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Queer squatters in house arrest protest

Published: 21 Nov 09 10:24 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/23396/20091121/

Gay activists took over an empty house in central Lund, southern Sweden, on Friday evening to protest over the lack of facilities for HBT people in the town.

Around 15 people from the network Hardqueer entered the property in the hope of turning the house into a meeting place for gay people.

”We are sitting here in the house and have made it into a queer place,” said a Hardqueer spokesperson to news agency TT.

”We want a meeting place for everyone and somewhere that is defined as HBT-friendly,” they added.

Having organised the sit-in, the aim of the occupants was to claim the property and use it for workshops, seminars and performances.

”We don’t want a confrontation with the police,” the spokesman said. ”It is our way of showing how we can create a place that is missing in Lund.”

The Hardqueer network has been involved in a string of attention-grabbing incidents in the Skåne region over the past few months.

In May they dressed a number of statues in the city’s Lundagård park in women’s clothing and were involved in the campaign to allow women to bathe topless in Malmö’s public swimming pools.

Having been alerted to the situation, police arrived at the scene and three hours after the entering the premises they group were asked to leave.

”After that we went in and retrieved those that didn’t leave the building voluntarily,” said police spokesperson Calle Persson.

The evacuation process was carried out peacefully but the group could now face charges of breaking and entering.

TT/Christine Demsteader (news@thelocal.se)

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11:20 November 21, 2009 by Corvinus
This is ridiculous if you ask me. Gay people are able to use the same facilities as any heterosexual person, I don't see how it is productive for them to promote division in this way, they'd be better aiming their efforts to creating more acceptance and integration of the gay community with the straight crowd. Some people really need to find a hobby...
13:01 November 21, 2009 by Tomandjerry
haha...im the only gay in the village
13:19 November 21, 2009 by Gwrhyr
Cool protest, I hope they are able to get a HBT community center up and running eventually.
15:54 November 21, 2009 by msr
Is there something stopping the HBT activists from purchasing this house , or some other facility, to use as their community center? Or is the point that they believe the government should pay for it?
17:17 November 21, 2009 by eZee.se
Thats silly, imagine the hubub if someone tried to get only a Swedish community center - no immigrants allowed, or an immigrant community center - no swedes allowed...

or only an Iraqi/Persian/Brit/Black/White/ etc

The point is to mix with everyone.

"I don't see how it is productive for them to promote division in this way, they'd be better aiming their efforts to creating more acceptance and integration of the gay community with the straight crowd."

As my Swedish friends would say:

Precis!
02:06 November 22, 2009 by Osokin
They have a point, they could rent it or buy it as a peer here says, but they are also entitled to it on public interest, considering where we are all coming from. I hope they get it as a venue, and of course it will be open to straights also I am sure.
10:06 November 22, 2009 by calebian22
What does HBT stand for? It can't be holistic body training.
06:10 November 23, 2009 by Makaveli
msr. u got that right and calebian22...hehehehhe. funny!!
16:28 November 23, 2009 by mkvgtired
Why does HBT expect the government to create a meeting place for their special interest group? There are an infinite number of special interests that should have centers if the government provides one for them.
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