After five months spent working on new features, longreads, podcasts, and videos, History Unit invites you to have a first look at these publications. On October 8, at 5 pm CET, we'll gather to discuss stories about queer people creating, connecting, and finding moments of joy during war and exile.
History is shaped by which stories are remembered and which remain untold. History Unit brings together journalists and activists from Belarus, Germany, Poland, and Ukraine to uncover overlooked queer histories and understand present challenges.
The new publications examine resistance efforts and community organising, both historical and current. They look at queer lives during Soviet times and in the ongoing war in Ukraine, at physical and digital displacement, disinformation campaigns, and solidarity building.
During the presentation, you'll find out how journalists develop these stories, learn about the research process, editorial decisions, and challenges of working with sensitive material. There will be time to ask questions and discuss the work directly with the authors.
The event will feature the following topics and participants:
- Queer history in Poland and Germany after WWII – Steven Meyer and Jakub Wojtaszczyk
- “Safe countries of origin” and queer refugees from/to Hungary, Ukraine, Poland, Germany – Lili Somogyi and Eugenia Seleznova
- Queer community organising in Poland and Germany – Juri Wasenmüller and Emanuela Lewandowska
- History of queer people from Soviet times to today; queer people in the Ukrainian army – Valeriia Yushkova
- Queer displacement in digital spaces and Russian disinformation – Clara Zink and Selina Hellfritsch
- Queer history and personalities of Eastern Europe – Eastern Queerope
- Queer refugees in Poland and Germany and “safe countries of origin” – Helena Weise
- Representatives of our partner organisation Human Constanta (Belarus, in exile): Kacia Prakharenka and Vałdzis Fuhaš
- Journalist and editor Yuliana Skibitska, our partner in Ukraine
Event Details:
- Date: October 8, 2025
- Time: 17:00 CET
- Format: Online presentation followed by Q&A
- Duration: 90 minutes
- Working language: English
We’re looking forward to seeing you!
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The project is funded by the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future (EVZ) and the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) as part of the Education Agenda on NS-Injustice.
