Transgender people in North Macedonia are taking to the streets in a March for Visibility of Trans Citizens in Skopje on March 29, organized by TransFormA, a civic society organization. They are refusing to be silenced.
The protest took place ahead of Transgender Day of Visibility, an annual event held on March 31 to honor trans people and their contributions to society and raise awareness of prejudice they face around the world. TDOV or Trans Day of Visibility is frequently used as a reference point for the occasion.
For the second year in a row, a common protest was held in order to lessen the violence and prejudice experienced by members of this excluded group, according to Sloboden Peat.
Under the motto “We march bravely”, dozens of trans people and their allies walked through the streets of Skopje from the seat of the government to the national parliament, holding signs reading, “It’s not a choice to be trans, it’s a choice to be transphobic”, “We love you just the way you are”, “I don’t need permission to be me”, “Visibility is key to social change”, “Visibility is resistance”, “I am safest when I’m with my trans friends”…
I do not need permission to be me, and I’m just as perplexed as you are about your gender identity!” on flags at the March for Visibility of Transgender Citizens in Skopje, North Macedonia, March 29, 2024. Photo by Vančo Džambaski from the photograph album ‘Marching Boldly’ on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 DEED).
At the beginning of the protest, advocate Leo Popović stated that they were advocating for a future in which trans people can live boldly, properly, and with respect. According to Radio MOF, they want to respect those who have lost their lives as a result of violence and discrimination that have marginalized the trans community.
The demonstrators noted troubling changes despite some improvement. Popović emphasized the danger of “conservative right-wing movements that spread disinformation and try to spread senseless love.”
Овие движења се обидуваат да ги поткопаат правата и достоинството на трансродовите лица преку правење лажна паника, предизвикување дискриминација и сеење омраза. Мора да ја отфрлиме оваа штетна реторика и да ги поддржиме вистинските семејни вредности: емпатија, разбирање и безусловна љубов.
By causing fake fear, inciting discrimination, and spreading hatred, these actions attempt to undermine transgender people’s rights and dignity. We must support the core community values of compassion, understanding, and unconditional love while dispelling this offensive language.
Transgender people identify with a gender that is distinct from the one that is generally assigned to them at birth. They are subject to widespread bias in North Macedonia because their official records do not reflect the gender they identify with, along with shame.
Marchers urged the parliament to pass draft laws on civil registration, which would make it simple for transgender people to change the gender designation on their official records.
These legislative changes have been in parliamentary procedure since 2021 to align the nation’s legal system with EU anti-discrimination measures as a prerequisite for joining the European Union (EU). But, they were stalled by criticism from right-wing social parties in cooperation with religious institutions. They organized disinformation-fueled demonstrations against this law and the law on gender justice in 2023.
Trans people are hated in religious circles.
Prior to International Transgender Day of Visibility, the Commission on Prevention and Protection Against Discrimination (KSZD), an independent state body charged with protecting human rights, released a statement of support for transgender people.
The Commission stated that the transgender community faces widespread bias and vilification, the violation of their human rights, and crime.
Системската дискриминација кон трансродовите лица најнапред е видлива преку отсуството на законско решение за правно признавање на родот – постапка за промена на личното име, матичниот број и ознаката за пол во личните документи. Оваа постапка, согласно потребите на заедницата и меѓународните стандарди, мора да биде транспарентна, достапна и заснована на самоопределување, односно не смеат да се наметнуваат медицински критериуми за да се овозможи промена на документитe.
Lacking a legitimate solution to the process for changing the names of people with personal ID numbers and the gender designation on personal documents highlights the systemic discrimination against transgender people. According to the needs of the community and global standards, this procedure for change of data in specific documents must be clear, visible and based on self- determination, without imposing of health criteria.
The committee has made an appeal to the government and parliament to enact the proposed changes, which may add a third category for gender-neutral individuals to personal records. This would give those who do not identify strictly as male or female the opportunity to be recognized.
Additionally, this is a state’s constitutional obligation, as demonstrated by the European Court of Human Rights’ decision regarding legal gender recognition in the case of X v. the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in 2019, in which the court determined that national legislation’s lack of quick, transparent, and accessible procedures for gender identification violated Article 8 (right to respect for private and family life) of the European Convention on Human Rights.
‘Secure trans prospects’ and ‘Visibility is weight’ flags at the March for Visibility of Transgender Citizens in Skopje, North Macedonia, March 29, 2024. Photo by Vančo Džambaski from the album ‘Marching Boldly’ on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 DEED).
