Category: News

F.Sh.

The pandemic, in addition to the vulnerability of physical and mental health, collective economic and financial difficulties, added another challenge to LGBTIQ + persons, a challenge that was experienced by many marginalized groups and communities to a greater degree.

"Particularly a high demand of LGBTIQ + persons in Kosovo was and continues to be home security and the need for housing. Since during the pandemic LGBTIQ + people were forced to stay in homophobic and transphobic environments, and that these environments in most cases happen to be their homes, their psychological and physical health were at higher risk than ever before. This is supported by the fact that the requests for housing have become alarming during the last two years ", says Lend Mustafa, Project Manager at the Center for Equality and Freedom - CEL Kosova.

As the requests for housing were numerous, CEL Kosova has started providing a safe home for LGBTIQ + people in need. In 2021, this safe house housed five LGBTIQ + people who wanted to escape the pressure and psychological and physical abuse from their families.

"We have provided this service in parallel with other services that have been provided for some time by CEL Kosova, such as legal aid and counseling, psychological sessions, moral support, and legal guardianship for a person under 18 years of age," says Lend. Mustafa emphasizing that housing capacities are limited.

The person who was offered legal guardianship by an employee of the organization CEL Kosova was a 17-year-old transgender girl.

"My gender identity was unacceptable to both my family and my social circle. Psychological abuse reached such a level that I could no longer bear it. "I left home, and even changed city just to be able to live a quiet and authentic life," said the transgender girl who was admitted to the safe house on September 17 this year.

"For the first time I was accepted as I was. For the first time I felt free to manifest my gender identity also in clothing, attitudes and thoughts. "All these basic things were limited to me due to prejudice and constant bullying in every possible environment."

One thing the girl wants to remind other transgender people is that the process of going out openly is long and does not happen all at once. "Open up when you feel safe. Keep up the good content despite the challenges you may face along the way. In the end, just like me, you will find the best way to live with dignity as yourself.

For the case of the minor girl, as well as for other cases with LGBTIQ + minors, CEL Kosova has cooperated closely with the Center for Social Work in order to assist in the daily life of these persons to be as healthy as possible and to create a environment that enables their development and integration into society.

Lend Mustafa indicates that no assistance has been received from any other state institution and in every step of the process of treatment and provision of housing and / or any other services for LGBTIQ + persons, major shortcomings have been identified in institutions due to failure to prioritize social services. by the government and other responsible actors.

"However, there is also good news. The Municipality of Prishtina has allocated a fund for the construction of the first shelter dedicated to LGBTIQ + persons in Kosovo, a project that will facilitate the confrontation of LGBTIQ + persons with these problems in general and consequently their quality of life.

However, he emphasizes that the need for this shelter continues to be alarming and the process should be accelerated as much as possible.

“Many people from the municipality of Prishtina have a request for these services, but the situation in rural areas is much more complicated as in most other municipalities or villages these issues are not discussed at all, and the services are almost non-existent based on the cases which we accepted. In most cases, these people change their place of residence, considering that Prishtina is a more acceptable place for LGBTIQ + communities ”.

In conclusion, considering all the above-mentioned problems and the high ongoing demand, CEL Kosova calls on the new mayor of Prishtina to prioritize and accelerate the construction of a shelter for LGBTIQ + persons. It also calls on civil society organizations and other actors for solidarity, support and taking concrete steps to improve the current situation.

Donjet Behluli

Culture inevitably affects almost everything gender-related. Since the day a person is born, they’re immediately given a gender identity based on their sex. Then, they’re expected to act and do everything in accordance to the gender they were assigned as babies. These cultural expectations affect almost every aspect of a person’s life; life goals, choice in career, social behavior, activities one engages in, their taste in fashion, their overall interests, etc. basically, a person’s position in society
Unfortunately, our society and its perceptions towards gender are not very inclusive. We are raised to believe that gender is binary and every person is expected to fall into one of the categories: man or woman, but the reality of gender is much more complex and not every person finds themselves in these two categories.

So how are gender binary and nonbinary gender defined?

Binariteti gjinor është ndarja shoqërore ose kulturore e gjinisë në dy kategori mashkullore dhe femërore të ndryshme e të kundërta, dhe ky është një standard në shumicën e kulturave. Kurse identitetet gjinore që s’janë as mashkullore as femërore – pra identitete që ekzistojnë jashta binaritetit gjinor – konsiderohen jo-binare.

Challenges of non-binary people

Existing as a nonbinary person in a society that constantly tries to put you in a box in which you don’t belong and having to meet certain expectations can be very exhausting. Gender binarism can also lead to institutionalized power structures, and people who don't fit into traditional gender norms can face discrimination and harassment in various settings in our society. Disregard, disbelief, condescending encounters, and disrespect are common forms of discrimination experienced by nonbinary people. There are also people who consider gender nonbinary as an attention-seeking trend. But the most common form of discrimination against non-binary people is the usage of incorrect pronouns and misgendering. Misgendering is when someone refers to a person using language that doesn’t align with their gender identity, for example referring to a woman as “he” or calling her “a man”, and this definition applies to individuals of all gender identities.

