Transgender Europe
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• Contact • • Definitions • • Key Activities • Email: [email protected] We understand ‘gender identity’ to refer to each person’s deeply felt internal and individual experience European Transgender Council Transgender Website: of gender, which may or may not correspond with the Biennial conference on human rights activism in the www.tgeu.org sex assigned at birth, including the personal sense field of transgender equality in Europe with more than www.transrespect-transphobia.org of the body (which may involve, if freely chosen, 200 participants: modification of bodily appearance or function 2005 – Vienna • 2008 – Berlin • 2010 – Malmo Facebook: by medical, surgical or other means) and other www.facebook.com/TransRightsEurope expressions of gender, including dress, speech and mannerisms. (Yogyakarta Principles 2007) Networking and Building Alliances Europe Close cooperation with ILGA-Europe, Trans Secretariat • Bank • Gender expression can be defined as the way in of ILGA World, STP 2012 – Trans Depathologization which every human being expresses herself/himself/ Network, IDAHO – International Day Against Homophobia Nord-Ostsee Sparkasse Flensburg hirself in genderized terms – that is to say, the way Campaign, GATE – Global Activists for Trans* Equality, Süderstr. 71-73 in which all persons express themselves within and APTN – Asia-Pacific Transgender Network 24955 Harrislee the different possibilities that the gender spectrum Germany offers – like masculinity, femininity, androgyny, etc. Research and Awareness Raising Campaigns Gender expression refers to the visible aspects (such IBAN DE 47 2175 0000 0163 4963 67 as appearance, clothing, speech, and behavior) of a • “Transrespect versus Transphobia Worldwide” person‘s gender identity. BIC/SWIFT NOLADE21NOS research project – TvT Registry Number 468948000 The term transgender people (or just trans people) • Trans Murder Monitoring Project – TMM Federal Ministry of the Interior, Austria includes those people who have a gender identity which is different to the gender assigned at birth and • TransEuro Study – large scale study with 2575 September 2010 www.tgeu.org those people who wish to portray their gender identity participants from 13 countries in a different way to the gender assigned at birth. It includes those people who feel they have to, or • “... And Others! Transgender Visibility and prefer or choose to, whether by clothing, accessories, Argumentation tool–kit for Transgender Inclusion” cosmetics or body modification, present themselves differently to the expectations of the gender role Information Exchange Platform assigned to them at birth. This includes, among many others, transsexual and transgender people, Lobbying & Advocacy with the European Institutions transvestites, cross dressers, no gender, multigender, genderqueer people, including intersex and gender Training and Support Seminars on lobbying and variant people who relate to or identify as any of the advocacy for member organizations above. (TVT 2010) • Who We Are • • Our Mission • • Eight Human Rights • • How We Work • Transgender Europe – TGEU is a European non-profit, The mission of TGEU is to improve Transgender Europe has identified eight non-governmental umbrella organization, which works TGEU strives to achieve its towards the full equality and inclusion of all trans people the living conditions of transgender key human rights essential to the in Europe. TGEU was founded in 2005, during the 1st people all over Europe and: well being of transgender people: organizational goals by European Transgender Council in Vienna and is today registered as an NGO under Austrian Law. Currently (Aug 2010) TGEU has 31 member groups from 18 countries to represent trans people 1 An equal right to obtain and retain from the wider Europe and beyond. The biennial General throughout Europe work, without prejudice. • Advocating and promoting Assembly elects the board and a steering committee, the rights of trans people which form the governing bodies. 2 A right to documents and papers that to be the primary source for reflect the reality of those living in their and their communities within preferred gender role. This includes: • Vision • information and advice on the European Institutions a A right to change one‘s name including Transgender Europe envisions a Europe free from all transgender issues on a to one of a different gender, where discrimination – especially including discrimination on European level names are ‚gendered‘ without medical grounds of gender identity and gender expression; a treatment as a pre-requisite Europe where gender variant people are respected and • Raising awareness on issues valued, a Europe where each and every person can freely to have a leading role in lobbying b A right to change one’s gender in all that trans people and their choose to live in whichever gender he or she prefers, public documents without medical without interference. European and international treatment as a pre-requisite communities‘ experience institutions on transgender issues 3 A right to be recognized for all legal • Why we are here • purposes in the preferred gender without medical treatment as a pre-requisite In European societies people are exclusively perceived to support a strong transgender • Building capacity for trans as either men or women. People whose gender identity movement by developing and 4 A right to have access to minimum quality people and their communities or gender expression differs from the socially accepted gender reassignment treatments ones, face being discriminated, ridiculed, harassed or implementing networks and even attacked. No state in Europe can be regarded as 5 A right to be treated equally in all other training programs health care areas, without prejudice safe space for trans people. As a consequence many • Engaging with research on transgender people barely, if at all, participate in social and public life. Along with them, are also many trans to work together with academic 6 A right to safety in public and in private trans people and their communities people who have been traumatized and frightened by 7 A right to equal access to goods, services, society and often are unable to live a life in dignity. researchers who study issues housing and other facilities, without prejudice Transgender Europe believes that it is the duty and relevant to transgender lives and obligation of all states in Europe to protect all citizens • Networking and building alliances put this research to use for the 8 A right to relationship recognition and residents including trans people and to ensure that including marriage, and a right to with national, and regional everybody can live in dignity and respect. benefit of transgender people. found and retain a family. governance and other NGOs.