Regional Trans Activism in the Post-Yugoslav Space: Towards Trans-feminist Activism

Aleksa Milanović

doi:10.25038/am.v0i28.638

Authors

Aleksa Milanović Faculty of Media and Communications, Singidunum University, Belgrade Serbia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25038/am.v0i28.638

Keywords:

trans activism; anti-gender politics; trans-feminism; other feminisms; Trans Network Balkan.

Abstract

This paper examines the growth of the trans activist movement in the post-Yugoslav space and its regional connections, with a focus on the fight against anti-gender politics. The movement itself emerged and developed in this region over the past two decades; however, its organization and goals have evolved over time. Connecting the community at the regional level is facilitated by shared history, culture, and particularly by language similarities. The creation of a regional organization (Trans Network Balkan) in 2014 contributed to the strengthening of these ties. Also, in the last ten years, regional connectivity has become increasingly necessary due to the emergence of anti-gender actors that operate in very similar ways in this region, leaning on dominant conservative societal attitudes and institutional practices, and already prevalent transphobia, gender-based oppression, and discrimination. The struggle for trans rights has expanded to many more fronts than before, as activists who call themselves feminist and claim to fight for women's rights, and some leftist groups have started to propagate very strongly anti-gender and anti-trans narratives. In response to this phenomenon, trans activists must focus on strengthening the existing alliances and gaining new allies to prevent further growth and strengthening of transphobia, which could lead to the total degradation of human rights for trans and gender nonbinary people. One of the resistance strategies is to create and strengthen the trans-feminist movement in the region, which involves the joint action of activists from various civil rights movements based on feminist values and principles of inclusiveness.

Author Biography

Aleksa Milanović, Faculty of Media and Communications, Singidunum University, Belgrade Serbia

Aleksa Milanović (PhD) is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Media and Communications in Belgrade and the author of Representation of Transgender Identities in Visual Arts (2015) and Media Construction of Other Body (2019). He holds a PhD in Transdisciplinary Studies of Contemporary Arts and Media from the Singidunum University in Belgrade and an MA degree in Theory of Arts and Media from the University of Arts in Belgrade. He is engaged in scientific research work in which he mainly deals with body studies and gender studies in the field of transgender and queer studies, theorizing the discourse of different, non-normative genders by analyzing representations of transgender and other gender bodies within mass media, visual arts and popular culture. He has been involved in trans activism since 2008, when he volunteered for numerous activist organizations and informal activist groups working to promote LGBTIQ+ rights. He participated in the founding of a regional organization Trans Network Balkan in 2014, as well as a local collective in Serbia, Kolektiv Talas TIRV (Collective Wave TIGV) in 2020.

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Regional Trans Activism in the Post-Yugoslav Space: Towards Trans-feminist Activism

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Author Biography

Aleksa Milanović, Faculty of Media and Communications, Singidunum University, Belgrade Serbia

References

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