Transgender people in the Republic of North Macedonia are currently in an unenviable situation. As part of the marginalized LGBTIQ + population, they are not protected from discrimination and gender-based violence. This population is made up of many different groups, but the lack of protection and discrimination applies to everyone. The biggest problems these people face are the lack of law on legal recognition of gender and the presence of discrimination and stigma in accessing health services.
More about the situation of transgender people in the Republic of North Macedonia, and the problems they face on a daily basis, speaks Predrag Jovanovski, who is part of the trans community:
How does expressing your gender identity/belonging to a group or community affect your private life?
Really bad. Especially with the new political waves in the community, most of the people (even the one who are more open) consider us as big propaganda. Reconstructing the gender norms and forms, excluding the binary forms or gender as an one piece, affected my life a lot. It’s hard for the people to understand what transsexuality means, the most simple form. It’s unimaginable for them to even understand the other genders, and by that the acceptance is coming harder and not in a complete way of the sence. On the top of that, those new political waves in some ways are denying the well known binary identities (including mine as a transgender man, and also the identities of the people that aren’t part of our community). That brings us to the state of me as an individual that doesn’t feel like a part of the community anymore, and the other people who not just judge us, but also hate us cause our new politics are basically denying their identities.
What are the most common types of stigma and discrimination that your community faces, and where do you usually encounter them?
I think that our community is well introduced with all the forms of discrimination in almost every segment of our lives. First and main is the bulling in school, sometimes not just from the classmates, but also from the authorities. Another significant form is the impossibility to find a job, that leads most of the people to financial crisis. I can also mention the impossibility to rent an apartment. Practically everywhere, from the people on the street to the authorities in the institution, and the main reason for that is the impossibility to change the sex marker in the official documents.
Do your family, relatives and friends know that you are a transgender person?
I think they know. Of course with some of them I’ve never talked about my identity out loud. All of my closer friends and relatives knows about me.
At what age did you start with the transition?
I actually haven’t started with hormone replacement therapy. I’ve never really had the social transition process because I express my gender from a really young age, but I started using my male name and male pronouns when I was 18.
How are transgender people treated in our society?
Really bad. And I can say that that’s a product from the ignorance. Not a lot of people truly knows what transgender identity means and by default they treat us as mentally ill or like attention seekers.
Have you ever had a bad experience with institutions, or any unpleasant occurrences/incidents in the public in recent years due to your gender identity?
Yes. My documents (name and sex marker) are not compatible with my gender identity and the way I look. I have different treatment from the rest in almost every situation that requires ID. From really bad experiences I can mention border crossings, couple of situations in a bank, one in the gym and couple in the university.
How safe do you feel when walking down the street, or at a public event?
I actually feel safe in every situation that doesn’t require personal documents.
What do you think transgender people need most in the Republic of North Macedonia?
We need gender recognition law, comprehensive health care, possibility and financial support for medical gender confirmation, educational program in schools that include information about gender identity.
Do you know an association/organization where you can go if you need information on legal/health/social aspects and where you can get the support you are looking for?
Yes. In the NGOs that are working with LGBTIQ+ population.
What are your challenges in life as a transgender person?
The first and main is the starting point for everything in life. As I said, my documents are still the same so that’s one huge challenge in every aspect of my life, from the university to the simple things as going in a gym. It’s much harder to find a job and be in a financial stability. It’s always a challenge to rent a place for living. Long story short every situation that requires personal documents is challenging, or with another words to be socially active and use all the opportunities that society gives us is challenging.