December 31, 2024 • 12 mins
Today we highlight human and queer rights activist Rosanna Flamer Caldera.
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hey, this is Anny and Samantha and welcome to Stephfan
Never Told You production by Her Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
And welcome to our last Feminist around the World for
twenty twenty four. If you're listening to this within this
year or if not, you know, just so you know,
this is the last one in twenty twenty four. And
today we are featuring queer and human rights activists and
environmental activist Rosanna Flammer Caldera. SO Flammer Caldera is the
(00:40):
founder and executive director of Equal Ground, which is the
oldest organization in Sri Lanka to advocate for the human
rights and protections of the Lgbtqia community. Of course, much
like our other activists we feature, she has had many
different titles and positions in her life. She has been
at the forefront fighting for our people and her community
(01:01):
as well. So when we talk about one specific thing
that she has done, please note again, like many of
our other activists, there are so many other things that
she has done or she is doing, including being a
political figure somewhat as well. So put that little asterisk there.
I think we'll just put that asterisk forever on all
(01:22):
of our activists. So Flemer Caldera was born in Sri
Lanka and grew up in Colombo. At eighteen, she left
Sri Lanka and made her way to San Francisco, which,
by the way, I listened to a podcast that featured her,
and they called San Francisco the gay capital of the US.
And I was like, Oh, I guess once upon a
time it really was, but that's changed since then. I
(01:43):
would assume we should go back and.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Look at that.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
Do we have what we would say at gay capital.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
I think it's more widespread than one city now, but
it used to be San Francisco.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Yeah. Yeah, But I'm like, oh, that's such an old
thought process, because anyway, going back, it is there. She says,
she participated in her first Pride parade. And here's a
bit from a twenty sixteen article about her time, then
featured on Altovy World quote Rosanna Flammer. Caldera left her
native Sri Lanka at age eighteen. She said, I was
(02:17):
having a hard time coming to terms with my sexuality
and Sri Lanka was just not a place where women
could get ahead. She spent her young adulthood in San Francisco,
where she participated in activism through direct action tactics like demonstrations, marches,
and vigils. In nineteen seventy eight, Harvey Milk led the
first Pride Parade. Rosanna Flahmer Caldera, a Sri Lankan then
(02:39):
in her early twenties, ever participated in and she does
talk a lot about her experience for that event, and
even when Milk was assassinated. She talks about that event
and how it really impacted her and how she was
a part of that as well. So I thought that
was pretty significant to note. This is her first experience
which is I caught, and she has been working to
(03:01):
bring similar celebrations and activism for the Lgbtqia community to
her own home in Colombo. But her upbringing and family
have always supported equal rights and activism, and she talks
about how liberal they were and very accepting they were
in general. But that didn't mean she felt like she
could be completely open and honest about herself. As she
(03:21):
told interviewers, it took some time for her to accept herself,
but was finally able to open up and be her
true self when coming to San Francisco, like she talked
about how that really changed her perspective and then she
told the story about I believe a cousin of hers
took her to a lesbian club and things started clicking.
I love those moments. I feel like she really had,
(03:42):
like the iconic coming out and the experience in San Francisco.
I see why they call it the capitol here. Becoming
her true self also propelled her activism. She talks with
women Talks, a media organization at of Sri Lanka about
her starting Equal Ground, which is her organization and the
activism in Sri Lanka. She says, I know what it
(04:05):
felt like being a lesbian in a country where it
was completely taboo. When I was growing up there there
was no equal Ground to advise me or hold my hand.
But I had the privilege of living in San Francisco
for about fifteen years. There, I was able to come
out and be myself and then come out to my parents,
who have been an incredible support throughout my entire life's journey.
And though her initial activism was centered around environmental issues,
(04:29):
apparently I think her family's very involved in activism for
that as well, that soon changed when she came back
to Sri Lanka. Here's some more from that same article.
We started the women's support group in nineteen ninety nine.
I subsequently went to Oakland, California for a conference for
the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transit Intersex Associations or ILGA.
