovakia – through empowerment of LGBTI community, its wellbeing, personal development and awareness. The Q-centrum is the only workplace of its kind in Slovakia.
Summary of project results
Year 2015 had been quite difficult for the topic of human rights of LGBT people, our society had been polarized, mostly because of the Referendum on “family”, when almost everyone had been pressured to take a stand and give an opinion. Referendum campaign, and the period before and after it, brought a new clientele to Q-centrum. The year 2015 had been the most difficult for us since the year of our foundation. From November to December 2011, we had helped the first 8 clients, in the year 2012, it was 68, in 2013 we had 76 clients and the year 2014 brought the number to 85. The increase of our clientele had been constant, but slow. Year 2015, year when LGBTI people became the center of media attention, connected to the worst stereotypes, heightened the number of unique clients to 153 people! (by unique clientele, we mean a new client. Number of sittings with one client is different, mostly extending number 10). Q-centrum hasn’t executed any special campaign for the visibility of its services, therefore we are absolutely certain that behind this increase of our clientele stands the pressure of our social discussion. Clients had contacted us mostly in the situation of coming out, whether it was their internal coming out process, or external, in the meaning of preparing themselves for sharing their sexual orientation and/or gender identity with others. The most complicated situation is lived by the children from religious communities. They feel a great discrepancy between their sexual orientation and ideas and beliefs, which as a family accept in the meaning of their religion/faith. More out of 153 stories had been told behind the walls of Q-centrum. We had been able to offer our support, information, all types of counseling, and facilitated contact with parents and loved ones in our space. We had also guided many people through a very tough process of transition and for a lot of them: we had been after a long while, the first safe and accepting place on their journey.This project and year 2015 had been so far the most successful year of our existence, as well as the cooperation with OSF.
Summary of bilateral results