Candidates for Co-Chairs, the Steering Committee and auditors of TGEU 2012-2014

As a national activist, working for the Polish Trans-Fuzja Foundation since 2008, I have been active on many levels, including fundraising, human rights advocacy and basic trans*sensitive trainings for various groups. My international activism began with the membership in ANSO's Board from 2010 until 2011. At that time, in September 2010 I have been also voted into the Steering Committee of Transgender Europe, during the 3rd Transgender Council in Malmo.

My current international expertise revolves around fundraising and Central-Eastern Europe support – along with Kristian Randjelovic, Richard Kohler and Kemal Ordek, we have been successfully widening TGEU's activities in the CEE and the Balkans, ensuring the ongoing support for local transgender communities, organizations and initiatives. But it does not end there. TGEU's current position – changing from a volunteer-based organization into a professionalized body is something I have been a part of for the last two years and would love to be able to move forward with the help of a newly elected Steering Committee. 

Thanks to Maria Sundin, with whom I have been co-chairing since February 2012, and Kemal Ordek we were able to address sex work issues within TGEU – a subject that has been ignored and invisibilized more than enough in trans human rights activism.

Born in 1987, I'm more on the queer side of trans. Not choosing to identify with any gender, using zie as a pronoun with a slightly feminized ft* expression. 

I am Maria Sundin, a Swedish transactivist and present Secretary and acting Co-chair of Transgender Europe. I selfidentify as a trans* woman. I had already been working in international trans* activism for a number of years when I was elected to the Executive Board of Transgender Europe at the 3rd European Transgender Coouncil 2010 in Malmö. I was also appointed by RFSL, the Swedish Federation for LGBTQ Rights to be in charge of the Swedish Organizing team for the Council.

I’m filing my candidacy for a second term with Transgender Europe, this time as one of TGEU:s two Co-chairs as well as a mmeber of the Steering Committee. To work with my present Co-chair Wiktor Dynarski has been a fantastic experience and together we have built a stong team leading the work of the Steering Committee and the Executive Board. And I hope we will be given the  honour to serve another two year period as a team. 

During the past two years Transgender Europe has seen an amazing development increasing our membership to more than 55 organisations in 32 countries and well over a hundred indvidual members. We finally succeded in securing a core-funding for TGEU which has enabled us to employ an Exective Director as well as much needed staff which was a development we could only hope for when we met for the first Steering Committee meeting in Malmö 2010.

Among the issues closest to my heart are human rights of all trans* and gender variant people including the right to health care, legal gender reconition, non-discrimination and the removal of trans* identities as psychiatric disorders as well as finally stopping the HIV/AIFS epidemic among our people.

I’m also a member of the Board of RFSL and of WPATH: Membership Committee and the MSMGF Transgender Reference Group. My candidacy for Co-chair is supported by RFSL, RFSL Malmö Transworking Group, Free Personality Expression Sweden and KIM. 

My name is Kemal Ördek and I have been a trans* and sex workers’ rights activist for more than 5 years. I have been actively involved in several LGBT rights NGOs in Turkey, carrying out several programs on trans* and sex workers’ rights issues. I coordinated a national direct legal assistance program for trans* sex workers who are victims of discrimination, hate crimes and police violence between 2009 – 2012. I also carried out monitoring and reporting projects focusing on the human rights of trans* and sex workers in Turkey. Another focus of my work has included advocacy and lobbying for the inclusion of SOGI in legislations on violence against women, anti-discrimination, hate crimes and the new constitution. 

I have been one of the Steering Committee Members of Transgender Europe since October 2011 and I I currently work for the Global Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP) as the policy officer, developing advocacy tools to increase the visibility of trans* sex workers’ issues and needs.

I run for the TGEU Steering Committee because I think it is important to have a voice from Turkey, being one of the countries where trans people face high level of atrocities. Apart from the issue of representation, I think my expertise on the issues of hate crimes, institutional violence and discrimination is important for the development of further policies and strategies for TGEU. Finally, being a trans* sex worker, I think it is important to continue the work of TGEU Sex Work Policy that I have been included in since October 2011. 

My name is Kristian Ranđelović, and I am coordinator of Trans Section in Gayten-LGBT. I  am cooperating with the an unofficial Belgrade Gender Dysphoria Medical Team in order to provide help and support to other trans persons for over 15 years now. I have been systematically developing programs for trans individuals and organizations in ex Yugoslavia region. I have been invited and participated as an expert and lecturer in various meeting, seminar and conferences organized by other NGO and professional organizations. I have also participated in the creation of the first trans site (www.transserbia.org).

As a member of Steering Committee I am part of CEE working group and I also work on intersex issues. Through my work in Steering Committee I feel that I am part of a big trans family.

