Oral history project “Always Here”
Making queer history visible in South Tyrol
LGBTQ+ people are not a new phenomenon. They were never “somewhere else”. They were always here — in our villages, in our families, in our valleys.
“Always here” is an oral history project by the social cooperative EKLEKTIKA together with FORUM PRÄVENTION, South Tyrol’s prevention foundation, and its violence unit. In audio interviews, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer people from across South Tyrol tell their life stories. The focus falls particularly on older generations and people from rural areas — voices that have barely been documented until now.
The interviews are made accessible as permanently installable display panels with a map of South Tyrol and QR codes, in libraries, town halls, association premises and public spaces. Visitors can listen to the stories on the spot — personally, directly, humanly.
Municipalities, institutions and associations can acquire the display panels with QR code — optionally together with an awareness package including panel discussions, workshops or formats tailored to schools, associations and communities. Anyone interested is welcome to get in touch.
The project partners are:
- Forum Prävention — violence prevention unit
- Anti-Discrimination Office of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano
- EURAC Research
- Audiovisual Media Office of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano — South Tyrol
- Coordinators of South Tyrol’s education committees
“Always here” sends a clear signal: there is visible room for diversity.
Project lead: MARTINE DE BIASI
