ILIS Herstory

We start in 2017 at the annual ILGA-Europe conference in Cyprus. Eighty lesbians come together and decide to form an independent group. And so EL*C is born. Propelled by their enthusiasm, the new network announces that it will organise the first ever international lesbian conference. The first? No it is actually not, as a Dutch activist points out - and introduces them to the existence of ILIS, a lesbian network active many years ago. ILIS? But who knows about ILIS? Apart from those who were part of it, subsequent generations of lesbians have never heard of this exceptional activist network, which has almost been erased from history. But memories and people remain. That is why we set out to meet those who, for 18 years, worked tirelessly to raise the profile of lesbians and defend their rights.Featuring, in order of appearance : Evien Tjabbes ; Dragana Todorovicz ; Joëlle Sambi ; Silvia Yuri Casalino ; Haidy Möller ; Sylvia Borren ; Lepa Mlađenović. Extracts and borrows : EL*C conference Vienna 2017 : History of Lesbian Movement in Europe with Maria von Känel ; Propellerheads ; Meredith Monk ; Adrienne Rich - PlanetariumTo go further : Some pictures from the Amsterdam Conference in 1980

We meet the pioneers of ILIS who, with the support of the local lesbian group Interpot, organised the very first international lesbian conference in Amsterdam. That was in 1980. ILIS began to take shape, published its first newsletters, and expanded its network. It was decided that the next conference would be held in Turin. Up to this point, ILIS is still a subgroup of the I-G-A (which would later become ILGA), but upon arriving in Italy, the issue of independence is on everyone’s lips. How can we create spaces of our own and take the time to build a lesbian community when the goals of some seem to differ from those of others? ILIS splits from ILGA and becomes fully autonomous.Featuring, in order of appearance Evien Tjabbes ; Sylvia Borren ; Haidy Möller ; Paola Bacchetta ; Eva Isaksson read by Sari Kouvo ; Rina Nissim. Extracts and borrows : Teacher Eliane Morissens ; Foreigner ; Lesbian NationTo go further : some picture from the Turin conference 1981

ILIS is expanding rapidly. The organization’s secretariat is rotating. It moves to Stockholm, Helsinki, Paris… The newsletter is reaching more and more people, and activists are travelling to expand their activities across every continent. The autonomous collective Vanille-Fraise is preparing to hold a major ILIS conference in Geneva. Meanwhile, ILIS members are traveling to Nairobi to attend the third UN World Conference on Women. They intend to openly identify as lesbians at the UN and defend their cause.Featuring, in order of appearance : Sylvia Borren ; Paola Bacchetta ; Evien Tjabbes ; Anne Krul ; Rina Nissim ; Suzana Tratnik ; Lepa Mlađenović Extracts and borrows : Berkeley Library Dialogue in Nairobi ; Laurie Anderson ; Nicol Miquel - Chez Nicole ; Cindy Lauper

Whether at the UN Conference in Nairobi or the ILIS work in Amsterdam, the issue of racism is paramount. Too often white and middle-class, lesbians tend to view the world through their own lens, which obviously does not suit everyone. Issues of class and race come up at every meeting, and, recognizing that these issues are essential, the Vanille-Fraise Collective organized the great Geneva conference in 1986. There were 800 of them—800 lesbians marching through the streets of Geneva…Featuring, in order of appearance : Lepa Mlađenović ; Anne Krul ; Rina Nissim ; Sylvia Borren ; Evien Tjabbes ; Shelley Anderson ; Adriana Churampi  Extracts and borrows : Pauline Oliveros ; Gloria Anzaldua by Nancy Rodrigez - Borderlands ; Loses endsTo go further : some picture of the Nairobi Conference 1985

After the Geneva events, the ILIS secretariat returns to Amsterdam. The work to empower black, migrant and refugee lesbians continued, and ILIS contributes to developing lesbian networks in both Latin America and Asia. The newsletter reached its peak circulation, and on the political front, the demands put forward by the associations began to receive a positive response. But the energy starts to wane and the secretariat does not rotate anymore. In 1998 the incredible ILIS network ceases its activities, taking care to deposit their precious archives at the IHLIA.ILIS undeniably played a fundamental role in lesbian visibility. So the question remains: why do lesbians disappear from history? To write our Herstory, we return to the starting point and ask today’s activists and researchers what we can learn.Featuring, in order of appearance : Shelley Anderson ; Anne Krul ; Evien Tjabbes ; Sylvia Borren ; Silvia Yuri Casalino ; Dragana Todorovic ; Joëlle sambi ; Adriana Churampi ; Paola Bacchetta ; Rina Nissim ; Elena Biagini ; Lepa Mlađenović ; Haidy Möller ; Suzana TratnikExtracts and borrows : Berverly Ditsie ; Elena BiaginiTo go further : some pictures of the Bejing conference 1995