The lack of a legal framework for transgender people is a result of the Anti-Discrimination Commission’s findings, confirmed in three new cases. These include their isolation from the labor market, prejudice against access to goods and services, ability to secure housing and healthcare services under the same conditions as other members of society. This social exclusion increases the risks of unemployment, poverty, hate crimes, and domestic violence, affecting their health and well-being.
The commission also identified three instances of discrimination based on gender in the educational system, with “lack of acceptance, bullying, and violence as major issues with long-term effects on mental health, self-assurance, and ability to fulfill their own potential,” according to the commission. This is also a cause for premature abandonment of the educational process and a barrier to equal educational participation.
” We love you just the way you are” art by Rumena N at the March for Visibility of Transgender People in Skopje, North Macedonia, March 29, 2024. Photo by Vančo Džambaski from the album ‘Marching Boldly’ on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 DEED).
The commission also raised the danger of using hate speech, abusive language, and incitement of discrimination based on gender identity, noting 37 instances of people using their “freedom of speech and freedom of assembly” to “share untruths, hate speech, and dehumanize transgender people.
„Воедно, загрижува трендот на мобилизирање на верските заедници против остварување на основните човекови права на транс луѓето. Потсетуваме дека ваквиот говор спаѓа во категоријата на незаштитен говор од слободата на изразување и истиот треба да биде предмет на сразмерна санкција”.
“We also raise concerns about the tendency to mobilize religious communities in opposition to the realization of transgender rights. We make note of the need for appropriate legal sanctions for this form of speech because it falls under the purview of unprotected speech when it comes to freedom of expression.”
Not a threat to society, in my opinion.
Similar concerns were raised during a public discussion held on March 29 in the Europe House in Skopje. Participants emphasized the need to acknowledge disinformation and manipulation and to promote equality and inclusion.
Disinformation undermines human rights & personal dignity in many parts of the world. Valuable workshop today with media, activists & experts tackling anti-gender & anti-LGBTQI narratives & promoting equality & inclusion. pic.twitter.com/5lkCecXQ8H
— EU Ambassador David Geer (@AmbassadorEU) March 29, 2024
Irena Cvetkovikj, from Coalition Margins, Mila Carovska from the health organization HERA, and Meri Jordanovska from the Metamorphosis Foundation were the panelists in the discussion on debunking anti-gender disinformation.
All three emphasized the role of the media in spreading false information by quoting non-expert viewpoints without providing context, according to Prizma.
Journalist Meri Jordanovska, a panelist, made the point that “media literacy is at a very low level, and journalists need to receive additional training on gender and gender issues to help them exclude bias and uphold Article 13 of the Code of Journalists, which distinguishes facts from opinions.”
Mila Carovska, who formerly served as the minister of education and minister of social policy, highlighted the harmful effects of disinformation based on false narratives about child sexuality, which hampered the reforms aimed at introducing comprehensive sexuality education. Statistics indicate that Macedonian teenagers begin sexual activity at age 15 two to three years earlier than their peers in countries where such education is systemic, such as the Netherlands.
Irena Cvetkovikj noted the increase of anti-gender movements, spearheaded by a network of about 30 such organizations named “Coalition for the Protection of Children,” who “claim to be protectors of children, while in reality, they attack transgender people.”
According to Cvetkovikj, these organizations cause moral panic that also harms the much larger populations of women and LGBT people. She added that these movements have an administrative impact, which has led some municipalities to remove the term “gender equality” from a number of legal and policy documents.
„Во принцип се работи за стотина трансродови луѓе во државата кои се претставени како голема опасност, а се всушност прилично ранлива група.”
“In principle, there’s only about a hundred transgender people living in this country, and they are presented as great danger, while in essence they are quite a vulnerable group.”
“I’m confused about my gender just as much as you do about yours, I tell you!” and “I don’t need permission to be me” banners at the March for Visibility of Transgender People in Skopje, North Macedonia, March 29, 2024. Photo by Vančo Džambaski from the album ‘Marching Boldly’ on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 DEED).
Global Voices has previously covered the connection between anti-gender equality structures that use homophobia, transphobia, the stigmatization of LGBTQ+ people, Russian propaganda, and other forms of exploitation of existing endemic intolerance in the Balkans region to thwart democratic progress and integration into the European Union.
