Athens, Athens, November 14, 2022

PRESS RELEASE

Subject: «Two Days of Events for International Transgender Day of Remembrance 2022 | Event, Saturday 19 November 2022, Time: 18.00 | March of Remembrance, Sunday 20 November 2022, Time: 19.00»

Two Days of Events for International Transgender Day of Remembrance 2022 | Event, Saturday 19 November 2022, Time: 18.00 | March of Remembrance, Sunday 20 November 2022, Time: 19.00

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, invites you to two days of events, dedicated to the International Transgender* Day of Remembrance.

The International Transgender* Day of Remembrance, held for the twelfth consecutive year, is a day of remembrance and honor for all trans persons who have been victims of transphobic hatred, crimes and violence, as well as a day of awakening to the problems that trans persons face in their daily lives. In our country, for the first time the event took place in 2010, following the initiative of our memorable President Marina Galanou.

Last year, according to the Global Trans* Murder Monitoring, there were 327 murders of trans and gender diverse persons around the world, and together with suicides and unexplained deaths, they reach and exceed 389 records.

The above numbers are indicative, as they are only the recorded incidents, while we should note that the real number is possibly much higher, as in many countries either trans and gender diverse persons are not recognized with their true identity, or do not exist at all records.

At the same time, in our country, consistently in recent years according to the records of the Racist Violence Recording Network, the rates of racist incidents and discrimination against trans persons remain high, accounting for approximately 20% of the total recorded incidents , a dramatically disproportionate number in relation to the small subgroup of trans and gender diverse persons.

All the above data, show that it is imperative to take all the necessary steps, both at the level of the State and at the level of society, in order to combat racism, intolerance, stigmatization and discrimination – which are often found under an institutional framework-, facing our community.

The World Health Organization (WHO), as of June 2018, issued the new classification list ICD-11 , from which every concept that psychiatricizing and pathologizing the trans condition has been removed. Our country has not yet incorporated this, with the result that transgender people, in addition to stigmatization in the health sector, suffer discrimination and exclusion in many areas, such as professional training, work and employment . And, indeed, the de-psychiatricization of gender identity through the immediate incorporation of the new ICD is a top priority for our community to which the GTSA gives and will give special weight.

Atthesametime, the reare still short comings and limitations in the legislation on the legal recognition of gender identity as evidencedin are cent survey carried out by the GTSA , while the anti-racist legislation remains incomplete because racist speech is only punished when it is linked to an act, with as a result, racist speech remains unpunished, while equal treatment legislation does not cover education, health, social security, welfare, the provision of services and goods and housing.

For this year, the GTSA has planned two days of events in memory of our transsisters and brothers who were murdered for the sole reason of their gender identity.

Specifically:

On Saturday, November 19, 2022 at 18:00, an online event will be held in view of the International Transgender* Day of Remembrance, under the auspices of the City of Athens and with the support of the International Trans Organization International Trans Fund (ITF), while it will be broadcast live through the official page of the GTSA on Facebook.

On Sunday, November 20, 2022 at 19:00, the established March of Remembrance with lighted candles will take place, starting from Omonia Square and ending at the Greek Parliament.

PROGRAM OF EVENTS

Saturday, November 19, 2022 | Time: 18.00

View video for International Trans* Day of Remembrance
Greeting/Preamble, Kimon Melikertis, General Director GTSA
Speech by the Mayor of the City of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis
Greeting from the Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, responsible for the Demography and Family Policy, Maria Syrengela
Greeting from the Professor of the School of Law of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens & President of the Greek National Commission for Human Rights (GNCHR), Maria Gavouneli
Greeting from the Deputy Ombudsman, Kalliopi Lykovardi
Greeting from the Head of the Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity Unit of the Council of Europe (CoE), Evgenia Giakoumopoulou
Keynote speech, Anna Apergi Konstantinidi, President of GTSA

Coordination: Kimon Melikertis

Political Panel

Nicholas Yatromanolakis, Deputy Minister of Culture and Sports – New Democracy,
Eirini Agathopoulou, Member of Parliament of SYRIZA – Progressive Alliance,
Nadia Giannakopoulou, Member of Parliament of PASOK – Kinima Allagis,
Kriton Arsenis, MERA25 Member of Parliament

The political panel will be moderated by the journalist Gina Moscholiou, while the lawyer at the Supreme Court and legal advisor of the GTSA, Vasilis Sotiropoulos, will provide commentary.

Sunday, November 20, 2022 | Time: 19.00

Open call for the March of Remembrance 2022

Gathering at 19.00, in Omonia Square (Fountain)
Fountain lighting in trans pride colors
Lighting candles in memory of our fellow trans people
Beginning of the Memorial Μαρψη to the Parliament, at 19.30
Greek Parliament – Formation of the number of trans victims with lit candles – A minute’s silence

* The march will take place without slogans and banners, with lit candles, in memory of all trans people who have been victims of transphobic hatred around the world.

*In the March of Remembrance, there will be portraits of our trans murdered fellow human beings, painted by the great artist/painter Dimitris Asteriou!

On Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 November, we honor the memory of all our fellow trans people who were victims of an undeclared war.

Under the auspices