Non-existant
Occasionally I share here stories about my gender transition. A few days ago it was one about my observations on the value and joy of living authentically and not fearing to break with convention.
Well, what do you know? Today the constitutional court in my country ruled that that only biological sex exists and that there exists no reason for anyone to be granted legal changes in their civic status with regards to sex and gender identity. The exception being intersex people, and only those with chromosomal intersex conditions that lead to ambiguous secondary sex characteristics, so not even the majority of intersex people. That's rich, on the international day of intersex visibility, too.
But I'm crushed. I already knew that my chances to legally transition in my country were slim, but I still hoped that some years down the line I could do that. I'm almost 40. I've known I was trans for a good 30 years of those 40. When I was around 20 I wanted to start medical transitions but got cold feet, so I voluntarily walked back straight into the closet and tried my damnedest to make it as a woman. It was only this year when I decided that enough is enough and I'll live as I was meant to. I was/am happy with my decision. Today was a rude reminder why I went back into the closet. Tonight I have a lot of anger, disappointment and sadness to process, as apparently I don't exist.
there are other countrys too. maybe your is not the right one for,that happens sometimes. (dunno where you live and what other options are there) but leaving the area that doesn't allow to be is not a bad decision, it is not a coward move,it's surviving. Darvin would approve.
True, and I've already emigrated, so on a very immediate level I'm in a lot less shitty situation that other trans people. While anti-trans violence is on the rise here as well, most of the time I'm safe. That's a huge relief. On the other hand, pursuing transition in one country, while being a citizen of another that lacks the legal mechanisms for recognizing transition is messy, to put it gently.
I had been hoping to get the process in parallel in both countries, because I still have family back in eastern europe. They aren't getting any younger or healthier, so time will come when I'll need to spend more time back there. And international travel when trans is a pain already. Recently local trans organizations had been managing to make some legal progress, so I was being cautiously optimistic. This new ruling kinda came out of left field, so right now I'm just angry and processing it.
@oneeyed It is true, there are other countries - I am an example of emigration "for a better life" (for other reasons). But it's sad and unfair that you have to run away from where you live to have basic human rights. It's hard for me to find censored words to describe how awful it is. It should not be like that. But ... we know life isn't fair.
@hormeza I am out of censored words myself. I'm so bitter. In two weeks we have elections, so this might be just the usual pre-election muddying the waters, since there was literally no event to require the constitutional court to convene and suddenly decide to weigh on this specific issue. Joke's on them. If I wasn't 100% sure how I'm casting my vote before, now I definitely know what I'm voting for, and against.
So it can be said that it is a political game at the cost of human life and human rights?
May I ask where are you from? If you don't want to speak, of course I understand.
@hormeza Yes and no. I think the timing for this court ruling is definitely for political reasons. However, for several years now there has been a marked trend towards a highly conservative, nationalistic, anti-european sentiment. "Traditional values" and neopatriotism, etc. So even without this ruling, things have been bad for the LGBTIA crowd.
I'm from the Balkans. Not sure if I'm ready to specify where, though it's probably easy to put 2 and 2 together.
I'm originally from Poland and exactly the same is happening in my country. And one country serves as an example for "my" government. So...probably i put 2 and 2 corectly😅And as a "refugee" from a similar political regime, I somehow know maybe minimally what you feel. A certain fear and anger. Therefore, the more I "hug you virtually". And I really still have a naive hope that some countries will come to their senses and governments will be normal.
Virtual hugs back! In my country Poland is seen as the shining beacon of hope, as an example for a government that is doing the right thing by opposing the "harmful" western trends *sigh* It is so disappointing. I have many Polish friends and so many of them also emigrated, because of these issues. Poland has an immense cultural legacy, so it is sad to see marred by a regime. I wonder how much longer these trends will remain. 10 years? 15? Surely at some point the generations must change?
I have no idea. Society is strongly divided because indoctrination does work. Hardly any society is immune to it, which was perfectly demonstrated by the example of the Third Reich and has been thoroughly researched by psychologists and sociologists.
In Poland, the young generation is more normal (human rights etc. are considered the norm), but there are still many nationalists, and since they have the support of the government ... I still hope for a revolution, but sometimes I have catastrophic visions of a new rise of fascism, especially when looking at the trends in a large part of Europe. But I won't spread defeatism at night.
Because there is always hope, however, thanks to individuals who believe, do not give up and fight for the right to life, their own and others. And it's also beautiful that you also write about it.
And sorry for spam, i hate "500 signa" 🤣🤣
"Indoctrination does work." Yep, you say it right. That's partly why I'm so mad about today's court decision. Ultimately it was not because it was about an issue needing solving. It was about drawing a line in the sand and showing people what the correct side of line is. But you're right. Let's not spread defeatism late at night 😅
Tomorrow I'll look at my budget and see how much of my income I can throw at local organization that fight this BS, and in two weeks I go to the polling station and try to vote these people out. Thank you for talking with me about this tonight. It gives me courage!
And likewise sorry for the spam 🤣 Clearly it was not a "500 characters" kind of evening 🤣🤣
sry to hear that,from both of you. it seems,the more you go east,the less colors the rainbow has. strange thing. will go away someday,as all the other shit did.
Definitely, some conversations take more than 500 characters 🤣😅
And I hope that today will bring a lot of courage, strength and hope. Apparently, as long as you are fighting for something, it is a sign that the case is not lost.
@oneeyed I think that in Eastern European societies there are still several dozen years of totalitarianism and influences from Russia are strong. But this is a larger sociological treatise. Nevertheless, there is still a chance for change, it is precisely previous stories in Europe that have shown how easy it is to create dictatorships and fascism, but also how they fail.
@hormeza It's always the darkest before dawn, so indeed not all is lost.
@oneeyed Thank you for your support. I must go away eventually. Things can't stay the same.
@marbear we might have some idiots in germany talking shit,but at least,the law would be on your side here. you would face just the usual amount of shit, no extras. and when push comes to shuff, laws in your country that endanger you might be enough to grant you asylum here,if you are not EU in the first place.
My country has been in the EU for a while now. That's why the whole thing is so concerning. It paves the way for more than LGBT+ persecution. The court motivated their decision with the demographic collapse in the country. This is a slippery slope to laws against birth control, abortion, etc. I've already emigrated, so I'm not in immediate danger, other than having more trouble with administratively changing my gender in both countries. But once new laws come, what happens to half the people?