Quarteera

Quarteera is a Russian-speaking, volunteer-led LGBTQ nonprofit association based in Berlin, Germany. It describes itself as a group for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and their friends who use Russian or have connections to Russian-speaking communities. The organization’s name combines associations with queer identity, art, and a shared social space or neighborhood. It is not a commercial consumer brand; its public identity functions as the name of a civil-society organization and advocacy network. The association emerged in 2009 when activists organized a Rainbow Flashmob on 17 May, the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. The action used the release of colorful balloons as a visible, accessible form of public advocacy. The concept subsequently spread to other cities, including locations in Russia, and became one of Quarteera’s most recognizable recurring activities. Quarteera was formally registered as an association in April 2011. Its work has centered on the needs of Russian-speaking LGBTQ people in Germany and on opposition to discrimination in Russia and other former Soviet countries. The group has supported people dealing with coming out to parents and relatives, recognizing that family and community pressures can be particularly significant for migrants from more conservative social environments. It has also described plans for more professional counseling, including psychological and legal assistance. Education and public information are another important part of Quarteera’s activity. In December 2011, it worked with Russian and German partner organizations on a workshop about homosexuality and tolerance for Russian youth. In 2012, with support from the Hirschfeld Eddy Foundation, it published a German-language brochure addressing LGBTQ human rights in Russia and other post-Soviet countries. In 2013, it cooperated with Berlin’s Schwules Museum on an exhibition about homosexual life and repression in the Soviet Union and Russia. Quarteera has regularly participated in or organized rallies, conferences, and public demonstrations. Its advocacy has often focused on Russian laws and policies affecting LGBTQ people, including the St. Petersburg restrictions on the promotion of homosexuality and the broader political climate associated with Russia’s federal anti-gay propaganda law. The organization has collaborated with German LGBTQ groups, Russian activist networks, human-rights foundations, cultural institutions, and politicians. Its visibility increased during Berlin Pride in 2012, when Quarteera helped open the parade and used politically pointed imagery concerning Russian leaders. The association has also assisted some Russian LGBTQ people seeking protection in Germany. Its support has included helping applicants locate lawyers and prepare for asylum interviews. In 2013, Quarteera reported supporting a successful asylum case involving a gay man from Novosibirsk, which it described as the first such case involving a homosexual Russian applicant in Germany. At the same time, the organization cautioned that asylum is difficult to obtain and did not present it as the only or automatic route for people considering emigration. Quarteera’s public role combines community support, cultural and educational programming, international solidarity, and direct political advocacy. Its activities have connected Russian-speaking LGBTQ communities in Germany with wider European and Russian civil-society networks. Public information about the organization is concentrated in historical accounts of its campaigns and advocacy rather than commercial performance, corporate ownership, or conventional product offerings.