I think I am and can be very productive and helpful working in TGEU Steering Committee. I agree with mission of TGEU which I support and apply in my daily work- improving the living conditions of transgender people in Eastern part of Europe.

My contribution is and can be very practical. I am learning and I am willing to learn a lot more, develop my skills and share my experience and knowledge with others.

Laura Leprince is 46 years old, French trans activist who just joined TGEU steering committee in November 2011 and running for a new period in 2012-2013.

At the national level, she has been focused on advocacy within NGO like HES - LGBT group of "Parti Socialiste" -   and currently as leader of  ID Trans' which is a  T experts group lobbying towards French authorities. Since the French Presidential election, she has been part of commission hearings at the Senate, the Parliament and  the Ministry of Justice that ended up with the first inclusion of gender identity as ground of discrimination in French penal Law (July 31st 2012).

As a recap, her main achievements since 2007  :

-          lobbying activities and projects on transgender rights since 2007 within LGBT socialist NGO HES, particularly involved in socialist parliamentary working group on trans issues since 2009  and in drafting law proposal on LGR in december 2011

-     Contribution to the FRA report on Homophobia and Discrimination on Grounds of Sexual Orientation in the EU Member States (working group meeting in Copenhagen in May 2008)

-          Focus on transgender families topics in 2008-2009 with on-line and printed publications, including one English translation - several public talks about it  since then

-          Transgender Youth survey done with HES and leMAG in 2009, translated in English for IGLYO

-          Active participant of first TGEU capacity planning meeting in Budapest 2009.

-          Map of Transphobia (testimonials and analysis) built on documentary fund from ILGA Europe, hosted by IDT (id-trans.org) 

She will be enthusiastic to contribute her best to TGEU's outstanding work done so far, starting with a focus on  higher visibility of TGEU in France - bringing new members and demonstrating that TGEU skills is instrumental in getting more political move for transgender rights and LGR at home.  As an example, a communication campaign against French state and an announcement of new French transgender case  proceedings before ECtHR will be kicked off at the TGEU council in Dublin.

It gets better, as well for trans people in Switzerland. I guess it’s safe to say that a great impact had my effort three years ago to create Transgender Network Switzerland. Since the beginning, I took care of it as co-president. A time that taught me a lot about lobbying, trans diversity, leading, networking, multilingual working. But now, as TGNS is running successfully and a great mind is ready to lead it, I see my home-work as done. It’s time for new challenges.

In my professional life, I work as a lawyer at University, writing my PhD in public health law. Having specified as well in trans rights, I got the opportunity not only to contribute to the Hammarberg report, but as well to cooperate with the steering committee and support TGEU with legal advice already.

Beside, I’m an elected member of the City of Zurich Parliament since 2004. Having started to transition in 2008, I had to make a public coming-out - a great lesson about dealing with the media in relation to trans issues.

It would be my pleasure to contribute to our common work with my experience in inter/national activism, my legal knowledge, my political background and my network among other trans-activists and our allies in Europe. 

Arja Voipio 58 is a skilled lobbyist with broad understanding of trans issues. She is a seasoned speaker and writer. She has arranged various events. In her professional life she has experience in leading complex projects both at national and at EU level. Arja has experience in advocating legal change.  She has an MSc(BA).

All TGEU member organisations in Finland support her candidacy. She would strengthen the  lobbying power of  TGEU. Her managerial skills would be welcome at a time when TGEU is reforming itself. She is first of all a team player.

Arja is currently the vice-chair of Trasek, a nationwide Finnish association advocating  trans and inter rights. She is also the chair of the transgender policy working group of Seta, the national LGBTI federation and a member of the board of HeSeta, the biggest regional member association of Seta.

Arja thinks her skills could best be utilised in organisation development, policy and lobbying as well as in capacity building but she is open to other challenges as well. She tells the main motivation behind her candidacy is a strong urge to fight the injustices trans people face in Europa and elsewhere.

I am J. Vreer Verkerke, where the J. is for my sort of female 'past' and Vreer for the current genderqueer-trans whatever present. I am from Amsterdam, the Netherlands (small self important country between UK and Germany). I am an ex MTF transsexual, a “transman born in the wrong body”, living as genderqueer educator and activist

My experience 

As a seasoned trans activist with many years of work in self help, grass roots activism and NGO work on LGBT issues and trans/gender/queer interests. Some highlights:

– Several years of experience in social support for trans people

– Founder of the first genderqueer group in the Netherlands (Noodles, leading an underground existence these days)

– Co-organizer of the first world transgender conference on gender identity in Barcelona 2010

– Two and a half years work experience as policy and advocacy officer at Transgender

Network Netherlands where I co-wrote proposal for better gender recognition legislation, much like the Argentinian one (still waiting to be tabled in parliament)

– Active in trans* health care and human rights advocacy work since 2010

– Research assistance for Human Rights Watch report on the situation of trans in the Netherlands (“Controlling bodies, denying identities”)

– Coordinating FRA LGBT survey in the Netherlands

With my national and international experience I can help TGEU in getting in touch with the new emerging forms of trans, being more queer. I will help TGEU and its members convince our governmental partners that only a human rights based approach can do justice to our needs. Until all trans people are free, no trans person is really free. I'll help Europe to become more of a trans* paradise than it ever imagined and fight for trans acceptance by queering the world, one issue at a time. I dance the diplomatic political dance as well as more unruly political pogo. I make a difference.

