Sex and gender domino

April 2015 is for trans* and intersex human rights in Europe a rather fortunate month. On the legal level that is. It still rains trans murders and suicides, not to speak of other atrocities. Which – cynically maybe – show precisely what we need that legislation for. I want  your attention for two cities in …

World Health Day 2015

The United Nations have labelled April 7 World Health Day. A day to pay explicit attention to health issues. Since our focus is trans* and inter*, or differently (and more universally) put: gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics, this is what we will look into. Luxury For transgender persons, or trans* people, or gender …

Training “Know your rights!” Registration open!

To fight for your rights, you first have to know them. Vreerwerk offers an opportunity for this. On December 9, just before Human Rights Day, we will start with an online training in human rights concerning trans* and intersex issues. In four webinars you will get to know the human rights systems of Europe and …

June 10 start of online training

On June 10 we will start the next online training “Fighting for trans* and intersex equality through human rights”. In five bi-weekly two hour webinars you will get information on the following themes: Human rights systems, global and regional Conventions, charters, courts. Selected cases, important wins Trans & Intersex rights & issues, Yogyakarta Principles Threats …

Training in trans* and intersex rights

From the beginning of 2014 Vreerwerk will offer a training in human rights with a focus on transgender and intersex issues. This course aims at staff of government and inter-governmental and non-governmental organisations, students and activists interested in trans* and intersex issues that need a basis in human rights for their work, but are not …

Trans in the head

Earlier I argued that trans* is not a disorder and that the problem is more likely with transphobia than with gender variation. I showed how much we are stuck in binary thinking that needs to get rid of its expectations of universality. A way out may lie in the concept of “fuzzy sets”. In the future, trans …

Trans kids need support not diagnosis

October 19, 2013 is the international day on the depathologisation, declaring not a disorder but a positive diversity, of trans people. And because of high level developments in the World Health Organisation, that is responsible for revising the International Classification of Diseases, that is used for understanding what is a sickness, a disease, a disorder – be …

A gay rights conference in Antwerp

From July 31 to August 2 the World Outgames LGBT Human Rights Conference took place in Antwerp. The conference was titled: “From safe harbours to equality. A changing LGBT world: transitions and migrations.” For a LGBT human rights conference I am sad to say it was an absolute failure for being not inclusive and run …

Call me Kuchu

Toen ik vrijdag aan mijn inleiding werkte, zag ik het volgende bericht: “Verwerping, angst, schaamte, schuld, ziekte, dakloosheid, armoede en degelijke overheersen in de LGTBi gemeenschap in Jinja, Oost-Oeganda. Vanwege het stigma dat veroorzaakt wordt door de Oegandese strafwet, religieus onderwijs, culturele overtuigingen en de negatieve berichtgeving van pers en media. Deze haatcampagnes waar politiek …