Are pronouns that important?

By definition, gender pronouns are words that people use to refer to others without using their names. But for many nonbinary people, pronouns are about more than just how they want to be addressed. They’ve become a way to assert an aspect of their gender that’s often unseen or unaligned with others’ assumptions and as a result, pronouns have the capacity to affirm or ignore the reality of a nonbinary individual. So it’s important that we ask and always respect the preferred pronouns of a person. The usage of gender neutral language is also encouraged so that we can be as inclusive as possible and avoid assumptions about someone’s gender, but unfortunately, this can sometimes be challenging because certain languages, like Albanian, don’t have gender neutral pronouns.

Gender as a spectrum

The concept of gender as a spectrum is nothing new only because the discourse around it may be. Non-binary identities have been recognized by cultures and societies all over the world for ages. For generations, indigenous civilizations in Oaxaca State, Mexico, North America and Madagascar have embraced the concept of the "third gender."
For example, The muxes — people born in a male body but who identify as neither woman nor man — live in the small town of Juchitán de Zaragoza in southern Oaxaca State, Mexico and they are well-known in the town and culture as part of an ancient civilization. There’s other cultures like Native North American Navajo culture where transgender individuals are recognized as “two-spirit”, or Sakalava people in Madagascar who recognize a third gender called Sekrata. These historical examples of nonbinary and nonconforming gender have created a crucial foundation for how we interpret gender identity today.

Besides gender, sex isn’t necessarily binary either. One in 2,000 people are born intersex, a term used to describe people who have chromosomes, anatomy, or other sex characteristics that cannot be classified as strictly male or female. So the idea that sex and gender are binary — that everyone falls into one of two categories — is a societal construct. The notion that there’s male and female isn’t incorrect, it’s simply incomplete. Many individuals, whether intersex or not, have a mix of biological features or gender expressions that do not exactly fit into the male or female categories.

Gender identities that are nonbinary

There are many gender identities that fall under the nonbinary umbrella, a couple of them are genderqueer and gender fluid. Genderqueer refers to a person who does not subscribe to conventional gender distinctions but identifies with neither, both, or a combination of male and female genders. Gender fluid refers to a person who does not identify themselves as having a fixed gender and their gender expression or how they feel about themselves may change over time.

Every identity is valid

As our understanding of gender evolves, and through our experience with it, we need to remind ourselves that every identity is valid and we need to remain respectful to others and always embrace our authentic selves.

Shend Badivuku

When we find out that a gay couple have broken up, usually after two or three months of dating, we hear reasons like "he was scared of commitment" or "he needed to work on himself". While these are not reasons that straight couples in particular do not have, LGBTQ + people face a problem that is more deep-rooted.

People in the LGBTQ + community have been told since childhood that being yourself is wrong. Whether from a religious, patriarchal or traditional perspective, in Kosovo these people are subject to misleading, prejudicial, and sometimes traumatic situations, during the journey of finding themselves. And when they finally find it, they realize that their self is not so hospitable in their family and / or social circle. Of course, we are talking about most of the cases, because, thankfully, families welcoming their children of all colors exist.

And when they realize that their self is not welcomed in the family, they create another "self". This "self" is usually the result of their own expectations of that person. Some do well in school, even though the subject they are taking is not at all what they want, but they are afraid of disappointing their parents; some become pushover people, where they do not spoil any of the pleasures or desires of their social circle because they are afraid that they may leave them; some seek counseling in religion, as the only way to mask the guilt they feel within them.

Basically, people in the LGBTQ + community are dealing with a lot of pretense during their lifetime. Some may be convinced that they have made a balance between fake and real life, but in many cases, one influences the other more without the person's knowledge.

They have grown up hearing the words "I love you the way you are", "I love every part of you" or "I love everything about you" from their family and / or friends, but how valuable is that "everything" when that person does not show it to those who say these sentences. How can they love you as you are someone who they do not know at all? They do not know an essential part of yourself? Then it is hard to believe the word "I love you". They do not love you, they love your "other self", it is a consolation that many people in the LGBTQ + community console with.

And if it is very difficult for them to believe the words "I love you" that come from a family or social circle, then why should it be easy to trust a person with whom they are in a romantic relationship with? Are they in love with me, or with an idea I unknowingly created for them? And so, they fall into the abyss of thought-excess, anxiety, paranoia and sometimes even depression. And the Grindr culture, that is, the culture of meeting for sex and no more, and one-night stands is not that it has helped eradicate this phenomenon.

Not that there is anything wrong with these cultures, almost the whole community is part of them, but they offer nothing more than that, a great night and nothing long term. When was the last time you heard that a couple met through Grindr and are now living together in a city-view apartment with their two puppies? It has never been heard in Kosovo, at least.

