Negede Gezahegn Gebremeskel

Living in Vienna as a non-binary and African refugee and intersectional LGBTIQA* activist is extraordinary and difficult. These many different layers of identities lead Negede Gezahegn Gebremeskel, along with many other bodies, to inhabit a peculiar space where the few are isolated from the majority of the Austrian population. Through the podcast, Negede Gezahegn Gebremeskel aims to highlight their ways of living in Vienna, as well as discuss challenges and solutions, both on an individual and collective level. fly-ism was recorded and broadcast for six months, every other week (12 episodes in total). Each episode is dedicated to current events and situations in Vienna, including Politics, Self Care and Healing.

Negede Gezahegn Gebremeskel (* 1984, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) is a performance artist and an intersectional LGBTIQA* activist who uses style activism, to bring about social change and initiate discussion about the issues, they face in navigating everyday life as a non-binary Ethiopian-African LGBTIQA* activist and refugee in Central Europe. They have been living in Austria since 2017, after being granted asylum following a threat to personal safety in Ethiopia. They are also a member of the Salzburg Global LGBT Forum and co-founder and former executive director of DANA Social Group, the first self-organized grassroots LGBTIQA* organization to improve access to healthcare and promote visibility for the Ethiopian queer community.