Russian transgenders — 10 real stories of real people
Russian legislation does everything possible to make life more difficult for the LGBT community in Russia, especially transsexuals. However, this does not change the fact that there are transgender people in our country, and each of them has their own life, dreams and desires. The Moscow Times newspaper, together with Dutch photographer Jasper Groen, created a photo project about the life of transgender people in Russia.
Contents of the article:
Russian transgenders about their life in Russia
Maya is against labels. It doesn”t matter to her whether the person in front of her is a man or a woman. She does not hesitate to provoke society, shaving her head bald or performing naked on stage. However, in fairness, it is worth noting that her partner is not happy about this. Not being afraid to be different is a powerful experience and one that fulfills me every day. This is exactly the life I want to live.”
Both identify as non-binary people. Al is an activist and often participates in litigation. “We plan to make changes to the justice system almost every hour of every day and suspend some laws. We also inform people, the media and human rights organizations about the situation in Russia.”
ICH: “Have you ever seen a tree growing on the edge of a cliff? The wind and water erode the soil under the roots. The tree tries to grab onto the roots that are still in the ground, but the wind and water are too stubborn. and one day the tree falls and dies. Now it lies at the foot of the cliff, pulled out of the ground and still alive. Bushes growing 20 meters above the cliff do not understand this. They do not have to every second fight for survival.
Constitutional changes and new laws regarding LGBT and transgender people make me feel like this tree. I am in despair because this is pulling the last ground from under my feet. I am a tree that is about to fall into the abyss.”
In the fall of 2016, Alexandra was attacked by people armed with iron crowbars. Since then she has remained crippled and has almost no teeth left. The girl lives on donations to the shelter she created for feral cats. She doesn”t even have water in the house, but she can”t find another one.
When she officially changed her gender in writing, her former name was listed in parentheses after her new name. This, of course, causes certain difficulties when she”s looking for work. I often think about death. I even tried to commit suicide once, but I live for my cat.”
Katya has a family, two children, and a good job. They tried to remove her from working at the polling station, but that didn”t suit Katya. As a result, her story made the news, and she achieved her goal: in September, she counted the votes in the local elections. In Russia, it”s considered normal for anyone to say they”re an alcoholic. But when I tell people I”m transgender, everyone immediately becomes horrified. Isn”t that weird?
Jen spent her youth in an orphanage. I don”t think I ever felt like a girl inside. I rather didn”t perceive gender at all. I just want to be a man. Beautiful, honest, and open, so that people love and accept me. But because of the ridicule and humiliation from others, I often did bad things to others. I got angry, reclaimed my gender, and began to look and act like a man. I became a person who could stand up for “I did it when I needed to.”
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Alexander recently underwent breast removal surgery in Moscow. His parents wouldn”t talk to him, so he had to pay for the surgery himself. And this greatly depresses him. “I”m proud of who I am, but I feel guilty towards my parents.”
Victor is often seen protesting, usually with a transpersonal flag slung over his shoulder. He also attended protests against the new legislation. No, I wasn”t afraid. Of course, I didn”t want to get arrested, but if that happens, it”s not such a big deal. I was prepared to spend a few hours at the police station.
I protest this law because it violates the rights and benefits of my transgender friends. This law relocates transgender people to Russia and has been in effect for three years. Therefore, changing the document is difficult or impossible. Even though I don”t want to get married or have children, this law affects me. Furthermore, it creates significant problems for trans people. Trans people haven”t come out yet—the document gives them away.”
The girls became a couple when Severi was still undergoing therapy with the hormone replacement drug Transmakin. Now Severi is again a woman on paper, but identifies as a non-warrior.
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Catherine preferred to keep the place and date of her birth secret. She works as a prostitute in a brothel and is proud of it. The fact that men are willing to pay me for sex is the best proof that I am a woman.”
Eva is a little out of the ordinary. This is due to the fact that the girl gave an interview about her life in Russia as a transgender to another foreign publication, Hackmag.
From a very early age, Eva understood that she was a girl trapped in a boy”s body. “Being transgender is difficult, no matter what country you were born in, but in Russia it is also very dangerous. Russians generally have very little tolerance for differences of any kind, so at school they constantly oohed and ahhed at me because I looked so feminine.”
There were no other LGBT people at Eva”s school. She had no one to support her. She didn”t tell anyone that she was trans until she was 20. After her parents found out about this, they abandoned Eva. Friends didn”t stay long either.
But Eva was lucky — thanks to her feminine appearance, in women”s clothing she looked like a real biological woman, and strangers did not suspect anything. However, this did not save her from homophobic attacks.
One day a group of men recognized me from my VKontakte profile. They must have seen something that made me look trans because they beat me and my ex brutally. I got a concussion and my ex got ribs.” They did not report the incident to the police because in Russia it is difficult for transsexuals to receive protection from the state.
I know that in Russia the story that I am transgender can have the most dire consequences. Many people become hostile very quickly. This makes finding a guy very difficult.” However, Eva managed to find a man for a long-term relationship.
Many people ask why, faced with such difficulties, Eva does not move to another country. However, the girl herself says that she is not ready to speak another language in order to find work in a foreign country. She still does not lose hope that one day the situation in our country will improve. Until then I will remain myself. Because it”s the only thing I can do.”
