'Transphobia and authoritarianism go hand in hand - they must be resisted'

"My friend got away but the man chased me down the street punching me on the forehead and kicking me in the back. The reason? A "man [my friend] was wearing a skirt". More than seven years on, I bear no physical scars from the attack but that moment when I locked eyes with that stranger is etched indelibly in my memory. This person had never seen me in his life but still he hated me."

"Anti-LGBTQIA+ violence has been concerningly on the rise in the past year throughout Europe, with gender non-conforming and transgender people being disproportionately targeted worldwide. Transgender people are often limited to "the trans [insert noun here]", an alienating practice that asks for our focus to be directed to the person's anatomy and physique, while trans youth are being erased and suppressed despite the existence of solid data confirming that gender-affirming care saves lives."

"What do gender norms have to do with the protection of Turkish society? Why is the Slovakian government claiming that codifying only two genders in the constitution protects the nation? Why are some (cis) women (along other anti-rights groups) celebrating the restriction of (trans) women's rights in the UK? Bending or wholeheartedly rejecting harmful gender norms has caused unease among some groups who dubbed such practices as " gender ideology" and attributed catastrophic consequences to them."

A 2018 night-time attack in Thessaloniki targeted a visibly gender non-conforming person after a companion was perceived as wearing a skirt, leaving lasting psychological trauma. Anti-LGBTQIA+ violence has risen across Europe, with transgender and gender non-conforming people disproportionately targeted. Transgender people are often reduced to language fixations on anatomy while trans youth face erasure despite evidence that gender-affirming care saves lives. Some groups label gender-affirming or nonconforming practices as "gender ideology" and claim catastrophic social effects. States and political movements leverage restrictive gender norms to justify policies and to bolster authoritarian practices.

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