Quarteera was first formed in Berlin in 2009 by activists seeking to create a Russian-speaking LGBTQ community platform in Germany and to draw attention to discrimination affecting LGBTQ people in Russia and other former Soviet countries. Its first widely noted public action was a Rainbow Flashmob held on 17 May, the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. Participants released colorful balloons as a public statement of visibility and equality. The format later spread to more than 30 Russian cities and became an annual activity in several German cities. The organization was officially registered as an association in April 2011. Its work developed along several connected lines: community support for Russian-speaking LGBTQ migrants, education about sexual orientation and gender identity, advocacy against discriminatory laws and public policies, cultural programming, and assistance for people considering asylum in Germany. Quarteera’s migrant-focused role reflected the difficulties some Russian-speaking LGBTQ people faced when coming out to relatives and maintaining relationships with families and communities perceived as more conservative or homophobic than mainstream German society. From 18 to 28 December 2011, Quarteera worked with the St. Petersburg organization Exit, the Russian LGBT Network, and the Gender-L association in Saxon Switzerland on an educational winter-camp program for Russian youth. The program addressed homosexuality and tolerance. In June of the same year, Quarteera joined a demonstration outside the Russian Embassy in Berlin with German LGBTQ organizations and political supporters. In February 2012, the association again helped organize a protest outside the Russian Embassy, this time opposing a St. Petersburg ban on the promotion of homosexuality. The protest brought together Russian and German advocacy groups, cultural organizations, human-rights foundations, and German politicians. Later that year, Quarteera played a visible role in Berlin’s Christopher Street Day parade. It helped open the parade and displayed posters inspired by the work of Pierre et Gilles, depicting Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev in a critical LGBTQ-rights context. The images received substantial attention in Russian media, and Quarteera representatives were interviewed by Russian television. In December 2012, funding from the Hirschfeld Eddy Foundation enabled Quarteera to publish a German-language brochure on the human-rights situation of LGBTQ people in Russia and the former Soviet Union. The association expanded this educational work in 2013 through cooperation with Berlin’s Schwules Museum on an exhibition concerning homosexual life and repression in the Soviet Union and Russia. Quarteera also became involved in direct protest and international political advocacy. In November 2013, member Ivan Kilber interrupted a Leipzig conference speech by Russian politician Elena Mizulina. With red paint on his hands and a rainbow flag, he accused Mizulina of responsibility for harm suffered by young homosexual and transgender people. In January 2014, Quarteera attended a European Parliament meeting on human-rights issues in Russia. On 1 February 2014, it co-organized the Gold For Equal Rights conference at Berlin’s Red City Hall, bringing together Russian LGBTQ activists and other participants to discuss the condition of LGBTQ people in Russia. A further area of activity has been asylum support. Quarteera has helped Russian LGBTQ applicants identify lawyers and prepare for interviews with German authorities. In September 2013, the group reported supporting a successful asylum case involving a 26-year-old gay man from Novosibirsk. It characterized this as the first case of a homosexual Russian receiving political asylum in Germany. The organization also emphasized that refugee status is difficult to obtain and advised people not to view asylum as the only possible emigration option. By late 2013, it reported that two people had received assistance and that additional cases were under consideration. Quarteera’s documented public history is therefore that of a volunteer civil-society organization rather than a commercial brand. Its identity has been built through recurring visibility actions, Russian-language community work, educational materials, cultural collaboration, protest activity, and practical support for LGBTQ migrants and asylum seekers. The available reference material provides substantial information about its early history and advocacy, but limited current information about its present leadership, staffing, funding, or operational scale.

• 2014

  Gold For Equal Rights conference

  [1]Quarteeraen.wikipedia.org

  Quarteera co-organized an international Berlin conference on LGBTQ rights in Russia.

• 2013

  Museum exhibition collaboration

  [1]Quarteeraen.wikipedia.org

  Quarteera cooperated with Berlin’s Schwules Museum on an exhibition about LGBTQ history in the Soviet Union and Russia.

• 2013

  Reported asylum support success

  [1]Quarteeraen.wikipedia.org

  The organization reported supporting a successful asylum application by a gay man from Novosibirsk.

• 2012

  Human-rights brochure published

  [1]Quarteeraen.wikipedia.org

  The association published German-language material on LGBTQ human rights in Russia and former Soviet countries with foundation support.

• 2012

  Berlin Pride visibility

  [1]Quarteeraen.wikipedia.org

  Quarteera helped open Berlin’s Christopher Street Day parade and received extensive Russian media attention.

• 2011

  Official registration

  [1]Quarteeraen.wikipedia.org

  Quarteera was formally registered as an association in April.

• 2011

  Russian youth tolerance workshop

  [1]Quarteeraen.wikipedia.org

  Quarteera collaborated on a winter educational workshop addressing homosexuality and tolerance.

• 2009

  Formation and first Rainbow Flashmob

  [1]Quarteeraen.wikipedia.org

  Activists formed the organization in Berlin and held a public balloon-release action on 17 May for the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia.

A Russian-speaking LGBTQ community and advocacy organization in Germany, positioned at the intersection of migrant support, human-rights education, public protest, and international solidarity.

