The Planet Romeo Foundation has supported a project in North Macedonia on which we would like to inform you. Being gay in North Macedonia still has its challenges as it is very conservative towards LGBT and our community, therefore we were very happy to be able to sponsor brave queer activists with their project. Please read in their own words below how your donations have been appreciated.
The support that Planet Romeo Foundation gave to our initiative “Queer Love, Legacy and Resistance“ is fundamental to archiving important aspects of queer love, relations and existence in North Macedonia. As queer people we are usually not represented enough in history, culture or media- and this exhibition and archiving process was an attempt to reclaim our much-needed space. The volunteers from the Queer Program that Ekvalis runs as part of this project have been able to enter the private spaces and homes of queer couples, individuals and activists and capture that private space for a larger audience. We wanted to reclaim the private space- where we are usually told to keep our love and affection secret, into something public that can be worthy of celebration and visibility. The exhibition had a huge impact on the LGBTIQ+ community and our supporters. It was showcased in Skopje (the capital in North Macedonia) and on a summer festival in Dojran. Hundreds of visitors witnessed the powerful messages of queer love, legacy and resistance through the different parts of the exhibition: photo gallery, testimonials from the interviews with the exhibition participants, objects that have important emotional meaning to the participants and activists attempts to advance LGBTIQ+ rights in North Macedonia.
The project “Queer Love, Legacy and Resistance“ is implemented by Association for Educational Development Ekvalis in Skopje, North Macedonia and was initiated as an idea by queer activist Angel Dimitrievski.