Tamera's first LGBTQ Intro Week

“Queerness is that thing that lets us feel that this world is not enough – the rejection of a here and now and an insistence on potentiality or concrete possibility of another world.” ~ Jose Esteban Munoz

by Dara Silverman

Tamera Healing Biotope’s first LGBTQ Introduction Week coincidentally began on the same day as the massacre which claimed nearly 50 lives in a gay club in Orlando, Florida and concluded on the day of the Pride Parade in Lisbon – an unforeseen timing, which embedded this pioneer gathering in the adequate political and social dimension it deserved.

After a long time of a mere few carrying the issue of LGBTQ in Tamera, a project which has long focused on healing love and sexuality as a political issue, a next step in expanding our diversity and scope to include the larger range of loving and expression of this loving through Eros and building partnership emerged.

Fifteen participants, coming from diverse backgrounds, 10 different nationalities, and varying orientations, met in Tamera from June 12-18, 2016 and were led by Uri Ayalon and Dara Silverman through the week-long course aimed to introduce new people to the core thoughts and working areas of Tamera peace research center.

A level of profundity and intimacy became visible from the first day and the group identity formed very quickly in such a way that mutual support and solidarity were in the forefront. What a difference it makes to consciously establishing ‘safe spaces’ for people otherwise vulnerable in the societal discrimination we have all, on some level or another, become accustomed to!

Almost on the side of the plethora of intensive daily lectures from Tamera
co-workers on subjects ranging from water, food, and energy autonomy to love, sexuality, and community, from political outreach work to raising free children, people shared openly in the group about seemingly ‘private’ issues, things from their lives that have so far been hidden from even those they are closest to.

In the middle of our week together, we invited the community and all the guests in Tamera for a Political Cafe – a long-running tradition of bringing relevant and current issues from the world into awareness. We opened for the guests of the Intro Week to share stories from their lives and to show themselves.

It was an interwoven piece of magic, with musical performances, poetry, and revelations. Thank you for this openness of our participants to bring your beauty to the whole community!

Uri and I were deeply grateful to hold the space for this process, grateful for the courage and revelations of each of the participants and grateful to our beloved community, Tamera, for opening its heart to and supporting with this undertaking.

The week was an education time on both sides – to the participants about Tamera and to the Tamera community about this profoundly political issue. We will continue this work!