(04:50):
There I had the opportunity to be involved in the
Asian region of ILGA. I was elected the female representative
to the board of ILGA. In two thousand and three,
I was asked to nominate myself for the female co
Secretary general's position. Then I became the Co Secretary General
of ILGA and that lasted for two terms from two
thousand and three to two thousand and eight. That actually
(05:10):
really helped to inform and also define my activism. Yeah,
and with all of those she went through these ups
and downs with different organizations. She really talks about how
it wasn't really all inclusive. We've heard this so many
times when it comes to organizations that are too niche.
So she would be a part of one and it's
just focusing on women. Did not want to talk about
(05:31):
the queer community, or they did not want to talk
about racism and all that, so so many things, but
she talked about those are kinds of ups and downs
that she experienced. So Flammer Caldera went on to form
Equal Ground, and here's what she had to say about
this organization. There was really no advacy being done around
LGBTQ rights in a way that included the full spectrum
of the queer community in Sri Lanka. So I decided
(05:53):
to form Equal Ground along with some friends and particularly
with some women who were with me at the wsg
SO Women's Associations. We never looked back after that. We
started Equal Ground in June two thousand and four. In
December we had that awful tsunami. We spent the whole
of two thousand and five collecting funds from LGBTIQ persons
all over the world through ILGA and a few other
(06:15):
organizations to help out with the tsunami relief efforts. And yeah,
she did talk in depth about that impact. How so
many people we know died. They've talked about it, and
they're still damages that have not been addressed. Since then,
she's worked really hard in trying to help her community
as a whole once again. And here's some information about
(06:37):
the organization itself from their own website, Equal dashground dot
org says Equal Ground is a nonprofit organization seeking economic,
social cultural, civil and political rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender,
intersex and questioning slash queer or LGBTIQ community of Sri Lanka.
We are committed to creating a safe space for all
(07:00):
LGBTIQ individuals and to provide opportunities for self help including
mental well being, economic, social and political empowerment, access to health, education, housing,
and legal protection for the LGBTIQ community. Equal Ground is
one of the truly diverse organizations in Sri Lanka, which
includes the wider identities of the LGBTIQ community in Sri
(07:23):
Lanka as well as our heterosexual allies and friends. So
they have so much on their website. Do you get
a chance go look it up? Because they talk about
all the works that they've done, and there's so much.
We didn't want to bypass all the in depth details
they had, so you should definitely go check out their site.
(07:51):
On their site, they do give some insight about the
environment they are working in and the types of things
that they're having to deal with. So they say Sri
Lanka's society is structured on strict gender roles and responsibilities,
where anything different to heteronormativity and binary gender standards is
considered abnormal, deviant, and deserving of punishment slash discrimination. As
a result of our colonial past, same sex sexual relationships
(08:14):
between consenting adults is deemed a criminal act, punishable with
up to ten years in prison. As a result, social
stigmas are attached to homosexuality and transgenderism. This stigma is
heavily institutionalized, resulting in the discrimination and marginalization of members
of the LGBTIQ community and those perceived as members of
the LGBTIQ community. Due to the lack of understanding of
(08:37):
gender identity and sexual orientation and misinterpreted religious cultural doctrine,
LGBTIQ persons are often forced into heterosexual marriages, subject to
curative rape or face violence within the confines of their
homes and in public. Individuals who are thus mistreated are
denied access to justice and medical attention because they fear
(08:57):
the repercressions of their different sexual orientation gender identity becoming
public knowledge, and also because the instances of further abuse
of the hands of the authorities is a probable threat.
So definitely a lot to take in in that conversation.
