Our Voices, Our Choices

A Pathway Towards Feminist Global Collaboration A debate is brewing in Germany concerning the implementation of a feminist development policy, but what will this look like in practice? How can feminist approaches challenge the current development narrative and pave the way towards a collaborative practice based on gender, racial, environmental and economic justice and solidarity?  In this first instalment of a five-episode series on feminist development policy, we set the scene for debates to come, applying an intersectional feminist lens to development and exploring some of its histories and criticisms that urgently need to be addressed.  A podcast with:  • Shristee Bajpai, activist and researcher with the environmental action group Kalpavriksh  • Saranel Benjamin, Head of Partnerships at Oxfam Great Britain  • Professor Dr. Aram Ziai, Head of Department of Development Policy and Postcolonial Studies at the University of Kassel  • Samie Blasingame, Host and environmental justice activist, researcher and facilitator  This series was initiated by an emerging network of practitioners aiming to re-think development policy from a feminist perspective; FAIR SHARE of Women Leaders, a feminist non-profit initiative to advance gender equity in the in civil society sector; and the Heinrich Böll Foundation.  Audio production by Grettch.  Shownotes:  Andrea Cornwall and Karen Brock. What Do Buzzwords Do for Development Policy? A Critical Look at 'Participation', 'Empowerment' and 'Poverty Reduction’:  https://www.jstor.org/stable/4017803 Carmen Gonzalez “Climate Change, Race, and Migration”. 2020. Access:  https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4bw094qc  In der Wirtschaft Podcast mit Aram Ziai:  https://inderwirtschaft.home.blog/2022/03/07/folge-42-aram-ziai/  Interview with Gustavo Esteva – What does it mean to be “underdeveloped” Access: https://magazine.manypeaces.org/2019/05/16/gustavo-esteva-what-does-it-…  Jason Hickels „The Development Delusion: Foreign Aid and Inequality.” 2017. Access:  https://americanaffairsjournal.org/2017/08/development-delusion-foreign…  Julia Schöneberg & Aram Ziai „Dekolonialisierung der Entwicklungszusammenarbeit und Postdevelopment Alternativen“. 2021: https://www.nomos-shop.de/nomos/titel/dekolonisierung-der-entwicklungsz… Miriam Lang & Dunia Mokrani “Development critiques and alternatives: a feminist perspective” in Beyond Development. Alternative Visions from Latin America (pp.41-60). 2013. Podcast: Rethinking Development: Access https://www.rethinkingdevelopmentpodcast.com/  Rachel Cargle “When Feminism Is White Supremacy in Heels”: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/politics/a22717725/what-is-toxic-…  Saranel Benjamin "We can’t just say we’re ‘doing decolonisation’ and think we’ve done a good job“: https://www.thirdsector.co.uk/saranel-benjamin-we-cant-just-say-were-do… Uma Kothari, "Feminist and postcolonial challenges to development”: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320253088_Feminist_and_Postcol… Post-Development - Questioning the whole paradigm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsrK-XuSZZQ A Pathway Towards Feminist Global Collaboration: https://fairsharewl.org/podcast-a-pathway-towards-feminist-global-collaboration/ Download Transcript: A pathway towards feminist global collabouration (PDF)

What does it mean to have a body that the majority of society believes does not exist or should not exist? A body that exposes as a matter of opinion what many believe to be a fact? A body that goes beyond the narrow categories of man or woman? Julius Kaggwa from Uganda, Eliana Rubashkyn from New Zealand, and Irene Kuzemko from Moscow are intersex, or inter*. Actually, in all modern countries and societies, a binary understanding of gender dominates - allowing only two options: Man or Woman. In this episode, we learn first-hand about the struggles that intersex people face in this heteronormative world of ours, and their efforts to achieve self-determination. A podcast with: • Irene Kuzemko, OII Europe and Intersex Russia. • Eliana Rubashkyn, pharmacist and activist • Julius Kaggwa, SIPD, Support Initiative for people with atypical sex development Illustration: CC BY ND NC 4.0 Arinda Craciun

