If there is a slash instead of text, then we didn’t receive an English translation of the speech.
Nefes (QueerBase)
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Nikki (Grüne), Berry (Links) & Dominique (SPÖ)
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Manuel (ÖH)
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Miré (Venib)
Supreme Administrative Court. Constitutional Court. Suspensive effect. Confirmation of legal force. Appeal against a decision. Appeal by default. Extraordinary appeal. Technical terms that normally only lawyers have to deal with – but for me and my comrades, they are as good as familiar. We at Venib, the Non-Binary Association of Austria, are fighting to make alternative gender entries accessible to non-binary trans people too. In the first instance, all of us received a decision in our favor. The Vienna Administrative Court says that the gender entries non-binary, diverse or the deletion of the entry should also be accessible to trans people. I have already been able to get a new passport with the gender X, and it’s a wonderful feeling!
But the fight is not over yet. The Ministry of the Interior wants to fight these decisions at the Supreme Administrative Court. At the moment all 4 cases are at the Supreme Administrative Court – and it will be decided by a senate consisting exclusively of old, white cis men. This is too often the case in the lives of trans people. We’re being controlled by others, patronized, having to present five thousand letters and expert opinions to prove that we are who we are. But of course cis people are simply believed!
At Venib, we also fight for other things. Not only that all trans people can decide for themselves about their gender entry, but for a full life in self-determination and social respect, for de-marginalization and de-tabooing. We are a place for scientific work and reflection as well as a place of mutual support. At Gender*Galaxie, our monthly meetings, non-binary people can find support and community. Our plenaries are open to people who want to join us and fight for our goals. Our activity groups have a broad spectrum and cover many aspects of non-binary life: queer health, language, law, presence, and accessibility. So join in, or just come to chill with us – that’s important too.
Thank you for your attention, and finally, as always: Trans rights are human rights!
Panda
Today at TdoR I would like to encourage everyone to remember all the trans* people that left our lives. A massive number of trans people struggle with mental problems every day, especially suicidal thoughts. Many have taken their own lives because of this. The memory of all trans* friends, family members and other people who have become victims of discrimination and social exclusion and have therefore left our lives are especially important to me today. Being able to transition was and is a privilege. Having a safe space where you can express yourself however you want is a privilege. Having parents who support you is a privilege. These things shouldn’t be privileges. Every person needs a safe space to be themselves and express their gender identity in whatever form they wish. While we can’t teach all transphobic people to love, we can create spaces of love and acceptance where everyone is welcome. We can show and remind each other that we are loved and that we are as amazing and loved just the way we are. Together we are strong!
Mo (Hosi Wien)
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Anwar (Afro Rainbow Austria)
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Sam & Lara (Trans Femme Fatale)
In the last year, there have been many setbacks for the acceptance of trans, inter and non-binary people worldwide – and here in Austria, too, the tone is becoming increasingly harsh and the FPÖ in particular stands out negatively time and again.
They are constantly railing against our existence. They sympathize with autocratic regimes such as Orban, Meloni and Putin and do everything in their power to take away our hard-won rights, which have often been defended by many courts.
They speak of an “LGBTQ lobby” and “transgender madness spilling over from the USA to Europe” and really only mean their hatred of everything that doesn’t seem to fit into their image of a world that only consists of “father works, mother is at home and the child has to keep its nose clean and not offend anyone”.
“If even small children are indoctrinated with the nonsense that there are more than two genders and that they can change their gender at any time, then this madness must be kept away from the weakest in our society – the children” – Quote Dominik Nepp
What is the consequence of this keeping away?
At the beginning of this year, a 14-year-old trans boy in Salzburg’s Pongau ended his life much too early.
Being unable to see any perspective other than suicide at the age of 14 is a consequence of the hatred of the fascists of the FPÖ and this society, a consequence of the isolation of children from trans people by their parents, of the concealment of their existence.
The following can be found in the funeral home’s online condolence book:
“All my love… I knew him but please at least if you didn’t call him by his real name when he was alive, at least do it when he’s gone. Rip little angel”
His name cannot be found there.
