Introduction
by Artūrs Saburovs Member of the Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue Working Group of IGLYO
People naturally seek ways to express themselves. Often cultures, social norms, religions and traditions regulate behavior and expression. Clear rules help us to fear less, as there is less of the unpredicted, chaotic and disorderly, which we think might harm us. LGBTQ and other people belonging to the rainbow family often find it hard to be able to not only express themselves but find a place for their identity within a society. For others to understand the true uniqueness of everyone, especially the LGBTQs, there is a need for dialogue. IGLYO’s Working Group on the Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue has sought to facilitate conversations between the LGBT communities that often might not have the chance to meet otherwise. The Working Group has so far organized an international conference titled “Keep the Faith” and now offers their assistance with this publication as almost a continuation of the good work initiated at the conference, several of contributors to this publication participated in the conference as well.
Dialogue, first of all, is listening. Here is a collection of articles and an interview, which provides for just that – for you to read and listen to stories from Albania, Israel, Georgia, United States, United Kingdom, Belize and elsewhere. These are stories of people, human beings, who have analyzed social behaviors, have had deeply personal experiences of healing, aha moments, struggled to have a voice in a deeply prejudiced and hostile environment, explored their feelings and tried to define their identities. Please listen to these stories. These people want to have a dialogue with you. Too often their voices have been silenced in situations of discussions among unequal partners. I wish for everyone, especially those with deep prejudice, to read these stories, recognize the validity of the emotions and feelings represented in these stories and, hopefully, arrive at a better place for themselves. A place where understanding, humanity and respect rule over violence, strict norms and fear for diversity. I was particularly touched by the story of healing, which was experienced in a special way. I hope that people, who perhaps accidentally find this publication, experience some sort of healing and gain strength and optimism. Enjoy the diversity, the formats and language characteristics of these wonderful essays for they all tell stories of special, strong, intellectual and unique people.
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