LISTAG, founded by parents with LGBTI+ children in 2008, celebrated its 10th year on December 10 World Human Rights Day in Istanbul. A reader’s theatre was organized by the LGBTI+ Parents and Relatives Group (LISTAG) in the Dutch Consulate, where passages from the book titled “Stories from Rainbow” were read.
LISTAG marked its 10th anniversary on World Human Rights Day by a reader’s theatre based on their new publication, “Stories from the Rainbow”. “Stories from the Rainbow” is a book compiled of the real life stories of families of LGBTI+ individuals from various cities of Turkey.
LISTAG was founded by several parents who had come together to support their children and to show that they are neither sick nor alone. Within ten years, the platform’s reputation has crossed borders through their work and the documentary “My Child”, which tells the story of these parents. This year, the group organized story telling trainings with the support of the Human Rights Fund from the Dutch Embassy and compiled the real life stories of people with LGBTI+ relatives or kin. The group held a book launch on December 10 World Human Rights Day at the Istanbul Dutch Consulate. The reader’s theatre was performed by the artists Ayta Sözeri, Ayça Damgacı, Haydar Köyel, Melis Öz and Seyhan Arman and was met with great acclaim.
Yasemin Zeynep Başaran, one of the co-editors of the book, made the opening speech of the 10th anniversary gathering. Başaran underlined that they wish for the book to reach wider audiences, not just LGBTI+ families and said: “Stories from the Rainbow illustrates the journey of parents who know that loving your child means understanding them and having the courage to travel the arduous and long journey of understanding through transcending prejudices of their own and of others”.
Families from LISTAG invited everyone to organize reading theatres for these stories of LGBTI+ families, as they believe that “A story changes a person, a person can change all of us”.
You can obtain a copy of “Stories from the Rainbow” by sending an e-mail to
LİSTAG
https://www.facebook.com/listaggrubu
https://twitter.com/lgbttailegrubu
https://www.instagram.com/listagfamilygroup/
BENİM ÇOCUĞUM (“My Child” Documentary)
https://www.facebook.com/mychildbenimcocugum/
https://twitter.com/listagfilm
*This article is a summary translation of the LISTAG press release.