New project: Rivers in Resistance

Rivers in Resistance is a groundbreaking research project that aims to document and gather knowledge on QTIBIPOC (Queer, Trans, Intersex, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) experiences, movements, resilience and resistances in the Nordic region.

Introduction

Normstormerne, LGBT Asylum, Tamam Luna, Salam and Helsinki Pride Community introduce a new, groundbreaking project called ‘Rivers in Resistance: A Toolkit on the growing QTIBIPOC Movements in the Nordics’.

The project’s purpose is to collaboratively create a practical toolkit in partnership with QTIBIPOCs – a resource designed by and for the community. This toolkit will partly serve as a transformative intervention for Nordic organizations, welfare systems, schools, and other institutions that engage with QTIBIPOCs. We also want the toolkit to serve as a resource for QTIBIPOC organizing and create opportunities for cross-border coalitions.

The toolkit will introduce readers to an intersectional understanding of systems of oppression and power, and develop a contextual and historical analysis of the Nordic region. Most importantly, the toolkit will draw its strength from real-life experiences, activist strategies, organizational skills, and movement expertise from across the region.

Context and Purpose

In today's global discourse, perspectives on QTIBIPOC experiences often come from non-Nordic contexts, particularly the UK and the US. This project seeks to address this gap by providing an in-depth exploration rooted in the unique Nordic environment, encompassing Denmark, Iceland, Sápmi, Faroe Islands, Åland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Kalaallit Nunaat. At the same time, mainstream research projects on QTIBIPOC lives in the Nordic region often position us as research objects, not including us in what and how our lives are examined. This has frequently led us to be described as victims, in a narrative where our families and ethnic/racial communities are homo- and transphobic. These research projects have sometimes even led to retraumatization of QTIBIPOCs, when having to retell our stories of intersectional oppression repeatedly. This project seeks to intervene in this approach, by designing our research with, by and for the communities we serve. 

Who is it for

This survey is for you if you fall within the umbrella term of QTIBIPOC. The term ‘QTIBIPOC’ refers to individuals who are queer, trans, intersex and are either Black, Indigenous or a Person of Color (BIPOC). This definition encompasses those who are LGBTQI+ and who are descended from anywhere in Africa, Asia (East, Central, West and South), Sápmi territories, Inuit territories, the Indigenous peoples of Australia, the Americas, the Caribbean, Indian Pacific, and Roma, Sinti (and) Travellers. This working definition includes transnational adoptees from the above-mentioned regions as well as people of mixed ancestry/origin. 

This term comes from outside a Nordic context and so might be present in different ways within the Nordic region. We recognise that it might not make sense for everyone. We all have different ways to identify as individuals and in relation to others. We use it here as a working definition to think about and discuss the intersection of being queer, trans & intersex as well as racialised in different ways.   

Who we are

This research project, now under the name "Rivers in Resistance," was initiated in a collaboration of QTIBIPOC activists and organizers working within NGOs across Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Norway. The project consists of a core project group with representatives from Normstormerne (DK), LGBT Asylum (DK), Tamam Luna (SWE), Salam (NO) and Helsinki Pride Community (FI), a Community Researcher consultant and is funded by NIKK (Nordic Information on Gender). 

Why this is important

In this research project, we're exploring some key hypotheses that shed light on our experiences as QTIBIPOC individuals and communities in the Nordic countries. Here's a glimpse of what we're investigating:

1. Vulnerability and Living Conditions: We suspect that we, as QTBIPOC individuals in the Nordic region, are particularly vulnerable and continue to have worse living conditions than other LGBTQ groups due to the intersectional pressures of race, gender, class and sexual orientation.

2. Unique Challenges and Feelings of Erasure: In a Nordic context, we believe that we face unique challenges in navigating racialisation and are more likely to report feelings of erasure due to the region's dominant narratives of homogeneity, color blindness and social equality.

3. Diverse Lived Experiences: We believe that we, as QTBIPOC individuals, have varied lived experiences within the category depending on different factors such as the extent of racialisation, experience of displacement and transnational adoption, as well as class status.

4. Community Building and Survival Strategies: We also believe that we, as QTBIPOCs in the Nordics, are resourceful, resilient and develop communities and strategies to not just endure but thrive in the face of challenges.

These hypotheses are the foundation of our research, and we're excited to delve deeper into them to gain a better understanding of the realities we face as QTBIPOC individuals in the Nordic context.

Project Objectives

The core objectives of this project can be summarised as follows:

1. Understanding the Nordic QTIBIPOC Experience: To explore, map, and analyze the unique experiences of QTIBIPOCs in the Nordic region, recognizing the complex intersections within these communities.

2. Documentation and Historical Context: To contribute to the contextualization of QTIBIPOC experiences within a historical framework specific to the Nordic region.

3. Toolkit Development: To create a practical toolkit designed collaboratively with QTIBIPOCs, offering a transformative resource for grassroots communities, Nordic organizations and other entities engaging with QTIBIPOCs.

4. Knowledge Gathering: To document and accumulate knowledge on QTIBIPOC experiences, trajectories, and resistance across the Nordic region.

Methodology:

Our research process is grounded in critical and transformative methodologies, driven by the lived experiences of both researchers and the communities they serve. Guided by the principles of Action Research and the collective knowledge of our project team, which includes QTIBIPOC individuals actively engaged in the community, our approach emphasizes collaborative problem-solving and active community engagement.

The research methods to be used will allow for QTBIPOCs to meet, discuss and co-theorise as experts in their experience. All members of the research i.e. the Core Project group, the research consultant and the research contributors are situated within the research as active participants and a priority is to facilitate a space whereby everyone’s knowledge, experiences and capacity to reflect are valued and explored collectively. 

Our data collection methods include workshops and collaborative sessions, semi-structured interviews, and surveys.