Since its creation, the ReQueer festival has established itself as an essential event for LGBTQIA+ people in Reunion. This initiative, supported by the eponymous association, goes well beyond the celebration. She embodies a fight for visibility, rights and acceptance of diversity. Through the voices of its key players, we explore current issues and perspectives for the LGBTQIA+ community on the island. (Photo: www.imazpress.com)
Created by Brandon Gercara, artist, researcher and activist, the ReQueer association organized from December 12 to 14, 2024, the fourth edition of its end-of-year festival.
Through artistic, activist and festive events, the event offered a unique space of expression for LGBTQIA+ people. “Our hobby horse is joy,” says Brandon Gercara.
However, the ReQueer festival is not just about celebration. It is also a place of reflection, as illustrated by the screening of the film “Critical Failure” by the Franco-Moroccan trans and queer artist Phoenix Section.
“This film tells both a science fiction story, of emancipation and at the same time the story of people who decided to make this film,” explains the artist. Brandon and I play the roles of the directors. We built it outside of normative, hetero-patriarchal frameworks. We shape our own tools to tell our stories of emancipation,” explains Phoenix Atala, openly invested in decolonial and queer practices.
– The strength of a collective and the light of Art –
For Jonathan Marcel, president of ReQueer, getting together with people from the community is essential: “It makes us stronger.” He also underlines the importance of education: “The island’s LGBTQIA+ associations, like Horizon, intervene in schools, thanks to Corah (Operational Committee to Combat Racism, Anti-Semitism and Anti-LGBT Hatred) , to deconstruct prejudices.”
Phoenix Atala, for his part, recalls that art plays a crucial role in the fight against the power of the norm. “The idea that activism and art do not mix is a fallacious argument,” he asserts. “There is no art that is not engaged and politically positioned. Art is a marker of class , gender, race We must tell stories that put us in a position of empowerment,” insists the artist.
Phoenix Atala also remembers the lack of trans representation in his youth. “There were some, but with tragic endings,” explains the artist. The message was clear: “if you want to live your transidentity to the end, you are going to die, you are not going to have a family,” concludes the artist who teaches at an art school in Paris.
– An island on the move, a struggle to continue –
ReQueer, and more broadly the fight of LGBTQIA+ people in Reunion, reflects a society in transformation. While significant progress has been made, many challenges remain.
Since the first LGBTQIA+ visibility march in 2021, a decisive turning point has taken place. “This march changed everything, particularly in terms of the resources made available by the institutions,” explains the founder of the association.
An LGBT center for the Indian Ocean has also been created, offering a reception and resource space for associations.
– Transidentity as a cursor of discrimination –
Despite notable progress, particularly for gay, lesbian and bisexual people, transgender people continue to face systemic exclusion. “100% of LGBTQIA+ people experience discrimination in their daily lives in Reunion, but exclusion is systematic for transgender people,” emphasizes Brandon Gercara.
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Added to this is a glaring lack of medical support for trans people on the island. If a transition path is possible in Reunion, it remains fraught with pitfalls. Many choose to leave to avoid the weight of ladi lafé (gossip) and family judgments.
Phoenix Atala also insists on global issues. “If rights have progressed, the rise of the far right is a direct response to these advances. Social networks, although they facilitate our connections, are also platforms of censorship, specifically for the queer community.”
Read also – Region, Department, French State, do not abandon human rights in the Indian Ocean
The speech praising Reunion's “living together” is also questioned by the members of ReQueer. “This discourse does not hold for LGBTQIA+ people. There is discrimination and very violent family rejections,” says Brandon Gercara.
– Towards a local federation and regional cooperation –
To respond to the many challenges to putting an end to LGBTQIA+ discrimination, ReQueer has ambitious projects.
The association plans to create a local federation in 2025, bringing together the different existing structures on the island. This organization will make it possible to structure actions around dedicated centers: health, social, culture and events.
Read also – Acts against LGBT+ people increased by 13% in 2023
At the same time, links are underway with associations in Mauritius, Madagascar and the Comoros. The objective is to build a space for dialogue and action in the Indian Ocean region, where LGBTQIA+ rights are often undermined.
With the creation of a local federation and regional cooperation, the actors and actresses of this movement hope to make these struggles lasting. Driven by joy, art and solidarity, the Reunion LGBTQIA+ community continues to chart its path, building a future where everyone can live and love freely.
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Requeer, LGBTQIA+, Festival