In the persecution of the queer community, we've seen it,
we know that it exists, and we also know there
(09:19):
are people who are fighting just like Flimmer Caldeta. But
with this from their own site, they include the work
they've been doing, which includes educating the community about the
LGBTQI community, offering legal counsel, assisting in health and mental
health needs, working to change policies and laws that are
very harmful to the queer community, and so much more,
(09:40):
including the fact they're also working in the tech space
to make it more accessible as well as using it
for advocacy and teaching others. So really really cool stuff
that they're doing. So Flemmer, called Detta, has been on
the frontline pushing back against the laws and policies that
discriminate and harm the lgbt IQ community. In fact, in
twenty twenty two, she presented a case to the UN
(10:02):
stating that Sri Lanka's ban on same sex consensual relationships
were a violation of human rights. And here's a bit
from her feature in Time magazine. Flammer Calderta has been
more than two decades advocating for the LGBTQ rights in
Sri Lanka, and her relentious advocacy led to a major
victory for queer women globally. In a landmark decision in
(10:23):
twenty twenty two, the U incided with Flammer Claudeta in
her case against Sri Lanka's ban on same sex intimacy
between women, declaring it a human rights violation. The case
brought LGBTQ rights to the four in Sri Lankan politics,
and soon after the decision, a lawmaker introduced a bill
to decriminalize homosexuality in that country. So this is from
(10:44):
a twenty twenty four Times article. The bill at this
point it could pass in the Sri Lankan Parliament, which
Equal Ground is continuing to work to make sure it
does though they're fighting for that. That's being heard, and apparently
it's pretty favorable. We'll see. And like so many of
our amazing activists we have featured of, FLEAMR Caldera has
(11:06):
been recognized for her work, including being named Time magazines
Most Influential People of twenty twenty four, which is why yes,
we found her. She also received a twenty twenty two
APCOM Community Hero Award, and so much more. And I'm
sure we're going to hear so much more about what
she's doing, especially with the fact that they're changing so
much in Sri Lanka and really hope that they're able
(11:29):
to get this done because that would be an amazing
victory for the world and for themselves.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
Yes, yes, we'll definitely be checking in on that and
really hoping that it goes through and meantime, listeners. As always,
you can contact us if you have any suggestions, updates, resources.
You can emails at Stephanie and momstephantiheartmedia dot com. You
can find us on Twitter and Blue Sky at Mom
Stuff Podcast, or on Instagram and TikTok at stuff I
(11:53):
Never Told You. We're also on YouTube. We have a
tea public store, and we have a book you can
get wherever you get your books. Thanks so always here
a super producer, Tina are executive producer My and your
contrutor Joey. Thank you and thanks to you for listening
Stuff Never Told You his production by Heart Radio. For
more podcasts from my Heart Radio, you can check out
the Heart Radio Apple podcast or if you listen to
your favorite shows,
Hey, this is Anny and Samantha and welcome to Stephfan
Never Told You production by Her Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
And welcome to our last Feminist around the World for
twenty twenty four. If you're listening to this within this
year or if not, you know, just so you know,
this is the last one in twenty twenty four. And
today we are featuring queer and human rights activists and
environmental activist Rosanna Flammer Caldera. SO Flammer Caldera is the
(00:40):
founder and executive director of Equal Ground, which is the
oldest organization in Sri Lanka to advocate for the human
rights and protections of the Lgbtqia community. Of course, much
like our other activists we feature, she has had many
different titles and positions in her life. She has been
at the forefront fighting for our people and her community
(01:01):
as well. So when we talk about one specific thing
that she has done, please note again, like many of
our other activists, there are so many other things that
she has done or she is doing, including being a
political figure somewhat as well. So put that little asterisk there.
I think we'll just put that asterisk forever on all
(01:22):
of our activists. So Flemer Caldera was born in Sri
Lanka and grew up in Colombo. At eighteen, she left
Sri Lanka and made her way to San Francisco, which,
by the way, I listened to a podcast that featured her,
and they called San Francisco the gay capital of the US.
