Athens, December 12, 2022
PRESS RELEASE:
Subject: «The racist-transphobic delirium of PASOK-KINAL General Secretary of Volunteerism ,KaterinaLaspa, constitutesabuse and violence for reasons of gender expression and gender identity»
The Greek Transgender Support Association (GTSA), is a voluntary non-governmental organization that promotes the rights and freedoms of trans, gender-diverse and LGBTQI+ persons in general, strongly protests and denounces the unacceptable, abusive and extreme racist transphobic speech of PASOK’s General Secretary of Volunteerism Katerina Laspa.
A few days ago, specifically on December 25, before Christmas Day, the organizations: Thessaloniki Pride& Rainbow Families, publicly announced an event they co-organized in which Drag Queens read Christmas stories to children, in a children’s daycare center in the area of Thessaloniki.
The event – as expected – received a lot of publicity, causing a delirium of hatred mainly from far-right groups, as a result of which the organizations changed the location of the event, in order to protect both the children and parents who had declared participation, and in general the persons who would be in the space.
We are disappointed to read that racist delusions did not exist only from the extreme right, but also from executives of political parties of the democratic area.
In particular, the General Secretary of Volunteerism of PASOK – KINAL, Katerina Laspa, publicly commented with an abusive, intolerant hate speech on the basis of gender expression and gender identity, through her personal account on Instagram, characterizing as “degradation” both the celebratory educational content action, as well as Drag Queens.
“Let everyone do what he/she wants to himself/herself. No one has the right to indirectly impose such standards on children,” she added in her post.
The expressions of hatred of the General Secretary of Volunteerism of PASOK, are an insult to personality that are aimed both at the core of the personality of trans and gender-diverse persons, including Drag Queens, as well as against LGBTQI+ persons in general.
She characterizes it as “degradation” for the sole reason that in this particular action children’s Christmas stories were read by Drag Queens.
All of the above are not just stereotypes that PASOK’s General Secretary of Volunteerism Katerina Laspa may have, but they have clear racist/transphobic characteristics.
In this direction and in relation to the pervasive climate of intolerant speech that emanates even from public or political figures, we call on the State to immediately amend the anti-racist legislation, so that not only the public incitement of violence or hatred is criminalized, but more generally any form of hate speech, and furthermore to take additional measures when it emanates from public figures.
Also, we call on PASOK-KINAL to proceed immediately with the final deletion of Mrs. Laspa, given that the mission of the party includes the preservation of the human/individual rights of all our fellow citizens, including LGBTQI+.
Finally, we reserve all our legal rights, as the expressions used by PASOK-KINAL’s General Secretary of Volunteerism Katerina Laspa, blatantly insult both the personality of trans, gender diverse persons, including drag queens, as well as the LGBTQI+ community as a whole .
THE BOARD OF MEMBERS
GREEK TRANSGENDER SUPPORT ASSOCIATION
15 ViktorosUgo, 10437, Athens
Trans Day Reception & Empowerment Center: Evangelistrias 6, Kallithea Athens, 17671
Tel. 210.9210 697 & 698 753 9741
Office hours for the public: Tuesday & Thursday – 12.00-20.00
http://tgender.gr – http://www.transgender-association.gr/
syd.secretary@gmail.com – transgender.support.association@gmail.com
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