• Public-awareness campaign · 2009

  Rainbow Flashmob

  Quarteera’s best-known recurring public action is a Rainbow Flashmob held around 17 May, the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. Participants release helium balloons in different colors to create a highly visible, symbolic demonstration of LGBTQ presence and equality. The action began in Berlin in 2009 and was subsequently adopted in numerous Russian cities and other locations.

• Community service · 2009

  Russian-speaking LGBTQ support

  Quarteera provides or facilitates support for Russian-speaking LGBTQ people in Germany. Documented areas include assistance with coming out to relatives, referrals to legal or psychological services, and connections to community networks. The organization has also supported people navigating discrimination, migration, and family pressures.

• Educational program · 2011

  LGBTQ human-rights education

  The association has organized workshops, produced educational publications, and participated in cultural exhibitions concerning LGBTQ rights and history. Its documented educational work has focused particularly on Russia, the former Soviet Union, tolerance, and the experiences of Russian-speaking LGBTQ communities.

• Legal and migration support · 2013

  Asylum assistance and referrals

  Quarteera has helped Russian LGBTQ asylum seekers find lawyers and prepare for interviews with German authorities. The organization has presented this as practical support rather than a guarantee of refugee status and has highlighted the difficulty of obtaining asylum in Germany.

• 2013Russian and post-Soviet LGBTQ history education

  Germany

  Quarteera worked with Berlin’s Schwules Museum on an exhibition addressing homosexual life and the treatment of LGBTQ people in the Soviet Union and Russia.

  Outcome. The collaboration extended Quarteera’s advocacy into historical and cultural education.

  Source
• 2012St. Petersburg anti-propaganda-law protest

  Germany · Russia

  Quarteera helped organize a Berlin protest against restrictions on the public promotion or discussion of homosexuality adopted in St. Petersburg.

  Outcome. The protest connected Russian-speaking activists with German LGBTQ groups, cultural organizations, foundations, and politicians.

  Source
• 2012Berlin Pride Russian LGBTQ rights campaign

  Germany · Russia

  Quarteera helped open Berlin’s Christopher Street Day parade and presented politically critical posters featuring Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev in a visual style inspired by Pierre et Gilles.

  Outcome. The posters appeared in numerous Russian media reports, and Quarteera organizers received television and talk-show attention.

  Source
• 2011Russian Embassy LGBTQ rights rally

  Germany

  Quarteera joined partner organizations at a demonstration outside the Russian Embassy in Berlin to protest discrimination against LGBTQ people in Russia.

  Outcome. The rally strengthened Quarteera’s public cooperation with German LGBTQ and human-rights organizations.

  Source
• 2009Rainbow Flashmob

  Germany · Russia · International

  A balloon-release action launched on 17 May to mark the international day against homophobia, biphobia and transphobia. The format became an annual public-visibility campaign and spread to many Russian cities.

  Outcome. The action became Quarteera’s signature public campaign and was reported as having been held in more than 30 Russian cities.

  Source

• 2013

  Expand support for Russian LGBTQ asylum seekersStrategy

  Background

  Following increased concern about Russian LGBTQ rights and requests for help from people considering protection in Germany, Quarteera developed practical assistance for asylum applicants.

  Action taken

  The organization helped applicants locate lawyers and prepare for asylum interviews, while also warning that German refugee status is difficult to obtain and should not be treated as the only migration option.

  Aftermath

  Quarteera reported assisting two people and having twelve further cases under consideration by November 2013; the available reference does not provide later outcome data.

  Source

• 2012

  Prioritize public education on LGBTQ rights in RussiaStrategy

  Background

  Quarteera sought to provide accessible information about the human-rights situation facing LGBTQ people in Russia and other former Soviet countries.

  Action taken

  With support from the Hirschfeld Eddy Foundation, it published a German-language brochure and continued related workshop and exhibition work.

  Aftermath

  The association broadened its role from community support and demonstrations into sustained educational and cultural advocacy.

  Source

1. 1Quarteeraen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Official Quarteera websitequarteera.de