The event entitled “Elefsina no longer keeps secrets”, the annual celebration of love for diversity organized by the Cultterra group, with the support of 2023 Eleusis, was successfully held on Friday 12 July at the Old Railway Station of Elefsina. The event was dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community and was organized for the third consecutive year having as communication sponsor the online community radio “Voices of Elefsina”.
During the celebration, people of all ages attended creative workshops, awareness-raising discussions by human rights and mental health experts, and presentations by local artists. In the colourfully decorated garden of the Old Railway Station, handmade treats decorated in pride colours were offered, while a screen printing workshop was also held, where attendees had the opportunity to print the phrase “Elefsina no longer keeps secrets” on a T-shirt.
Furthermore, Daphne Stassini, through the local community radio “Voices of Elefsina” and her show “Rock Mysteries”, performed an audio tribute to queer personalities of the world music scene, while broadcasting live the pulse of the event.
Under the shade of the trees of the Old Railway Station, two talks-discussions were realized. Ethnologist and lawyer Dionysis Antonopoulos from the local community presented a semiotic and legal review of “marriage”, concluding with Law 5089/2024 on same-sex couples. His speech concluded with an important reference to the trial for the homicide of Zak Kostopoulos. After that, speakers Lina Lahanioti and Christiana Gennata from Orlando LGBT and the Psychological Support Line “11528 – DIPLA Sou” took the floor and spoke about mental health and queer communities.
The event ended with a small party. The music was curated by angelchrisx and the live art action “Paint your beauty” by Efroarts. In the garden of the station were also present organizations from Athens, such as Antivirus Magazine and Queer Space Athens, as well as the animal welfare group of Elefsina “Stray Mysteries”.
“Elefsina no longer keeps secrets”
The project was launched in 2022, with the aim of making the LGBTQ+ community visible in the area of Thriasian Field. That year the event “Pride and Prejudice” was held with the main question: “Is there an LGBTQ+ community in the Triassian Field?”. The answer was clear, as LGBTQ+ people from the local community were there to provide it, and the question was raised as to whether and how safe the Triassian Field area is for the community. The guest of honour was Yannis Papagiannopoulos, who is a member of the Athens Pride organising committee and editor of Antivirus magazine. Through this first event, the Cultterra group managed to create a safe place for such a social issue for the area to be heard publicly for the first time.
The event took place for the second consecutive year in 2023 with keynote speakers Mariannella Kloka and Fofi Tsesmeli and attracted a diverse audience from all over the Triassian Field. With the support of various organizations, artists and groups, the action emerged as a unique and unifying event.