The binary gender narrative speaks of men and women. Those who in the course of their lives, do not identify with the gender assigned to them at birth are called transgender. What they are allowed to call themselves, what gender is written in their passport, who they are allowed to marry - all this is often not their decision or can only be fought for through expensive and humiliating procedures. Argentina is often cited as a role model when it comes to the rights of trans* people. But what struggles do trans* people still have to fight for there? How does the situation look in comparison to Thailand or Germany? And where is trans* activism headed? A podcast with: • Alba Rueda, Undersecretary for Diversity Policy at the Ministry of Women's Affairs in Argentina • Manuela Picq, Professor of International Relations at the University of San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador • Esther Suvannannon, PhD student researching the history of transgenderness in Thailand, University of Victoria, Canada • Nyke Slawik, Head candidate of the Green Youth NRW for the 2021 federal election • Bodie Ashton, Research fellow in queer German history at the University of Erfurt, Germany Illustration: CC BY ND NC 4.0 Arinda Craciun

The Binary gender narrative is one which speaks strictly in terms of men and women. This division was strongly influenced by European Christian colonialism and is neither natural nor without alternatives. Yet each and every day, people all over the world either classify themselves within the binary narrative, or are classified by others: be it in conversations through the use of pronouns, or by going to a public restroom, which in so many cases, forces one to choose between these two poles. How did this narrative become so dominant? Which parts of the world (still) look at gender differently? And how is LGBTQI+ activism changing this narrative? We look to Argentina, Thailand, Uganda, and many more countries for answers… A podcast featuring: • Alba Rueda, Undersecretary for Diversity Policy at the Ministry of Women's Affairs in Argentina • Manuela Picq, Professor of International Relations at the University of San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador • Sabine Hark, Technical University of Berlin, Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Women's and Gender Research Illustration: CC BY ND NC 4.0 Arinda Craciun

In this episode, we talk to environmental activistsfrom Colombia, Pakistan and Zimbabwe about why the climate crisis is a feministissue and why the climate justice movement must embrace intersectionality inorder to affect more equitable change. We hear why we must do more than justlisten to climate activists calling out the lack of political will to keepfossil fuels in the ground, and instead listen to those on the ground who bring extensive knowledge and experience ofclimate change first hand. We discuss how eco-feminist spaces online can protectclimate activists from harassment, how digital storytelling can improve thelives of those most vulnerable to environmental injustices, what the limits ofsocial media are in light of the digital divide, and how cultivating a cultureof care within the climate justice movement - both online and offline - is bothnecessary and beneficial to its goals. (A Podcast by Esme Nicholson) ParticipantsMaria Alexandra Escalante, Meera Ghani, Maggie MaponderaA Podcast by Esme Nicholson Editorial: Gitanjali More, Christoph Mayer, Katharina Prott ShownotesTierrActiva Colombia: an environmentalcollective that calls for ‘systemic change, not climate change’: https://www.facebook.com/tierraactivacolombia/ Communities forFuture: an organisation that connects grassroots climate projects: https://communitiesforfuture.org/ WomIn African Alliance: an organisation that campaigns for an ecologically-just alternative to large-scale fossil fuel and mineral extraction: https://womin.africa/ FRIDA - The Young Feminist Fund: an organisation that advocates for funding young feminist activists engaged in intersectional climate justice work: https://youngfeministfund.org/

Deeply intimate questions are often asked of people seeking asylum on the basis of their sexual orientation. Yet, few have ever dared live out their sexuality. This podcast listens to the global experiences of LGBT asylum applicants. Not only do fewer States grant asylum on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity but LGBT applicants struggle with issues of proof and credibility. Mohamed tells how German asylum officials overly rely on the narrow stereotype of the promiscuous gay man. In South Africa, we hear how homophobia and high rejection rates sent Pukkie into prostitution. And in the US, we find out that hermetically sealed borders may now be opening up. A podcast by Abby d'Arcy. Participants: Mohamed, Johannes Mikolajetz, Katrin Hugendubel, Victor Chicalogwe, Pukkie Sibanda, Neela Ghoshal. Editors: Jana Prosinger, Joanna Barelkowska. Shownotes:"Homosexuality in the asylum process - stereotypes, discretion and heteronormativity" (in German) by Johannes Mikolajetz, Working Paper #26, 2020http://hlcmr.de/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/WP-26-Homosexualität-im-Asyl… Humboldt Law Clinic Grund- und Menschenrechte / Humboldt Law Clinic for constitutional and human rights:http://hlcmr.de/eng/ ILGA EUROPE - working towards equality for lesbian, gay, bi, trans and intersex people in Europe: https://ilga-europe.org/ PASSOP - advocates for LGBTI refugees and confronts homo-, trans- and xenophobia in South Africa:https://www.passop.co.za/ Human Rights Watch report, by Neela Ghoshal: “Every Day I Live in Fear” Violence and discrimination against LGBT people in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras and obstacles to asylum in the US: https://www.hrw.org/report/2020/10/07/every-day-i-live-fear/violence-an… Music: CC-BY "Adrenaline" by "KrySoar"

