TGEU - Trans Europe and Central Asia

18/06/2026

We congratulate Czech trans activists after the Czech Senate just blocked a bill that would have imposed state-mandated conversion therapy, a bathroom ban and extra legal hurdles for gender recognition.

The bill was defeated after a wave of public mobilisation, including 5,000 petition signatures in 24 hours.

The bill is part of a bigger trend: increasing anti-trans campaigns importing UK- and US-style tactics across Europe, while European courts and institutions keep affirming trans people's right to recognition, protection and respect.

TGEU calls on Czech lawmakers to implement a comprehensive law ensuring an accessible and transparent legal gender recognition process based on self-determination, with no age limit. This will stop leaving trans people's legal status open to political attack and fulfil the country's human rights obligations.

Read the press release of our member organisation Transparent CZ on our website: https://tgeu.org/big-win-defeat-for-anti-trans-bill-in-czechia/

17/06/2026

According to a new report from IGLYO, LGBTQI young people experience high levels of anxiety and depression.

Particularly affected are trans and intersex youth, youth in rural areas, and young people experiencing intersecting forms of marginalisation, including racialisation, migration, legal status, religion, socio-economic disadvantage, and housing insecurity.

Key findings of trans youth respondents:

- 36.5% reported experiencing symptoms of depression in previous years
- 18% were diagnosed with an anxiety disorder in the past year compared to their cisgender peers (10.5%)
- 40.5% of trans respondents who unsuccessfully attempted to change their name experienced symptoms of depression

IGLYO’s report “LGBTQI Youth Mental Health in the Spotlight” is based on data from more than 1,500 LGBTQI young people aged 14-30 across 35 countries in Europe. It puts forward vital recommendations to shape legislation, improve healthcare systems, and guide schools on how to better support LGBTQI young people’s mental health.

🔗 Follow our friends IGLYO and get the full report on their website: https://www.iglyo.org/resources/lgbtqi-youth-mental-health-report

16/06/2026

What issues are affecting trans and gender diverse people across the world?

We could draw an endless list, but the unfortunate truth is that despite regions, context, laws and regulations, trans communities are still facing barriers to basic human rights globally.

Our delegates took the opportunity to share their experiences and challenges with Graeme Reid, the UN Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity and understand more about what can be done.

We are at the heart of democracy and our voices should continue to be heard!

is a collaboration between TGEU — Trans Europe and Central Asia, Asia Pacific Transgender Network, EATHAN - East Africa Trans Health & Advocacy Network, GATE - Global Action for Trans Equality, ILGA World and RFSL.

Learn more about the Trans Advocacy Week 2026 on our website: https://www.tgeu.org/trans-advocacy-week-2026-trans-and-gender-diverse-leaders-driving-change-at-the-united-nations/

15/06/2026

Are you attending the 62nd session of the UN Human Rights Council this week at the UN Geneva?

Join us for this side event on "Democratic Backsliding through Attacks on Freedoms of Expression, Association & Assembly" on 18 June at 12:00 PM, Room IX at Palais de Nations.

Speakers will:

1. Analyse how the instrumentalisation of trans and gender diverse people and attacks on gender equality function as a gateway to wider assaults on democratic governance and multilateral human rights systems.

2. Document patterns of restrictions on freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly affecting trans, LGBQI and feminist organisations from diverse geographic contexts.

3. Highlight the impact of shrinking civic space on community-led service provision, advocacy, and political participation.

4. Share lessons learned and strategies collected by trans and feminist movements to resist democratic erosion and defend human rights frameworks.

5. Reflect on how the current crisis of multilateralism, including ongoing discussions around UN reform, may further reshape or constrain international spaces where trans, LBTQI, and gender justice movements organise, advocate, and engage with global human rights mechanisms.

It is time to recognise that attacks on gender justice are not isolated cultural debates, but coordinated political strategies aimed at undermining pluralism, equality, and democratic accountability.

This side event is part of - a collaboration between TGEU — Trans Europe and Central Asia, Asia Pacific Transgender Network, EATHAN - East Africa Trans Health & Advocacy Network, GATE - Global Action for Trans Equality, ILGA World and RFSL.

We gratefully thank the support & sponsoring from the Permanent Mission of Norway, Permanent Mission of Ireland and Permanent Mission of México.

15/06/2026

Joint Statement: LGBTI people in Uzbekistan are being criminalised. We’re calling for legal reform.

We’re calling for the urgent repeal of Article 120 of the Criminal Code, a law used to criminalise consensual sexual activity between men and to target trans women.

Enforcement of Article 120 is rapidly increasing. Prosecutions have risen from an average of 17 cases per year (2021–2023), to 48 in 2024, and 71 cases in just the first nine months of 2025. Earlier this year, at least 62 people were detained in coordinated raids, with 34 criminal cases opened within weeks.

This is not incidental. It is structural and coordinated.

In Uzbekistan, LGBTI people are being entrapped through dating apps, subjected to forced invasive examinations, blackmailed by law enforcement, and imprisoned. Trans women are being systematically targeted in a country where legal gender recognition doesn’t exist.

Criminalisation also undermines access to HIV prevention and healthcare, pushing already marginalised people further from essential services.

We’re calling on the government of Uzbekistan to remove Article 120 of the Criminal Code. We urge international financial institutions, donors, and diplomatic missions to take concrete action and bring national laws and policies in line with international human rights standards.

ECOM — Eurasian Coalition on Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity, Eurasian Harm Reduction Association - EHRA, ILGA-Europe, MPact and TGEU — Trans Europe and Central Asia are ready to engage in constructive and open dialogue to support efforts towards legal and policy reform in Uzbekistan.

