Press Release

“Discrimination against transgender persons must no longer be tolerated”, writes Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Mr. Thomas Hammarberg.

January 5th, 2009, Mr. Hammarberg released his Viewpoint on the living conditions of transgender persons in 47 member nations from Europe and central Asia in the Council of Europe. (A Viewpoint is Mr. Hammarberg’s personal commentary on human rights issues of particular concern). Transgender Europe enthusiastically welcomes Mr. Hammarberg’s statement. “Some people seem to have a problem with the mere existence of human beings whose outer expression of their inner gender identity is not the same as their gender determined at birth. Aggression against transgender persons cannot however be excused as resulting from ignorance or lack of education. These attitudes cause serious harm to innocent and vulnerable people and must therefore be countered. … There is no excuse for not immediately granting this community their full and unconditional human rights. Council of Europe Member States should take all necessary concrete action to ensure that transphobia is stopped and that transgender persons are no longer discriminated against in any field ”, Mr. Hammarberg wrote. Several western European nations have bettered the situation of some gender variant people. Other nations have older legislation which is no longer conform to current ideas of human rights. Still other (eastern) European nations have hardly addressed the issues in any consequential manner.

(The complete Viewpoint may be read at www.coe.int/t/comissioner/Viewepoints/Default_en.asp.)

Transgender Europe (tgeu), together with ILGA-Europe (International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Association), have been involved in discussions about the situation of gender variant people in Europe with Mr. Hammarberg and his staff, representatives of the Commission of the European Union and members of the European Parliament on an ongoing basis. November 18th and 19th tgeu and ILGA were among the experts invited to Strasbourg for an expert meeting with Mr. Hammarberg and other elements of the COE. December 18th transgender activists met with the Gay and Lesbian Rights Intergroup of the European Parliament concerning the rights of all gender variant people.

Further information is available at tgeu@tgeu.org. Jane Thomas, Secretary of tgeu, can be reached by telephone at +49 9381 571.

January 15th 2009