The Dolls

The Dolls was born in 2022 as a meeting of various transfem* initiatives to form a mutual support network to help fight isolation, perform community care, and support our community.

With the support of Casa Kua, "The Dolls" established itself through tireless and constant self-organized weekly gatherings, creating an open and participative space for anyone identifying within the transfem* spectrum: transsexuals, trans women, travestis, Two-Spirits, hormonal faggots, trannies, gender non-conforming femmes, and many more. Part of our slogan reads:

"Dolls come in multiple shades, shapes, and forms. Wherever you are in your journey, you are welcome here."

The Dolls became a regular social meetup, welcoming between 20 and 40 people every Sunday since 3 years, and provides a safer space for diverse transfem communities in Berlin.

Our space offers a hang-out space to meet others with similar experiences in the city, and to discuss and drink a warm cup of tea over light gossip; but also a direct system of collective care. As a collective, we are committed to make the space welcoming for everyone, especially for the most precariously situated members of our community, challenging the internal power dynamics between us such as racism or gender normativity.

Basing itself on peer-to-peer knowledge, skill, and material resource sharing, The Dolls has become a facilitating space for us to learn and unlearn from each other, creating bonds and standing together with each other in solidarity.

Currently with a team of 7 people and 20 volunteers, "The Dolls" has facilitated more than 60 peer-to-peer workshops for at least 3000 participants, while simultaneously hosting spaces for discussions and direct solidarity practice as well as making available weekly food, a clothing swap, and a communal IPL machine.

Being a self-organized DIY space, we have relied for 3 years on the community support and donations from participants, as well as public funds from Berlin's anti-discrimination budget. Sadly, due to the new austerity measures, these funds will be reduced across the city, disproportionately impacting several of Berlin's most vulnerable communities, abolishing inclusion and diversity programmes in culture.

Preparing for the worst, we need to ensure that the space stays available and providing for those who need it most. As such, we have created this fundraiser with the goal of raising the yearly cost of running the space, so that we can continue broaden the reach of our group and recieving and providing support. This way, independent from the broader economic situation, "The Dolls" can remain open for us to keep supporting each other in these challenging times.

This year, 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 larger support.

"The Dolls" is not open for cops or military, it is anti-borders, anti-racist, and anti-capitalist.

Hosted by Casa Kuà every Sunday from 16:00 to 20:00.

The first Sunday is for BIPoC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) dolls only.

Photo credits: Nila