Read the full statement: https://tgeu.org/joint-statement-lgbti-people-in-uzbekistan-are-being-criminalised-were-calling-for-legal-reform/

12/06/2026

We are super thrilled to introduce Kazy Rasul as our second delegate for the UN Trans Advocacy Week 2026 and the 62nd in Geneva, starting next week, 15 June.

Kazy (them/any pronouns) is a non-binary activist from Kyrgyzstan who is part of the organisation Bizda Barbyz. They are driven by their friends and the people in their community as well as the situation for trans people in their country, because staying silent in the face of injustice is not an option for them.

When asked to recall a story to share a successful or hopeful story for trans rights in their country, Kazy responded:

“Despite all the restrictions and challenges we’re facing in the country and in the whole region, almost all organisations, groups, and individuals continue to fight for trans rights and adapt to the ever-changing situation.

“I believe that this resilience itself is a story of hope. The fact that people choose not to give up, but to keep going, is an act of courage and heroism in its own right.”

Kazy's commitment and relentless fight for the rights of trans people is deeply admirable to us. We hope their time in Geneva opens new connections with trans activists from around the world and strengthens their work around global trans advocacy. We can’t wait to see the impact of Trans Advocacy Week for their personal activism and community empowerment in Kyrgyzstan and the region.

is a collaboration between TGEU - Trans Europe and Central Asia, Asia Pacific Transgender Network , EATHAN - East Africa Trans Health & Advocacy Network, ILGA World, GATE - Global Action for Trans Equality and RFSL.

Learn more about the Trans Advocacy Week 2026 on our website: https://www.tgeu.org/trans-advocacy-week-2026-trans-and-gender-diverse-leaders-driving-change-at-the-united-nations/

11/06/2026

Our member organisation National Trans Coalition NGO has launched an open call for participants for their regional capacity-building programme, "Strengthening Organisational Preparedness in the Eastern Partnership Region for Defending Civic Space under Pressure."

The call is open to representatives of civil society organisations, community-based organisations, grassroots initiatives, and civil society networks from the Eastern Partnership region, including Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

Applications from organisations working with marginalised and underrepresented communities are particularly encouraged.

Application Deadline: June 20, 2026

More information and how to apply: https://ntc.ngo/call-for-participants-regional-capacity-building-program-for-civil-society-organizations-across-the-eastern-partnership-region/

11/06/2026

The deadline to apply for our Senior Communications Officer position is coming up next Monday, 15 June, 08:00 CEST.

We're looking for someone who combines strong editorial skills with excellent organisation and project management and who is excited about using strategic communications to create change.

Does this sound like you? We would love to receive your application!

For more information and how to apply: https://www.tgeu.org/open-call-tgeu-is-looking-for-a-new-senior-communications-officer/

Come join TGEU's communications team as our Senior Communications Officer to amplify trans voices, combat misinformation, and create impactful campaigns.

You will be responsible for delivering and coordinating TGEU’s day-to-day editorial communications across websites, social media, and newsletters.

📍 Berlin, Germany.
📅 Deadline to apply: 15 June 2026

Learn more and apply via our website: https://tgeu.org/open-call-tgeu-is-looking-for-a-new-senior-communications-officer/

11/06/2026

++ NEW REPORT ++

We built a tool to identify transphobic hate speech online and hold platforms accountable.

Together with the Institute for Journalism and Social Change, we developed a programmatic code informed by both the survey results and input from trans creators. This is a uniquely co-created approach in research of this kind. It can be used to better identify hateful or discriminatory content, dog whistles (coded language that masks harmful messages) or threats and hold platforms accountable for protecting the online safety of trans people.

The programmatic code is freely available on our website for other organisations to advocate towards safer online spaces for marginalised communities and hold platforms accountable to protect trans rights online.

Despite policy reforms targeted at addressing online hate, trans people who are active online experience alarming levels of harassment, abuse and hate speech with little protection or support.

Our joint research with the Institute for Journalism and Social Change documents the realities of hate speech, platform failure, and everyday resistance. The findings are based on the experiences of 30 content creators from 16 countries and 10 languages.

Get the full report on our website: https://tgeu.org/tgeu-and-ijsc-publish-report-on-trans-peoples-experiences-of-online-hate-speech/

10/06/2026

We are very excited to welcome Ariel as one of TGEU’s delegates at the UN Trans Advocacy Week 2026 and the 62nd UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, starting next week, 15 June.

Ariel (they/them) is part of the organisation Aleanca LGBT in Albania. Their activism is driven by the lack of trans rights in their country and when asked what they want people to understand regarding trans rights in Albania, they responded:

"Transgender individuals face significant challenges and vulnerabilities. Many parents reject them, which can lead to homelessness, and increase the risk of involvement in harmful situations, including substance abuse and exploitation.”

We are inspired by Ariel’s motivation and dedication to continuously fight for the safety and wellbeing of trans people in their country and hope they will have a meaningful time in Geneva learning about global trans advocacy and connecting with other trans activists from around the world.

Ariel's participation was made possible through the partnership between TGEU and Heinrich Böll Stiftung Tirana.

is a collaboration between TGEU — Trans Europe and Central Asia, Asia Pacific Transgender Network, EATHAN - East Africa Trans Health & Advocacy Network, ILGA World, GATE - Global Action for Trans Equality and RFSL.

Learn more about the Trans Advocacy Week 2026 on our website: https://www.tgeu.org/trans-advocacy-week-2026-trans-and-gender-diverse-leaders-driving-change-at-the-united-nations/