Lucy Salani, the only Italian trans woman to have survived a concentration camp, died this year at the age of 98.
Cloe Bianco also died last year. The Italian trans woman became famous through her suicide, which was mentioned in the media.
Originally from Marcon, Venice, she was a technical teacher at a high school and came out in 2015. The parents of some pupils were outraged by Cloe’s feminine presentation.Soon there was also hostility from politicians. Elena Donazzan from Fratelli d’Italia, of which Georgia Meloni is also a member, described her coming out as a “carnival”.
Cloe Bianco was later ousted from her job and then gradually banned from public life.
Cloe did not want to start hormone therapy. In Italy, it is mandatory to be on gender affirming hormonetherapy for at least 1 year in order to have your name and gender registration changed.
Shortly before her suicide, she left a post on her blog announcing her suicide. In her last writings, she did not justify her suicide, but wrote about the importance of rights for trans people.
Firefighters later found her car, where she currently lived, engulfed in flames. Her charred body was found inside the van.
Italian media reporting on Cloe’s death made no secret of the fact that she was not a woman: many articles in Italian media such as La Stampa used er pronouns for Cloe and referred to her deadname.
The story of the suicide of Cloe Bianco, a trans woman who was characterized by strong discrimination at work, became an example of how the daily life of a trans person in Italy can be.
Left-wing parties officially blame Meloni, the self-declared ‘post-fascist’, for the suicide.
Today we remember her and all the other people we lost last year due to hatred and violence. Our thoughts are with all those who stand up for our rights and have to endure reprisals and persecution as a result.
Together we are strong and defend ourselves against the attacks and reprisals we face. Let’s stand up and fight against the hatred and trans hostility we face. Day after day. Everywhere. Let’s defend our rights in solidarity. We are not alone, our fight is a fight together, a fight against bigotry and cowardice, a fight to stand together,
We. are. not. alone!
never forget – niemals vergessen – mai dimenticare
Georgmaria (Chainge Trans Peer Group Vienna)
When I was growing up, there was very little representation, or even explanation. There was a creeping sensation of being wrong – fundamentally wrong, but I had no words for it. All I knew was that it was growing, and that I wanted it to end. I first tried to kill myself when I was 12 years old. It was 1998 and I was alone, lost and scared.
Now I’m obviously still here, and things got better over time. That is just as much owed to finally figuring out I was trans and asking the right people for help, then it is to strangers being there in the right moment, and me not giving up at the wrong moment.
It got better, and I am still here. We are here. So many of us never get that chance. They struggle to find the right words, or they do find them and then cannot do anything about it. Or they fight so hard to become the person they know they are, only to be told no over and over again – by others, but also by themselves. For all of you feeling alone, lost and scared, who are holding on another day hour minute: Please, keep holding on.
Society might have failed you. Your parents, your school, people you thought are your friends might have failed you. Your workplace, the person you thought you’d spend your life with might have failed you. You might be feeling abandoned and scared and can’t see a future for yourself. And that is okay.
It won’t magically get better. But please hang in there, another minute hour day. That’s all you need to do right now. Your community is here. The people who will support and understand you, even in the dark moments, especially then – they are real, and you will find them, or they will find you. You will find your tribe – and you will find your voice. Or maybe you have already found all of this, which is so wonderful.
I would like to take a moment to thank all those who made today possible: Manuel, Skye, Light, Lex, Hannah, Panda, Em, Sam and Ruadhán, Avery and Viola, Lina, Raphi; our wonderful moderation; also a big thank you to Awa*Stern for being here today, and everyone else that helped to make our protest possible, on Trans Day of Remembrance 2023.
We have gathered here today to mourn our dead, to rage against their passing, and to reassure ourselves: we might be afraid, but we are not alone. We will hold each other tighter and listen deeper, and we will get through these times – as a community. So that in 20 years, we can all still be here, look back and say that we made it. And then, look at all the things we have built. Our own happiness. Our own families. Our own societies. So we no longer need to rely on the world magically getting it one day. So we can actively create everything we need. Together. And then maybe one day, we will no longer need to mourn.
Thank you!