I CAN'T STOP WHO I AM - Queer Resistance

„I came for safety but I am not getting safety here. What is the reason then for me to stay?”

Numerous voices come together in choirs of resistance who had to flee to Germany because of their sexuality. Based on interviews, the new documentary play by Bühne für Menschenrechte reveals the injustices in the everyday lives and asylum process of queer refugees.

Three voices - Three stories - Three perspectivesemerge from the choruses of resistance, telling of their tireless struggle against heteronormative society and the absurdities of the asylum system.

I CAN'T STOP WHO I AM pleads for the right to stay and the recognition of differences of all people. Here and everywhere. Our thanks go especially to Adrian, Ali, Jenny, Olha, Mary, Maryo, Mohamed & Raphael for their participation, trust and sharing their stories.

WATCH THE VIDEO TRAILER HERE!

BACKGROUND TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PLAY

I CAN'T STOP WHO I AM was premiered as part of the TRIGGER FESTIVAL in Nuremberg on September 14, 2022. The main aim of the festival for politics and human rights was to create a local connection to Nuremberg and the surrounding area with the play. It aims to address and expose current human rights violations. As the festival was located right next to the BAMF, it quickly became clear that the focus of the play would be on German asylum policy.

Initial research by Bühne für Menschenrechte revealed that queer perspectives of refugees have so far received little visibility in the media, in politics and also in many activist contexts. As a result, a concrete commission for the development of the play emerged to shed light on the perspectives of queer refugees in the German asylum system.The Stage for Human Rights research team focused on Nuremberg and Munich. Contact was made with various advice centers and cultural centers in Nuremberg and Munich.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our cooperation partners Rosa Asyl, LeTRA, SUB and BELLEVUE DI MONACO for their collaboration and trust.

During our research phase, we came into contact with the protagonists of the play, who shared their perspectives on queerness and asylum with us. They spoke about their first romantic relationships, coming out and the challenges they faced as LBGTIQ+ in their countries of origin and in Germany. In almost all of the interviews, it became clear how the German asylum process, racism, queer hostility and police violence affect the mental health of the protagonists. The interviews focused on their stories of resistance and hope.

The documentary play was developed on the basis of the research and interviews. The dramaturgical team condensed the transcribed interview material into a play. The individual stories became a common narrative in which the interviewed voices were interwoven. The result is a polyphonic chorus of resistance from which the voices, stories and perspectives of Mohamed, Jenny and Maryo emerge.

SPONSORS

Co-produced by TRIGGER- Nuremberg Festival for Politics and Human Rights in Theater and Performance.The project is funded by the Nuremberg "Partnership for Democracy" in the federal program "Demokratie leben!" and the Federal Agency for Civic Education and Demokratie leben!With the support of the Bavarian State Center for Political Education.