TGEU
Countries: Hungary
to advocate for transgender people in all walks of life.
The lack of available theoretical knowledge and prac-
Very commonly, those who turned to the organisation did
Since then, TV has been trying to gather facts it can use
tical experience at TV in helping victims of transphobic
not ask for legal advice; in most cases, it was enough for
in its advocacy. Before ProTrans, Transvanilla primar-
incidents also proved to be a challenge. The training
them that they could talk to someone about the discrim-
ily worked on legal gender recognition and access to
workshop held during the project proved to be of great
ination and/or violence they had experienced and make
healthcare because the requests with which trans peo-
benefit in this regard, and during their organisational
the cases visible in this way. TV used its volunteer database
ple approached it involved these issues.
development programme the volunteers also gained
when providing help: those who contacted them were
insights into the psycho-social support process. They
referred to volunteers who were of the same age and/or
With ProTrans, Transvanilla had the opportunity to focus
looked for organisations to which they could refer peo-
gender, or who were or had been in a similar situation.
on an area that, because of its lack of resources to reach
ple who contacted TV and needed extra help that the
out to the community in order to monitor discrimination
volunteers could not provide themselves.
and violence, it had neglected completely until then. TV
After my suicide attempt,
I was delivered, unconscious, to the
Transvanilla’s workshop at Budapest Pride 2014
also utilised the project to exchange information with
TV has no resources to offer psychological support or
other organisations, including TGEU and the other Pro-
to involve experts, and the ProTrans project also did
Trans partners, on organisational practices such as me-
not provide resources for these things, but it inspired
provided by the emergency unit,
dia monitoring, client management and advocacy.
TV to involve partner organisations who can help in
that ‘our patient is a woman but had a
hospital’s toxicology central intensive care unit.
The hospital’s final report states, based on information
these matters. During ProTrans, TV referred minors to
sex-change operation to become a man’,
The main challenge of the project was the underre-
the Kék-Vonal Child Crisis Foundation,2 which oper-
and it provides a detailed description of the operation
porting of cases. Based on an estimate from the data of
ates child helplines and supports survivors of domes-
and repeatedly refers to me as having undergone
the European Crime and Safety Survey (EU ICS) from
tic violence, and NANE Women’s Rights Association.3
‘virilising surgeries’. It even diagnosed a rare urinary
2005, 99.7 per cent of hate crimes remain unreported
NANE is the only NGO in Hungary that runs a hotline
condition that I have never had. It provided a detailed
or are not classified as hate crimes by the Hungarian au-
for abused women and children. The PIPA Foundation4
description about female genitalia, which I have had
thorities. Transvanilla’s experience is that trans people
offers mediation to LGBTQ people, and in one case TV
nothing to do with for many years.
do not want to report hate crimes because legal aware-
suggested its services to a client.
1
While I was being treated,
The organisation’s experience was that victims report-
hospital staff said things in front of me
TV relied on its well-established methods of outreach
ed violent or discriminatory incidents when they got in
such as ‘Is this a boy or a girl?’
The organisation addressed this problem by organising
to the trans community: for example, it disseminated in-
touch with TV in regards to other problems, typically in
On top of my basic situation,
a two-day training workshop within the framework of
formation in its newsletter, through a closed Facebook
cases related to legal gender recognition and healthcare
all this was very difficult for me because
the ProTrans project to raise legal awareness and for
group and through its website. Offline, it presented
services, or at offline events. Some cases were reported
I have been passable for many years
organisational development. Fifteen volunteers were
workshops at the Budapest Pride and its own events,
because of TV’s call for reports, and the organisation
and have never faced such questions or attitudes.
involved, and they discussed topics such as the neces-
reported on the results of the ProTrans project and dis-
also reached out to those who had reported discrimina-
I filed a complaint at two places
sary skills of facilitators, the legal framework of discrim-
tributed leaflets encouraging community members to
tion to it through surveys prior to ProTrans. Additionally,
but have not received
ination and hate incidents and legal remedies.
report violent and discriminatory incidents.
one case was reported by another NGO. It got in touch
a substantive response to date.
ness and advocacy skills are very low in the community.
for help in receiving a diagnosis for legal gender recognition and support for a victim of domestic violence.
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B,37-year-old trans man
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