Gender Equality Festival®, 21st Edition
Reproductive health, a universal right!
From October 7 to 10, A.L.E.G. is organizing a new edition of the Gender Equality Festival® in Sibiu, dedicated to sexual and reproductive health and rights. Over the course of four days, we will create spaces for dialogue, information, and creative expression, addressing topics such as the body, autonomy, and access to information and health services, as well as the barriers and inequalities that can prevent equal access to these services for everyone.
Sexual and reproductive health means accurate information, easily accessible medical services, and the ability to make informed decisions about one’s own body. It encompasses prevention, education, care, and support. In Romania, access to contraception, sex education, and reproductive health services is not equally easy for everyone – especially for adolescents and other groups with limited access to medical services.
On October 7, we start the Gender Equality Festival® with a Forum Theatre performance that raises questions about access to scientifically accurate information and the impact misinformation can have on a community. The audience will not merely be spectators: they will be able to intervene in the story, propose alternatives, and – together with the actors – seek solutions to change the ending.
Over the course of three days, we will continue with discussions and debates featuring guests from Romania and Europe, creative workshops, panel discussions, exhibitions, and much more, aiming to bring together diverse perspectives, experiences, and stories regarding sexual and reproductive health and rights. The “Living Library” brings to the forefront personal stories about pregnancy, childbirth, the postpartum period, and the role of partners, as well as stories of courage, resilience, and change. As we do every year, we will transform these ideas and personal experiences into impactful public messages on the “Horizontal Newspaper” (Ziarul Orizontal), alongside artist Dan Perjovschi and women’s health specialists like Adriana Radu. We are also bringing the play “The Vagina Monologues” (Monoloagele Vaginului) by Eve Ensler back to the stage. We continue to analyze trends and signals regarding the future, and we invite young people to discuss how the dating landscape is evolving.
See you in Sibiu from October 7 to 10! Check out the schedule below!
Registration:
A picture worth a thousand words about sexual and reproductive health and rights
The image created by illustrator Diana Barbu for the 21st edition of the Gender Equality Festival® employs a fantastical visual universe to address bodily autonomy and the sexual and reproductive rights of young people.
The central image features a female figure whose body is intertwined with elements of nature – flowers, stems, and leaves – suggesting that every body is unique yet interconnected, undergoing continuous transformation throughout life. The image seeks to evoke the need to overcome a historical inequality that has long marked human communities: the tendency to blame and control women’s bodies. Although often treated as taboo, sexuality and reproduction are essential to life and must be viewed through the lens of health, respect, dignity, and freedom of choice. The figure does not conform to conventional standards of beauty or female representation; likewise, reproductive rights should not depend on a person’s appearance nor be conditioned by stereotypes.
Above the figure is a crescent moon; the Moon is associated with cycles, change, and femininity, alluding to experiences such as menstruation, fertility, and bodily changes. It is about every woman’s right to know her own body, care for her health, and make her own decisions. When women thrive, communities thrive.
The green stems and leaves growing around the body represent personal growth: they suggest that women must have the freedom to make informed decisions about their own bodies and lives. This entails consent and access to accurate information, healthcare services, and education, as well as the ability to decide whether, when, and under what conditions to have children. White clouds and stars appear around the figure, creating an imaginary, open, and free space that suggests the freedom to be different, diverse possibilities, and a future free from discrimination.
The message “reproductive health: a universal right” conveys that sexual and reproductive health is not merely a medical issue but a matter of individual rights. These rights encompass access to health information and services, respect for consent, bodily autonomy, non-discrimination, and the freedom to make informed decisions regarding sexuality and reproduction.
With this poster, we wish to convey a simple message: every person has the right to know and respect their own body, to have access to healthcare, and to make their own decisions regarding sexuality and reproduction. Without these rights being genuinely guaranteed, we cannot speak of gender equality.
The Gender Equality Festival® is an awareness-raising campaign organized by the A.L.E.G. Association, aimed primarily at young people, to help them familiarize themselves with concepts such as human rights, women’s rights, and sexual and reproductive rights. We want to invite them to look beyond stereotypes and prejudices.
This year, the Gender Equality Festival is funded by the European Union. However, the views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the EACEA can be held responsible for them.