And I was like, Oh, I guess once upon a
time it really was, but that's changed since then. I
(01:43):
would assume we should go back and.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Look at that.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
Do we have what we would say at gay capital.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
I think it's more widespread than one city now, but
it used to be San Francisco.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Yeah. Yeah, But I'm like, oh, that's such an old
thought process, because anyway, going back, it is there. She says,
she participated in her first Pride parade. And here's a
bit from a twenty sixteen article about her time, then
featured on Altovy World quote Rosanna Flammer. Caldera left her
native Sri Lanka at age eighteen. She said, I was
(02:17):
having a hard time coming to terms with my sexuality
and Sri Lanka was just not a place where women
could get ahead. She spent her young adulthood in San Francisco,
where she participated in activism through direct action tactics like demonstrations, marches,
and vigils. In nineteen seventy eight, Harvey Milk led the
first Pride Parade. Rosanna Flahmer Caldera, a Sri Lankan then
(02:39):
in her early twenties, ever participated in and she does
talk a lot about her experience for that event, and
even when Milk was assassinated. She talks about that event
and how it really impacted her and how she was
a part of that as well. So I thought that
was pretty significant to note. This is her first experience
which is I caught, and she has been working to
(03:01):
bring similar celebrations and activism for the Lgbtqia community to
her own home in Colombo. But her upbringing and family
have always supported equal rights and activism, and she talks
about how liberal they were and very accepting they were
in general. But that didn't mean she felt like she
could be completely open and honest about herself. As she
(03:21):
told interviewers, it took some time for her to accept herself,
but was finally able to open up and be her
true self when coming to San Francisco, like she talked
about how that really changed her perspective and then she
told the story about I believe a cousin of hers
took her to a lesbian club and things started clicking.
I love those moments. I feel like she really had,
(03:42):
like the iconic coming out and the experience in San Francisco.
I see why they call it the capitol here. Becoming
her true self also propelled her activism. She talks with
women Talks, a media organization at of Sri Lanka about
her starting Equal Ground, which is her organization and the
activism in Sri Lanka. She says, I know what it
(04:05):
felt like being a lesbian in a country where it
was completely taboo. When I was growing up there there
was no equal Ground to advise me or hold my hand.
But I had the privilege of living in San Francisco
for about fifteen years. There, I was able to come
out and be myself and then come out to my parents,
who have been an incredible support throughout my entire life's journey.
And though her initial activism was centered around environmental issues,
(04:29):
apparently I think her family's very involved in activism for
that as well, that soon changed when she came back
to Sri Lanka. Here's some more from that same article.
We started the women's support group in nineteen ninety nine.
I subsequently went to Oakland, California for a conference for
the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transit Intersex Associations or ILGA.
(04:50):
There I had the opportunity to be involved in the
Asian region of ILGA. I was elected the female representative
to the board of ILGA. In two thousand and three,
I was asked to nominate myself for the female co
Secretary general's position. Then I became the Co Secretary General
of ILGA and that lasted for two terms from two
thousand and three to two thousand and eight. That actually
(05:10):
really helped to inform and also define my activism. Yeah,
and with all of those she went through these ups
and downs with different organizations. She really talks about how
it wasn't really all inclusive. We've heard this so many
times when it comes to organizations that are too niche.
So she would be a part of one and it's
just focusing on women. Did not want to talk about
(05:31):
the queer community, or they did not want to talk
about racism and all that, so so many things, but
she talked about those are kinds of ups and downs
that she experienced. So Flammer Caldera went on to form
Equal Ground, and here's what she had to say about
this organization. There was really no advacy being done around
LGBTQ rights in a way that included the full spectrum
of the queer community in Sri Lanka. So I decided
(05:53):
to form Equal Ground along with some friends and particularly
with some women who were with me at the wsg
SO Women's Associations. We never looked back after that. We
started Equal Ground in June two thousand and four. In
December we had that awful tsunami. We spent the whole
of two thousand and five collecting funds from LGBTIQ persons
all over the world through ILGA and a few other
(06:15):
organizations to help out with the tsunami relief efforts. And yeah,
she did talk in depth about that impact. How so
many people we know died. They've talked about it, and
they're still damages that have not been addressed. Since then,
she's worked really hard in trying to help her community
as a whole once again. And here's some information about
(06:37):
the organization itself from their own website, Equal dashground dot
org says Equal Ground is a nonprofit organization seeking economic,
social cultural, civil and political rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender,
intersex and questioning slash queer or LGBTIQ community of Sri Lanka.
We are committed to creating a safe space for all
(07:00):
LGBTIQ individuals and to provide opportunities for self help including
mental well being, economic, social and political empowerment, access to health, education, housing,
and legal protection for the LGBTIQ community. Equal Ground is
one of the truly diverse organizations in Sri Lanka, which
includes the wider identities of the LGBTIQ community in Sri
(07:23):
Lanka as well as our heterosexual allies and friends. So
they have so much on their website. Do you get
a chance go look it up? Because they talk about
all the works that they've done, and there's so much.
