The page was researched and published from June 2021 to November 2021.
The project Q+ You is a business project organized by students at the FH Kufstein Tirol. The project aims to create visibility and awareness of the LGBTQIA+ community, to offer the members of the community a platform and a safe space, and to build a sense of community in Kufstein and Tirol.
Q+ You was launched in 2020 by students of the international degree program Sports, Culture & Event Management. An exhibition at the FH Kufstein Tirol and a pride celebration were planned but unfortunately, both events had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Six students have decided to continue Q+ You in 2021. The previous year's exhibition was continued and expanded. The photo gallery continued on the glass bridge between the shopping centers Kufstein Galerien and Inntalcenter in Kufstein. The public exhibition took place from June 1st to 30th, 2021, during the so-called Pride Month.
This exhibition was designed jointly by people from all facets of the LGBTQIA+ community. Short audio statements that can be called up via QR code underline the portrait of the respective person. This personal insight helps to broaden the awareness of the viewer.
On June 1st, 2021 at 5 pm the exhibition was opened with a kick-off event in the Kufstein Galerien. The importance, developments and challenges of the topic in Tyrol and beyond were discussed in a talk with members of the community. Guests included activist Ronja Ziesel, chairman of the HOSI Tirol Markus Möller, as well as the retro drag queen Betty Pearl and friends.
The project and the exhibition were made possible by the main sponsor ÖH FH Kufstein and Sparkasse Kufstein. To reach more people in Tyrol, the exhibition does continue in Innsbruck. From the 1st until the 30th of November, 2021 the testimonials are shown at Café Bar Moustache, Kater Noster, and the club bouse of HOSI Tyrol.
On the Instagram account q_plus_you, all ideas and news of the team can be followed and at the same time, your knowledge on the subject of LGBTQIA + can be expanded.
Every person has a sex, gender, gender identity and expression, and a sexual orientation.
It is important to differentiate between sex and gender. Sex refers to one’s biological and physical characteristics, such as external and internal anatomy, chromosomes, and hormones. Gender on the other hand describes attributes, roles, and behavior, that are constructed by society.
Excurse: Pronouns
The Term Preferred Gender Pronoun (PGP) describes the pronoun(s) a person would like others to use when they are talking about that person. Gender-neutral pronouns are I, You, It, and They while She/Her and He/Him are gendered pronouns.
describes the individual and internal experience of one's gender. If the gender identity of a person corresponds with the sex they were assigned to at birth, they are cisgender, if it does not correspond with their assigned sex, they are described as transgender. Most people identify as male or female, yet other identities are non-binary, agender, genderqueer or gender fluid.
describes the way someone appears to others and communicates their gender identity through body characteristics, behavior, clothing, voice. This may or may not fit into the socially defined boxes of masculine or feminine including their (stereo) ‘typical’ characteristics and behavior.
Sexual orientation describes the physical, romantic, and/or emotional attraction to other people.
Thereby the other person one is attracted to can be of the same gender, a different gender, or more than one gender. Sexual orientations are heterosexuality, homosexuality (lesbian/gay) and bisexuality.
Quellen:
The LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, + further) Community defines a community of queer people. Every person who is not cisgender and heterosexual, so does not correspond with the ‘social norm’, can be seen as a part of the LGBTQIA+ Community.
Besides individuals, the Community also involves Pride Organizations, Associations, and Projects. Pride hereby is used to describe the strength and collective identity, that unites all the members of the LGBTQIA+ Community. Creating a large community gives the power to fight for rights and more acceptance for members of the community.
To celebrate the community and the achievements so far, to create awareness, and to fight for the rights, parades are held every year around the world in the Pride month of June.
Women who are physically, romantically, and/or emotionally attracted to women.
Men who are physically, romantically, and/or emotionally attracted to men. Gay is often used as an umbrella term to describe same-sex attraction in general, no matter if it refers to men or women.
A person who is physically, romantically, and/or emotionally attracted to more than one gender.
It is important to mention, that bisexuality does not only refer to men and women, but the attraction can be towards the same gender or multiple other gender identities. And no, bisexuality is not just a ‘transitioning’ phase from straight to gay or the other way around. Also, Bisexuality can have different forms of attraction towards different gender identities - not all attractions need to be sexual to identify as bisexual.
An umbrella term for people who do not identify with and/or express the gender they were assigned to at birth.
Not everyone who is gender-nonconforming describes themselves as transgender. In society and media, transgender people are usually men who were assigned a woman at birth (FTM) or women who were assigned a man at birth (MTF). Technically seen, transgender also includes all people who identify as neither male nor female, such as non-binary people.
A person can transition socially, psychologically, and/or medically. This transition is a very individual process and can differ from person to person.
Umbrella term for all sexual orientations and gender identities.
Queer is a term that is used to describe a sexual orientation that is not only heterosexual. At the same time, the term genderqueer is used to describe a gender identity and/or expression, that is not cisgender. Overall, the word queer is an umbrella term, which is used to describe a sexual orientation and/or gender identity that does not correspond to the ‘social norm’.
A person who is born with variations of male and female biological sexual characteristics. This variation describes characteristics that are not traditionally associated with male or female bodies. For this reason, intersex people are often operated on right after their birth to make them ‘fit’ one or the other gender, which is highly controversial.
Intersex is a term to describe certain physical characteristics, which leads to the conclusion, that intersex people have a sexual orientation and a gender identity/expression.
A person who has little or no sexual feelings or desires towards others.
People who identify as asexual can still be romantically attracted to another person. They should not be confused with aromantic people, who experience little or no romantic attraction.
The ‘+’ describes further gender identities and sexual orientations which are not represented in the previous letters. Some of them are the following:
An ally is a person (heterosexual and cisgender) who supports LGBTQIA+ rights, gender equality and movements challenging homophobia, biphobia and transphobia.
Quellen:
The videos differ on the german and the english website – so if you want to learn more and speak both languages, check out the other page too.
All over the world, it is hard to find data on how many people are part of the LGBTQIA+ Community. It is expected that the numbers are often way higher than estimated. Nonetheless, the rights in the different countries can be compared. As an example here are the rights in Austria:
Source and more information : LGBT+ rights in Austria | Expatica
The following Link shows the rights of members of the LGBTQIA+ Community around the world. Here it needs to be mentioned, that these are ‘only’ the official rights, and that discrimination, violence and even murder still occur in some countries even though the rights officially do not allow it.
Due to the lack of rights and/or acceptance a lot of members of the LGBTQIA+ Community suffer from mental health issues. Here some numbers to that from the UK:
Source (cited from): LGTBQ+ Facts and Figures | Stonewall
... to learn about the LGBTQIA+ Community:
A monthly gathering for people of the LGBTQIA+ Community and allies organized by Q+ You.
Every first Tuesday of the month at PURE Lounge in Kufstein
For more information stay tuned at Instagram!
To get an insight into the exhibition and thus the personal stories of the LGBTQIA + community, you can find individual audios from the Q + You gallery here.
More audios (in german) can be found on the German website.
