LGBTI community events: Transgender Transition

It often happens that certain letters in an acronym LGBTI stay silent, or shadowed by louder and more visible identities.

Due to Transgender Awareness week we organised event on 18th November in 2017, in which transgender persons shared with us their personal experience, needs and wantings.

Temporary the most visible transgender activists in Bosnia and Herzegovina Liam was with us, together with Elena, a trans woman, father and husband, who decided to start the transitioning process.

Liam and Elena created a space for free dialogue and questions by sharing their honesty, that caused a thrill that people felt after they heard their personal stories.

According to the information that Liam started his transition process in Zagreb, and Elena started a transitioning process in Belgrade, we had an opportunity to hear what kind of treatment we can get in our Region and we got all information about everything that is missing in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but it is relevant for trangender people.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, a medical stuff needed for process of transition does not exist and the prices of hormones are higher than in Serbia.

We spent evening in opened and friendly atmosphere, but we could not close our eyes in front of issues faced by transgender persons in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The only possibility for transgender persons is the fact that they can change their name, even it is not in accordance with a sex marker in their personal documents.

After the event finished we realized that the need for organising more events on this topic during a year exists.

A trangender awareness is extremly important in the process of empowering transgender community and combating prejudices against them, especially within the LGB community.

It is important to thank Liam and Elena, because without their personal stories we could talk only about statistics.

We hope that Bosnia and Herzegovina will become a country for all of us, and until that our obligation is to fight for our rights.