The news we share below was prepared for ArtfulLiving on August 25, 2017:
“For a while now, Athletic Dildoa, consisting of women and LGBTI+ individuals playing football in various locations in Istanbul, organized the Queer Olympix events with the question, ‘Can we also establish the sentence ‘We exist in public space’ through sports?’ Queer Olympix states, ‘Believing that this experience is an opportunity to liberate our bodies as well as the unifying power of sports for the masses, let’s create this experience together for the first time.’ In the Olympics, a total of nine teams from Turkey and Europe will compete in four different disciplines: football, volleyball, relay race, and long jump.
The Queer Olympix events, starting with a bicycle tour on Heybeliada on August 25, will continue in Kalamış on August 26-27. Various non-governmental organizations will also have their stands in the event area in Kalamış for two days. In addition to the competitions, participation in the events lasting three days, including various workshops, forums, and film screenings against gender discrimination and homophobia/transphobia, is free and open to everyone.
Some of the event titles within the scope of Queer Olympix include: Yoga Workshop, Forum on the Experience of Being a Woman and LGBTI+ in the City, Presentation on the Ideal Body and Healthy Society in Nazi Germany: Hereditary Illness and Olympia, Gender Games, Body Positivity Workshop, Language Workshop: Profanity-Free Chants, Self-Defense Workshop, Sign Language Workshop, Feminist Fight Club Muay Thai experience on self-defense, violence, and body discussion workshop.”