We didn't want to bypass all the in depth details
they had, so you should definitely go check out their site.
(07:51):
On their site, they do give some insight about the
environment they are working in and the types of things
that they're having to deal with. So they say Sri
Lanka's society is structured on strict gender roles and responsibilities,
where anything different to heteronormativity and binary gender standards is
considered abnormal, deviant, and deserving of punishment slash discrimination. As
a result of our colonial past, same sex sexual relationships
(08:14):
between consenting adults is deemed a criminal act, punishable with
up to ten years in prison. As a result, social
stigmas are attached to homosexuality and transgenderism. This stigma is
heavily institutionalized, resulting in the discrimination and marginalization of members
of the LGBTIQ community and those perceived as members of
the LGBTIQ community. Due to the lack of understanding of
(08:37):
gender identity and sexual orientation and misinterpreted religious cultural doctrine,
LGBTIQ persons are often forced into heterosexual marriages, subject to
curative rape or face violence within the confines of their
homes and in public. Individuals who are thus mistreated are
denied access to justice and medical attention because they fear
(08:57):
the repercressions of their different sexual orientation gender identity becoming
public knowledge, and also because the instances of further abuse
of the hands of the authorities is a probable threat.
So definitely a lot to take in in that conversation.
In the persecution of the queer community, we've seen it,
we know that it exists, and we also know there
(09:19):
are people who are fighting just like Flimmer Caldeta. But
with this from their own site, they include the work
they've been doing, which includes educating the community about the
LGBTQI community, offering legal counsel, assisting in health and mental
health needs, working to change policies and laws that are
very harmful to the queer community, and so much more,
(09:40):
including the fact they're also working in the tech space
to make it more accessible as well as using it
for advocacy and teaching others. So really really cool stuff
that they're doing. So Flemmer, called Detta, has been on
the frontline pushing back against the laws and policies that
discriminate and harm the lgbt IQ community. In fact, in
twenty twenty two, she presented a case to the UN
(10:02):
stating that Sri Lanka's ban on same sex consensual relationships
were a violation of human rights. And here's a bit
from her feature in Time magazine. Flammer Calderta has been
more than two decades advocating for the LGBTQ rights in
Sri Lanka, and her relentious advocacy led to a major
victory for queer women globally. In a landmark decision in
(10:23):
twenty twenty two, the U incided with Flammer Claudeta in
her case against Sri Lanka's ban on same sex intimacy
between women, declaring it a human rights violation. The case
brought LGBTQ rights to the four in Sri Lankan politics,
and soon after the decision, a lawmaker introduced a bill
to decriminalize homosexuality in that country. So this is from
(10:44):
a twenty twenty four Times article. The bill at this
point it could pass in the Sri Lankan Parliament, which
Equal Ground is continuing to work to make sure it
does though they're fighting for that. That's being heard, and apparently
it's pretty favorable. We'll see. And like so many of
our amazing activists we have featured of, FLEAMR Caldera has
(11:06):
been recognized for her work, including being named Time magazines
Most Influential People of twenty twenty four, which is why yes,
we found her. She also received a twenty twenty two
APCOM Community Hero Award, and so much more. And I'm
sure we're going to hear so much more about what
she's doing, especially with the fact that they're changing so
much in Sri Lanka and really hope that they're able
(11:29):
to get this done because that would be an amazing
victory for the world and for themselves.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
Yes, yes, we'll definitely be checking in on that and
really hoping that it goes through and meantime, listeners. As always,
you can contact us if you have any suggestions, updates, resources.
You can emails at Stephanie and momstephantiheartmedia dot com. You
can find us on Twitter and Blue Sky at Mom
Stuff Podcast, or on Instagram and TikTok at stuff I
(11:53):
Never Told You. We're also on YouTube. We have a
tea public store, and we have a book you can
get wherever you get your books. Thanks so always here
a super producer, Tina are executive producer My and your
contrutor Joey. Thank you and thanks to you for listening
Stuff Never Told You his production by Heart Radio. For
more podcasts from my Heart Radio, you can check out
the Heart Radio Apple podcast or if you listen to
your favorite shows,
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