IGLYO memories 1989-1993
1989
In this year, IGLYO had a regional office for the Americas. Under the guidance of Bruce Douglas, this office was established to reduce pressure from the main secretariat in Amsterdam and to make more positive contact in North and South America. Bruce Douglas organised the office from his student residence in Washington, D.C.
Making Connections
In this year, the organisation attempted to improve its relationship with ILGA by sending a bureau member to their annual conference. It was also decided that more financial support for representatives from Africa, Asia, and South America would be provided to attend the annual conference. The organisation continued the newly developed penpal scheme that now required a copy of a passport or identity card be sent along with the request to ensure the proof of age of all participants.
Sexuality
The sixth IGLYO conference entitled Sexuality was held in Copenhagen, Norway. Workshops offered at this conference included ones on sexism, racism, sexual roles and taboos, and intimacy. The conference statements include support of the rights of individuals with HIV/AIDS, protest of the Queensland, Australia policy of arresting youth aged 19 to 24 engaging in consensual sexual activity, and the decision to create a pre-conference package detailing the conference theme, workshop topics, and general IGLYO information.
1990
During the conference in this year, Marcel Teerling composed a video depicting a variety of portrayals of LGBTQ persons in the mass media.
We are still searching for further information about 1990. Please help us by submitting your memories!
Speak Out
Speak Out was an information bulletin of IGLYO that was produced four times a year and distributed to LGBT youth organisations in Europe and North America. James Marchant was the editor in this year. Speak Out contained a report on the 7th annual conference in Zurich entitled Working Apart – Together. The edition contained material and support relating to “coming out”, HIV/AIDS, and homophobia. Marco Cornilesse comments on IGLYO’s attendance at a European Minister’s Conference on Youth Policy in Lisbon. Speak Out also includes instructions for LGBT youth groups on how to become part of IGLYO.
In this year, Bam-bi Delver published a book about IGLYO that profiled activists from all over Europe: Torunn Ness from Norway, Ricardo Duarte from Portugal, Denise McNally from Northern Ireland, Helmut Graupner from Oostenrijk, Trude van de Ven from the Netherlands, James Chapman from England, Akiko Ries from Switzerland, Jukka Lehtonen from Finland, Cilla Duijts-Lindahl from Sweden, Art Heck from West-Germany, Silke Näther from East-Germany, and Jan Larsen from Denmark. In addition to profiling activists, the book provides information about the workings of IGLYO, addresses of LGBTorganisations throughout Europe, and advice about youth activism.
Working Apart – Together
The seventh IGLYO conference entitled Working Apart – Together was held in Zurich, Switzerland. Information exchanged at the conference surrounded the situations of LGBTQ people in different countries. IGLYO issued a statement about the copyright of AIDS information that argued for free access to these materials for countries with limited financial resources. Joyce Hunter, the Director of Social Social Services at the Hetrick-Martin Institute in New York, was the guest speaker at the conference – she lectured about the movement in the United States, Harvey Milk High School, and AIDS and youth. A debate ignited concerning about pedophilia in the LGBTQ movement. During this discussion, LGBT youth participants differed widely in their opinions. At this conference were sixteen participants from Central and Eastern Europe who were able to attend on a grant from the European Youth Foundation.
At the general meeting in this year, major revisions were made to the IGLYO statutes. The changes were designed to further empower women and other traditionally under-represented people in IGLYO.
1991
Organisation Discourse
In this year’s edition of Speak Out there are a variety of issues that receive attention: “quickie” lesbian relationships, the discrimination of homosexuals in the Reserve Officers Training Corps in the United States; suggestions for coming out to parents; and equal opportunities for lesbians in mixed organizations.
We are still searching for further information about 1991. Please help us by submitting your memories!
Role Reverse
The eight IGLYO conference entitled Role Reverse and was held in Gothenburg, Sweden. IGLYO also held a study session on HIV/Aids in Strasbourg, France.
We are still searching for further information about 1991. Please help us by submitting your memories!
1992
This was a tumultuous year in terms of changes to the IGLYO bureau. At the start of the year the Chairperson of IGLYO was Bruce Douglas and the Secretariat Coordinator was Martijn de Natris. By October Lionel Fareree had been elected as the new chairperson, only to resign on month later. Thomas Tichelmann was installed at the new chairperson at this time.
Joining the European Youth Forum
In this year, IGLYO opened a secretariat in Brussels. The 1992 secretariat report states that the administration was found in “a messy state of art.”
In 1992, IGLYO became a member of ECB (later: ‘European Youth Forum’). This was the first of important involvement with the European Communities (the predecessor of the European Union, officially founded in 1993), as the ECB was a stakeholder in regards to youth issues. The organisation also held a European volunteers general meeting in Brussels where the possibility of national representatives was discussed, as well as plans for the upcoming conference of that year.
Also in this year, the organisation amended and re-adopted the association’s articles at the General Meeting that took place in Brussels. The articles were officially ratified in a recorded notary deed in Amsterdam on December 13th, 1992. On behalf of IGLYO, Willem Anne Hoekstra presented the amendments of articles to civil law notary Hélène Antoinette Maria Stuijt which were subsequently signed by the Executive board.
Justify My Love
The ninth IGLYO conference entitled Justify My Love was held in Bratislava, Slovakia. This was the first conference in the organisation’s history to have Central and Eastern European participants. The conference created links with several LGBTQ youth groups in Eastern and Central Europe resulting in a collaboration on a variety of projects: an HIV prevention campaign and an IGLYO secretariat in Bratislava, Slovakia.
This year the World Health Organisation declassified homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses – IGLYO had called for this since 1986.
1993
10 Years: Love Life Unlimited
The tenth IGLYO conference entitled Love Life Unlimited was held in Paris, France. Other initiatives in this year included the Penpal project, the Twinning project, SpeakOut Bulletins, and work on HIV/AIDS prevention. In addition to the annual conference, the organisation attended a seminar on European voluntary work and structures in the EYC, and had its general meeting in Amsterdam. IGLYO was featured in the EuroPride magazine of 1993.
