queer

Thu

May

2015

Call for Articles for the New Militarisation of Youth Bulletin

New translation available

Submitted by antimili-youth

Countering the Militarisation of Youth Programme (CMoY) at WRI is launching the first issue of its new periodical which will specifically focus on the issues surrounding youth militarisation. In the CMoY bulletin, you'll find articles addressing...

Tue

Aug

Militarization and masculinities: Refusing militarism is not possible without refusing hegemonic masculinity

Submitted by hannah on Tue, 12/08/2014 - 10:24

It’s one thing to call a ceasefire, another to decommission militarized masculinity

Andreas Speck

“Questioning the militarist value system and its practices which are identified with military service, one is also obliged to question the hegemonic understanding of masculinity. In Turkey, military service is a laboratory in which masculinity is reproduced. The patriarchal system is solidified through military service. I objected to military service, because I am also against this laboratory manufactured masculinity. The struggle against militarism defined in heterosexist terms through sexist structures finds its fundamental expression in anti-militarism. This refers to freedom of sexual orientation, gender equality and total and unrestricted freedom”.1

Fri

Aug

Recruitment of and resistance by queers - example Sweden

Submitted by hannah on Fri, 08/08/2014 - 22:17

In this article we will explain how we understand in what ways politics about gender, sexuality and war are related to each other. We will also tell you about some actions Ofog (anti-militarist network) did against the Swedish Armed Forces participation in the last Pride festival (August 2011).

Fri

Mar

Quotes from WRI's Countering the Militarisation of Youth conference: Gender and sexuality

Submitted by hannah on Fri, 07/03/2014 - 14:31

The image of masculinity...the model men that go to war, that compete. - Jorge Veléz, Colombia

The Ministry of Women, for example, was created in 2006 and since then one of the main goals that the Minister for Women has proposed is to provide two million female members to the militia. She has already set in motion a first stage where she promised 150,000... - Rafael Uzcategui, Venezuela

We do also have women in the military, but comparatively the ratio is low. – Samuel Koduh, Ghana

Fri

Mar

Survey findings: Gender and sexuality

Submitted by hannah on Fri, 07/03/2014 - 14:29

Of the thirty-two countries surveyed, there is only an active attempt to recruit LGBT people in four. Eight countries don’t allow LGBT people to enlist at all, although of those, Kenya is the only one where homosexuality is actually illegal. In Turkey men can be exempted from military service if they can 'prove' (including by providing photos or video footage of them having sex with men) that they are homosexual. But in the majority of countries, sexuality is simply not a recruitment criterion.

Mon

Jan

Militarisation in Sweden: Interview

Submitted by admin on Mon, 27/01/2014 - 16:25

At our 2012 conference in Darmstadt, Germany, we recorded interviews with activists talking about militarisation of youth in their own contexts.

In this interview, Cattis, from Swedish antimilitarist group Ofog speaks about militarisation and recruitment in Sweden.

The photo shows an action described in the interview, when Ofog took action at Stockholm Pride. The speech bubble reads 'speech bubble saying: "Here I am walking defending my human rights while my job is about violating other people's human rights"

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Countering Military Recruitment

WRI's new booklet, Countering Military Recruitment: Learning the lessons of counter-recruitment campaigns internationally, is out now. The booklet includes examples of campaigning against youth militarisation across different countries with the contribution of grassroot activists.

You can order a paperback version here.