Executive Secretary

6th International Symposium on the Challenges of Law in the 21st Century "IUS XXI 2025"

6th International Symposium on the Challenges of Law in the 21st Century

IUS XXI 2025

Their |Her |His stories: Queer activist death as a catalyst for social change. The cases of Marielle Franco, Sarah Hegazi and Zak Kostopoulos/Zackie Oh
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Abstract

This article follows stories of death by assassination and suicide of queer activists in Brazil, Egypt, and Greece. It focuses on three main cases: (a) the Brazilian politician, feminist and human rights activist, Marielle Franco, who was assassinated in 2018 in Rio de Janeiro; (b)the queer Egyptian political activist Sarah Hegazi who committed suicide in 2020 in Toronto, Canada; (c) the story of Greek-American activist and drag performer Zak Kostopoulos (“Zackie Oh”), who was assassinated at the centre of Athens in 2018. By applying visual and thematic analysis on the public memorialization and commemoration practices, I explore the impact that these deaths make in the social and political movements advocating for queer and human rights on a national and international level.

Resumen

Este artículo recoge historias de muertes por asesinato y suicidio de activistas queer en Brasil, Egipto y Grecia. Se centra en tres casos principales: (a) la política brasileña, feminista y activista de derechos humanos Marielle Franco, asesinada en 2018 en Río de Janeiro; (b) la activista política queer egipcia Sarah Hegazi, que se suicidó en 2020 en Toronto, Canadá; (c) la historia del activista greco-estadounidense y artista drag Zak Kostopoulos («Zackie Oh»), asesinado en el centro de Atenas en 2018. Mediante el análisis visual y temático de las prácticas públicas de memorialización y conmemoración, exploro el impacto que estas muertes tienen en los movimientos sociales y políticos que defienden los derechos queer y los derechos humanos a nivel nacional e internacional.


 

About The Speaker

Georgia Bisia

Miss Georgia Bisia

Linköping University Flag of Belgium

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Practical Info
Presentation
English (US)
October 22, 2025 3:20 PM
10 minutes
Sala IUS
Authors
Miss Georgia Bisia
Keywords
activismo queer
cambio social
feminism
feminismo
interseccionalidad
intersectionality
movimientos sociales
muerte queer
queer activism
queer death
social change
social movements
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