Galery

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"Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are". I encountered this quote by Marilyn Monroe some time ago. She may not be remembered as a great thinker or philosopher, but her conclusion is of general validity.

Each of us has faced public disapproval. At such times, you have to choose between what society wants from you and what you actually are.

We rarely think about issues that do not affect us directly, but I remembered this quote when I came across the issue of unjustified arrests of transgender women in Thessaloniki for the second time last week. Actually it concerns women who were born in a male body (or vice versa) and fight for their right to be themselves in a society that denies their existence.

We asked president of The Greek Transgender Support Association Mariana Galanou for a comment on the latest events. "In the case of recent arrests in Thessaloniki, it regards intentional persecution because of gender," explained Galanou. She said that the problem existed in the past, but has now resurfaced again.

The change in public governance and new wave of hatred provoked by the church and neo-Nazi organizations in the country have led to the awakening of homophobic behaviour. "There is no law to protect us. This is the core of the problem." It is not characteristic only for Greece but for other countries as well." The difference is that many European countries have already taken steps in order to improve the situation."

In Greece, the only law that has mentioned "transgender people" as a social group for the first time was adopted in March this year. It was designed by Justice Minister Antonis Roupakiotis against hate crimes, but has not been applied in practice yet.

"There is not a single transsexual woman who works legally in the private sector or in the public administration system. This is indicative of the status of people like us today," said Galanou. As a result of the complete isolation by society, one of the greatest problems of transsexual people is the threat of poverty.

Many transgender women have been rejected not only by society but also by their families, and, at a young age, they were forced into prostitution. For many, this is not a conscious personal choice, but the only chance for survival.

In order to help these people, Galanоu, together with her allies, has created a social Services Kitchen where all people of this social circle in need can have a hot meal at least once per day. The Greek Transgender Support Association offers psychological support and fights for the recognition of the rights of people who want to change or have already changed their gender.

"Let’s not lie. Our societies are still patriarchal. A transgender woman faces many more problems and obstacles compared to a transgender man," said Mariana Galanou. "It remains a fact that it is still much easier for society to accept the transformation of a woman into a man, than a man who is a woman by nature."

The first step towards the solution of problems is the recognition of the right of a transgender person to change their gender on documents. This is already an existing law in Portugal, Spain, UK, Sweden and several other European countries.

The first step towards the solution of problems is the recognition of the right a transgender person to change their gender on documents. This is already an existing law in Portugal, Spain, UK, Sweden and several other European countries.

Thus, on the one hand, we save transgender people the humiliating need to explain at the bank or post office, or municipality why a female-looking person is a man according to their documents or vice versa. It is much more important, however, that tolerance will be established when, at least, the state recognises their existence and their rights as full citizens as an institution.

According to most scholars, the secret of success largely lies in self-esteem and self-confidence. If we kill these qualities in their infancy, we deprive ourselves and others from the prospect of a better life.

To summarise, the truth about transsexual women and men is the following: these are people who have the courage to admit before themselves and to the public that they are what they are, but they are punished for this. Next time, when we want to judge the book by its cover, let’s read it first. Tomorrow, your child, sister or brother could be walking in these shoes.