A collaboration between the Rainbow Centre and Rosa Lëtzebuerg, Queer.lu will be officially launched on Wednesday, 17 January. The much-anticipated magazine, which will also be available online, aims to provide an information platform for the community to help with queer life in Luxembourg, say the publishers.
“It’s the beginning of a new journey so it’s very exciting,” editor-in-chief Jang Kapgen told Stephen ‘Steps’ Lowe on The Sam Steen Show on Today Radio on Tuesday.
“The first edition is going to address the elections which just happened. I mean we had a big year and we wanted to see what the LGBTIQ+ really demands from the new government,” he said.
Rainbow Centre coordinator Sandra Laborier, who also spoke on the show, pointed out that Luxembourg has lost a little ground in its legislative support for the LGBTIQ+ community, according to the annual Rainbow Index carried out by Ilga (International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association).
When compared to other nations, the index shows that Luxembourg is not necessary doing less but rather has been overtaken in the rankings by other countries that are more proactive in introducing legislation to support the community.
She cites, for example, that conversion therapies, which aim to “cure people of their homosexuality”, are still not illegal in Luxembourg.
Intersex surgery, which is carried out on babies and children in order to make their bodies fit binary ideas of “male” or “female”, is also still not outlawed, she added.
Effecting change for the better in Luxembourg will be the aim of the publication and Queer.lu aims to provide a platform for people to come together and debate on outdated practices, Kapgen added.
Despite the assumption that in today’s social media-saturated world the LGBTIQ+ community has a network of support, Kapgen explains that this doesn’t always ring true for individuals.
“Specifically for young people growing up in Luxembourg their immediate network is where they are looking for support and not necessary online. What I personally have often seen is that people move abroad for their studies and find their communities elsewhere. I feel it is quite a shame that these people haven’t felt at home in their home countries.”
The magazine will be published four times a year with articles appearing in a mix of languages representing the diversity of the readership.
To mark the launch, an event will be held on Wednesday evening at 7pm at The Rainbow Centre in Luxembourg City and is open to all.
