We invited founding organiser Mado to talk about how and why they got started, the importance of support spaces for the transfem* community, and the challenges they are facing in the current political and economic climate in Berlin.
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Taking place every Sunday at Casa Kua, The Dolls is an open and participative space for anyone identifying within the transfem* spectrum, such as transsexuals, trans women, travestis, Two-Spirits, hormonal faggots, trannies, gender non-conforming femmes, and many more. As it states in their manifesto: “Dolls come in multiple shades, shapes, and forms. Wherever you are in your journey, you are welcome here.”
The Dolls is a transfem* only space without gatekeeping, and is open to all who identify as such. Every first Sunday is for BIPoC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) dolls only. The Dolls is not open for cops or military; our little house is anti-borders, anti-racist, and anti-capitalist.
Where did the idea for The Dolls come from?
There are probably as many herstories or hirstories of The Dolls as you will find members. But here is some gossip about how it all started. Before The Dolls were already many stories, in Berlin and in other places, about transfems* getting together in order to survive, to have fun, to weave livable and desirable lives collectively in a world that doesn't welcome us much. In Berlin, in the years before 2022 and as far as i know which is very little, there was already a DIY self-medication network, BIPoC transfem* gatherings, and irregular Transfem Tea Times and Transfem Meet Ups, in different spaces of the city. And many more different spaces of solidarity, love and support between dolls. Outside of Berlin, some of us got inspired by the work of FLIRT (Transfem Intersectionnel Radical Liberation Front) in France and by many more stories of Dolls' survival, resistance and brilliance.
The death of Ela Nik Bayan in September 2021 in Berlin also deeply affected a lot of us, and we needed to do something together in her legacy, to fight isolation and the multiple dynamics of oppressions that affect our community.
In the freezing and grey times of winter 2022, four of us met to discuss and dream about what a regular transfem* social space in Berlin would look like. We spent most of our meeting looking for a name and decided on ‘The Dolls’ because it sounds fierce and cunt, but also to honor the legacy of the names, cultures and transfem* worlds that came before us. Our initial desire was to meet other dolls, create a space with resources to support us all in our transitions, and support the growth of a radical tender and fierce political community to survive and thrive in Berlin. Our ideas received great support from Casa Kuà, who decided to welcome us every Sunday. And our meetings haven't stopped since!
How has the project developed since?
Sunday after Sunday, more dolls kept coming and sharing space together, doing their magic and shaping our growing community. Of course some started flirting, plotting and organizing together, and new projects were born, spreading the dolls revolution outside of our nest. We learned together while doing it what it means to be part of a transfem* community space. After some months, the main structures of The Dolls were created: the clothing swap, the self-medication counselling, the IPL machine, the workshops and the coffee/snacks/food space. Over three years, we estimate that The Dolls hosted about 3000 participants, since we are usually between 20 and 40 dolls every Sunday.
We like to imagine that our local transfem social club relies on two main pillars: community support and collective education.
Why are spaces like The Dolls so essential to the trans* community?
The Dolls is, first and foremost, a place to fight isolation, loneliness and individualism. We want to connect with each other, create solidarities between us and transition together. We focus on direct and concrete support practices, through cooking together, sharing clothes for all sizes and styles, and providing access to our collective IPL machine for hair removal. The self-medication counselling space is also precious to us, since many transfems* experience pathologization and medical violences, lack of access to proper health care and institutional support. DIY and self-medication are forms of resistance in a context of institutional abuse and attempts to erase us, and those shared practices are essential for our collective autonomy from a cis straight and racist medical establishment. And many trans* friendly doctors actually send their patients toward us, because they often don't have the answers or resources to help them.
The Dolls is also a place to share information, as well as visions, fears and dreams, to teach and challenge each other, to listen and get vulnerable, to make mistakes and learn together. These processes of collective learning take place in informal talks and meetings but also during more formal workshops, where participants facilitate collective moments. It can be a sharing circle, a political conversation, body practices or teaching each other skills. Over the years, the workshops have included themes such as Make Up, Being Trans in the Workplace, Self Defense, Sexual Health and HIV Prevention, Trans Struggles in Ghana, Decolonizing Trans History, Play Fight, Non Binarity, Antifascism, Voice Liberation, Bottom Surgery, Dancing, Letters Writing to a Sister in Jail, Solidarity with Palestine, Hormonal Feminization 101, Safer Oestro Injections… and many more.
How is The Dolls funded?
Being a self-organised DIY space, we have relied for the past three years on community support and donations from participants, as well as – more recently – public funds from Berlin's anti-discrimination budget. We are using this money to make the work of the seven organisers more sustainable in the long term, as well as to compensate our team of twenty volunteers for their precious work every Sunday. We would also like to add budget for weekly dinners, to help feed those who struggle to provide for themselves, as well as an emergency fund for dolls in precarious situations - something that we have already been doing, but which calls for more support.
How is the current political and economic situation in Berlin affecting your work?
Due to the new austerity measures, the funds we had will be reduced across the city, disproportionately impacting several of Berlin's most vulnerable communities. Preparing for the worst, we need to ensure that the space stays available and providing for those who need it most. This is the reason why we have started to raise funds and call for a wider community to support us. We have recently created a fundraiser with the goal of raising the yearly cost of running the space, so that we can continue broadening the reach of our group and providing support. This solidarity campaign would make us more resilient in the current political and economic context, and make sure that The Dolls can remain open for us to keep supporting each other in these challenging times.
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