In this episode, we hear from feminist activists on three continents who, because of the coronavirus pandemic, are relying on social media to push equal rights legislation, focusing on issues that have been exacerbated by SARS-CoV-2. We hear about reduced abortion access from an American reproductive rights organisation that was launched unintentionally by a single tweet. We also talk about how the pandemic has stripped female Indian garment workers of hard-earned rights, hearing from a trade unionist who is connecting mill workers on a social network that doesn’t need the internet. And we talk to feminist campaigners in Turkey about the increased risk of domestic violence and femicide during lingering lockdowns and why women’s names are constantly trending on social media. (A Podcast by Esme Nicholson) Participants: Erin Jorgensen, Alex, Lamuel Enoch, Sujata Mody, Irem, Melek Arimari Editors: Gitanjali More, Katharina Prott and Christoph Mayer Shownotes:The US Reproductive Rights Group that grew out of a hashtag:https://shoutyourabortion.com/ India’s offline answer to Facebook and Twitterhttps://gramvaani.org/ An online monument to Turkey’s femicide Victimshttp://anitsayac.com/?year=2020 The women striving to stop femicidehttp://www.kadincinayetlerinidurduracagiz.net/for-english Illustration: CC BY NC ND 4.0 Arinda Craciun

As Covid-19 disrupts lives and societies across the globe, we talk to feminist activists about its intersection with gender and race. We hear how they’ve quickly adapted their digital practices, not only to circumvent the limitations of stay-at-home measures, but also as a means to tackle the virus’s impact on existing gender and racial inequalities. We hear how a Lebanese digital security expert has created a safe space for women and trans folks by ditching new technology for old and launching a lockdown radio station. We talk to activists from Brazil, India and Uruguay about their initiative to make the internet mirror all its users as the pandemic shifts our lives online. And we hear how social media is being used in Kenya to teach coding to girls whose access to computers has been curtailed by lingering lockdown measures. (A Podcast by Esme Nicholson) Participants: Mariana Fossatti, Abir Ghattas, Linda Kamau, Anasuya Sengupta, Adele Vrana. Editors: Gitanjali More, Katharina Prott and Christoph Mayer ShownotesFeminist participatory radio https://hammamradio.com/ The campaign to make the internet less white, less straight, less male and less Global North in originhttps://whoseknowledge.org/ Teaching girls who've never used a computer how to codehttps://akirachix.com/ Illustration: CC BY NC ND 4.0 Arinda Craciun

Can economic rights alone bring radical change for women? In this podcast we go to the Middle East and north Africa to discover that real economic empowerment is about so much more than just jobs. It’s about dignity, power and daring to imagine. On a trip across the region we hear from Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia and Jordan. From sextortion to discriminatory laws, we learn about what’s holding women back and we discover how sustainable economic empowerment is tightly interwoven with gender justice. Only by confronting current power structures and only by daring to re-imagine our economy can women enjoy genuine economic empowerment. A podcast by Abby d’Arcy. Illustration: CC BY NC ND 4.0 Arinda Craciun

LGBT rights worldwide are on a knife-edge. This podcast probes the states taking progressive leaps in LGBT rights alongside the many places where homosexuality is still illegal and transgender people are forced to lead double lives. We go to Brazil for a mass gay wedding hosted in response to the election of President Jair Bolsonaro. We talk to the Indian man who helped topple a 160-year ban on homosexuality and we listen to political protest pop from Uganda from an activist risking her life to speak out. We ask what impact the growing right-wing has had on LGBT rights and ponder whether human rights are still heterosexual? A podcast by Abby d’Arcy and Marlene Melchior. Illustration: CC BY NC ND 4.0 Arinda Craciun