Athens, February 10, 2023

PRESS RELEASE:

Subject: «GTSA publicly refutes the veteran footballer’s arguments, while denouncing his continuous racist/transphobic speech»

GTSA publicly refutes the veteran footballer’s arguments, while denouncing his continuous racist/transphobic speech

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, as well as sex workers, with this press release, complains the veteran footballer’s continuous unacceptable, abusive, racist/transphobic speech against trans persons, but also against the LGBTQI+ community in general.

The veteran footballer who was sentenced in the first instance by the Single-Member Misdemeanor Court of Athens to ten (10) months in prison with a three-year suspension for public incitement of violence against transgender persons [1], a decision against which he has filed an appeal, continues to spread transphobic hatred in society [2]

While he’s certainly never met a gender diverse child, nor of course their parents, to know first-hand what transgender means, he still commits the classic unscientific offense of linking sexual orientation and gender identity with the crime of sexual abuse of minors.

He even claims that in the trial in which he was the defendant for transphobic reasons, a trial in which he did not honor the Court with his presence, psychotherapist of the Transgender Support Association who testified as a witness, stated that she allegedly examined 300 children and that of these only 4 went to the Committee for the process of legal recognition of gender identity.

With this announcement the GTSA publicly and ceremoniously deny the veteran footballer, as such evidence was never submitted and the witness never stated that she examined 300 children, of which only 4 went to the Committee.

The witness testified that in the 13 years she has been working in her specialty, she has seen more than 300 gender diverse persons and their families. This has absolutely nothing to do with the Committee for the process of legal recognition of gender identity, which of course was not established 13 years ago, but with Law 4491/2017 which the veteran footballer fought so strongly with his reprehensible post.

His claim that children who did not proceed with legal recognition of gender identity “rescued” offends the children themselves, who experience the abusive reality of not being able to harmonize their lives with their gender identity. The veteran has contributed to this abuse with his anti-social attitude. This is the complete truth. It didn’t rescue anyone, contrary to his attitude he sends young souls to destruction and possible suicide. And he has not given a single apology, since he considers that he has been wronged and that he is allegedly being persecuted for his views.

Also, as he mentions in the morning TV show of ANT1 on 08/02/2023: […] you referred to the statements I had made at the time about sex change in minor children and that I said in the end to legalize pedophiles and complete the crimes . I had made that statement referring to and enraged of course, because I considered what is going to be done to minor children, I consider it a crime […]

In this regard, we should clarify that the legal recognition of gender identity (L.4491/2017) has nothing to do with medical procedures, much more with gender reassignment procedures (and indeed “sex change” as erroneously referred to by the veteran football player). The legal recognition of gender identity is only a legal procedure concerning the change of the registered gender and name in the public registry documents.

Trans children and adolescents, as proven by international and European research, experience the greatest degree of harassment, intra-school bullying or even violence based on their gender identity or gender expression, in fact the suicide rates among trans children and adolescents exceed the terrifying rate of 40% due to the non-recognition of their gender identity [3]

The Council of Europe, in its new Report on legal gender recognition in Europe, specifically states that:

[…][…]Most transgender people realize that their gender identity does not match the gender they were assigned at birth, well before the age of 18. [4]. An EU-commissioned study further describes how young trans respondents “have repressed their feelings about their gender identity and have delayed coming out with their gender identity for decades rather than years due to intense fear of family rejection or loss of their job” […] [5]

Of course, the best answer to these has already been received by the veteran footballer from members of the close core of his family with their public announcement [6].

The fact that he has chosen this very issue to “campaign” on the backs of trans/gender diverse children and their families only characterizes him and of course the broadcasters and other media that hosts such transphobic and unscientific delusions.

The Greek Transgender Support Association strongly complaints the statements and their careless and unreserved hospitality by all media, invites the parents of trans/gender diverse children to not listen to such delusions and turn to specialized professionals on these issues, always recalling the recent criminalization of “conversion therapies”, and calls once again on the State to immediately amend the anti-racist legislation, so that not only the public incitement of violence or hatred is criminalized, but in general any form of hate speech, and additional measures are taken when it is expressed by public figures.

THE BOARD OF MEMBERS

GREEK TRANSGENDER SUPPORT ASSOCIATION

6 Evagelistrias, Kallithea Athens, 17671

Tel. (+30) 210. 9210 697

Office hours: Monday to Friday 11.00-18.00

http://tgender.gr – http://www.transgender-association.gr/

syd.secretary@gmail.com – transgender.support.association@gmail.com

Σύνδεσμοι – Παραπομπές:

[1] GTSA Press Release 04.11.2022: http://tgender.gr/deltio-typoy-mia-idiaitera-simantik/

[2] https://www.in.gr/2023/02/08/politics/kommata/vasilis-tsiartas-loatki-koinotita-ftanei-mexri-tin-paidofilia/

[3] New Study Reveals Shocking Rates of Attempted Suicide Among Trans Adolescents: https://www.hrc.org/news/new-study-reveals-shocking-rates-of-attempted-suicide-among-trans-adolescen

[4]Α long way to go for LGBTI equality: https://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra_uploads/fra-2020-lgbti-equality_en.pdf