A lutta continua!

¡L*s trans* unid*s jamas serán vencid*s!

Fight transphobia, not transgender!

Being the president and founder of the first LGBTQ organization in the South-Caucasus, I believe my experience and skills, my expertise in data exchange in Europe and Central Asia, make me an appropriate candidate for TGEU Steering Committee.

For around nine years now, I have been involved in national/regional and international strategy campaign targeting TG awareness-raising, capacity building, empowerment and advocacy programs.

As a member and expert of a range of international organizations (USAID, UNDP, EATG, EKOM, IAS, EQUITAS, etc.), I attach primary importance to lobbying and advocacy for TG related public policies. My motivations to become a member of TGEU SC are as follows:

- To promote the Civil Society activities by expanding the network of TG organizations, European policy makers and communities;

- To set up a regional dialogue of TG organizations in the South Caucasus and Eastern Europe to develop new strategies to respond regional situation;

- To monitor national strategies and advocate for TG inclusiveness.

Given this focus within my work and interest in transgender movement, I would push to keep lobby and advocacy for transgender rights at the heart of TGEU’s work, ensuring that transgender people across Europe, and especially from Eastern Europe, live in a safe and supportive environment.

Having the support of my organization to run for the TGEU election, I can ensure that I will work with determination, focus and responsibility to have my input in transgender activism.

Lizethe is a transgendered participant, consultant, caseworker and activist, living in Denmark.

Her great passion is working with Trans*persons, Human rights and transversal gender identities. 

For 20 years she worked for organizations that defend human rights within the area integration and exclusion in: Colombia (Projekt Life Foundation), Germany (Sontag´s Klub), Spain (COGAM, FELGTB, CEAR, Amnesty International-Spain) og Denmark (T-Group, LGBT-Danmark , Pangea).

The five crucial years Lizethe worked full-time in Cogam (cogam.org) - the LGBT organization based in Madrid, where she focused on laboral integration of and Human rights for Trans*persons.

She also worked to develop the situation for refugees and trans*persons seeking asylum in Europe. 

Her work here also included creating and participating in workshops on Trans*equality - both locally and abroad.

In Madrid Lizethe was involved with introducing three laws for Trans*persons:

As a consultant for the Spanish Socialist Party in the Parlament in Madrid they prepared: “Law project against discrimination of gender identity and pro rights for transsexual persons in the municipality of Madrid.”

As a consultant for Ministery for equality in Spain, they developed the “Law for Equality and against discriminaiton”

The third law was: “Law of name-and gender change in the civil register for Transsexuals”

Working as the vice president of RFSL. Beside the work as vice president of RFSL, I have studied political science and now Middle East- and North Africa studies at Stockholm University. 

I has been working within NGO:s for about 15 years. In 1998 I became active in the Norwegian student Union as a board member. After a year of activism I became a volonteer for the European umbrella organisation for student unions in Europe, OBESSU. Within OBESSU I was working specifically with building youth and student organisations in the former Yugoslavian countries. Further on the work consisted out of much lobby and advocacy work towards European institutions such as the Europan Union and Council of Europe.  I have also worked as executive director for an NGO aiming at improving the situation for teathergroups. After my engagement in both the student union and the teathre organisation I became the president of RFSL:s partner in Oslo, LLH Oslo. My engagement resulted on five years of activism in the Norwegian lgbt-organisation. But, after a while there was need for some change and then I decided to apply for a job as the executive director of RFSL Stockholm. I got the job and was the executive director for RFSL Stockholm in about two years. RFSL Stockholm was at that point an organisation with ten employees. 

Why do I want to be auditor of TGEU?

TGEU is an organisation developing fast. The development is resulting in more project funding, employees and the need for a professional running of the organisation. I believe that I can support the steering committe in this work. 

My background and my experience from many years of activism within different organisations has given me alot of experience in the field of auditing, organisational development, capacity building, project management, leadership and on issues concerning employees. This experience I believe will be valuable in the further development of TGEU. The main responsibility for this work is of course laying on the steering committee. But I still do believe that my experience can be a good support for the steering committe in their work.