Steering Committee of TGEU

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.

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.

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!