Recently Carla Antonelli, actress, trans* activist and social-democrat politician in the regional parliament of Madrid sent in a bill to improve trans* rights in the region. It contains quite some positive elements, but on several important points like, access to health care, it is worrisome and not depathologising. Precisely in the right wing times with …
Author Archives: werk
Why the change in the DSM-5 doesn’t mean much
The last word on this may not yet be said, but the people shouting victory over what for The American Psychiatric Association is a big step but just a very tiny one for humankind, means some clear language is needed to provide an exit out of this quagmire of pathologisation, half depathologisation and repathologisation. Once …
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Entanglements
This post highlights some nasty details hiding in the shades of the current Dutch transgender bill, as imposed upon Dutch trans people by obscure deliberations between the Justice ministry and the gender teams. Where informed consent on the one hand is the only criterion for LGR, the gender teams through a back door still have their say …
Legal gender recognition in the Netherlands – an update
As you may have seen on the social media already, or on trans mailing-lists: change in Dutch gender recognition legislation just took a big leap this afternoon of 9 April 2013. Already five years ago Dutch trans people contacted the minister for Emancipation (and Education, Science and Culture) complaining about the ridiculous and human rights …
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Call me Kuchu
Toen ik vrijdag aan mijn inleiding werkte, zag ik het volgende bericht: “Verwerping, angst, schaamte, schuld, ziekte, dakloosheid, armoede en degelijke overheersen in de LGTBi gemeenschap in Jinja, Oost-Oeganda. Vanwege het stigma dat veroorzaakt wordt door de Oegandese strafwet, religieus onderwijs, culturele overtuigingen en de negatieve berichtgeving van pers en media. Deze haatcampagnes waar politiek …
Fucked up lip service
The proposal for change of the existing gender recognition legislation in the Netherlands is out. This proposal will be debated on the floor. It is – as the previous version – not good enough. Actually it hardly changed since last time we saw it. The news came in the mail. An update of the website of the Justice and Security ministry. …
Progress at the UN
This week the Special Rapporteur on Torture of the UN released his report on torture in health care. A topic important for trans and intersex people. Thanks to two interventions of human rights advocates involuntary surgery now equals torture
Trans in je hoofd
Eerder is geargumenteerd dat trans geen ziekte is en dat transfobie eerder het probleem is dan gendervariatie zelf. We hebben laten zien hoezeer we vastzitten in binair denken dat z’n globale pretenties moet opgeven. Een uitweg kan liggen in perspectief dat fuzzy sets bieden. In de toekomst ben je ‘trans in je hoofd’. Een boekje …
Online course sex, gender, sexuality and human rights
I am happy to announce that I will be teaching a course on Human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity with HREA soon. From 10 April to 21 May I will be the course instructor for a course that I designed on human rights with regard to sex, sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. …
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Hierarchy in Human Rights?
On Friday january 25 I attended the 25 year anniversary of the Dutch Helsinki Committee (NHC). Several important people held speeches, and they were interesting. But it also confronted me with a question. The anniversary was celebrated with a one day conference themed “The future of human rights in Europe” with several eminent speakers and …