Maybe it's something that people in the community completely ignore, thinking "since love will not be possible, at least I will enjoy it". Some may be afraid to pursue this "dream" because, as a society, we are generally used to feeling ashamed whenever we do something out of the ordinary, while a healthy romantic relationship between two men / women is extremely utopian. And unfortunately, the social norm for the LGBTQ + community these days is "Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll". Or maybe Rock and Roll should be replaced with Techno. What would help create a comfort and self-confidence in the people of the community would be their media representation, if they made a portrayal of same-sex love in the media, television or movies, where it is presented as something extremely normal. It is true that such content is found from countries outside Kosovo, but it only reminds them how good it is there and not here. The film "Marriage", a Kosovan film that talks about a love triangle, where a man is forced to marry a woman because he is afraid to love another man, has been a stepping stone to this cause, but it should not be stopped there. We need gay, lesbian, trans, non-binary, queer people in the media, television and movies, where they speak Albanian, where they show what it is like to live in Kosovo and have the job of your dreams, your life partner or a life goal.

Më 21 tetor 2020, duke e parafrazuar deputetin e Partisë Demokratike të Kosovës, z. Mërgim Lushtakun i cili nga foltorja e Kuvendit të Kosovës thotë që: Shkenca ka vlerësuar që legalizimi i martesës së seksit të njëjtë do të çoj në efekte katastrofike shoqërore dhe familjare…

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Within the 5th edition of #YouthSummitinSkopje was held a panel discussion "Regional Perspective of EuroPride 2022" moderated by Antonio Mihajlov attended by representatives from Kosovo - CEL - Lend MustafaSerbia - Marko Mihailović, Bosnia and Herzegovina Amina Imamović and from Montenegro.
On this panel was discussed about the experiences of organizing the Balkan Pride Parade and the regional perspectives of EuroPride 2022

It was an honor and a pleasure to present our work and the challenges of LGBTI + people at a meeting with the former President of the United States Mr. Bill Clinton who came to visit Kosovo

This panel discussed the current situation regarding the recommendations that were sent to the law on marriages for the laws to be harmonized with the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo.

In this panel a very constructive debate was held which also highlighted the willingness of civil society to contribute to the Civil Code project in order to be as comprehensive as possible and to serve every citizen of Kosovo.

In this panel were invited Blert Morina, Executive Director at Center for Equality and Liberty - CEL, Igballe Rogova, Executive Director of Kosovo Women's Network, Alfonos Benjamin Lentze, EU Program for Civil Code and Kerstin Niethammer-Jurgents, EU Program for the Civil Code.

Cel Kosovo signed a contract with the Austrian Development Agency. The project will be focused on raising awareness for the LGBTI community's rights.
We thank them for their continued support in promoting and advancing the rights of the LGBTI community in Kosovo.

CEL was part of the advocacy and judicial workshop on #CivilPartnership in the Western Balkans, organized by ILGA-Europe with the support of the Council of Europe SOGI unit in Podgorica, Montenegro.

Qendra për Zhvillimin e Grupeve Shoqërore – CSGD dhe Qendra për Barazi dhe Liri – CEL konsiderojnë që Projekt-Kodi Civil shkel të drejtat për partneritet (martesë apo bashkësi jashtëmartesore) për personat LGBTI në Kosovë dhe pajtohet me interpretimin ligjor të Avokatit të Popullit Hilmi Jashari që po ashtu ka identifikuar shkeljet e njëjta të të drejtave të njeriut në Projekt- Kodin Civil.Projekt-Kodi Civil definon martesën si bashkësi ligjërisht të regjistruar ndërmjet dy personave të sekseve të ndryshme. Po ashtu, definon që Burri dhe Gruaja, kanë të drejtën të martohen dhe të formojnë familje. Më tej, Projekt-Kodi Civil parasheh mundësinë e krijimit të bashkimeve tjera civile me një ligj të veçantë. Të gjitha partneritetet e mundshme (martesa apo bashkësia jashtëmartesore) duhet të rregullohen me Kodin Civil. Kjo çasje e të rregulluarit të partneriteteve tjera me ligje të veçanta, tenton të ndaj të drejtën për partneritet për personat LGBTI nga ato të qytetarëve të tjerë të Kosovës. Një çasje e tillë është shkelje fundamentale e të drejtave të njeriut të personave LGBTI në Kosovë, dhe nuk paraqet gjithëpërfshirjen e të drejtave të qytetarëve të Kosovës.Ministria e Drejtësisë ka publikuar Projekt-Kodin Civil të Republikës së Kosovës. Përderisa Ministria e Drejtësisë ka përshkruar kodin si “një kod civil modern”, pas një shikimi të shpejt mund të kuptohet që ky draft lë shumë për t’u dëshiruar. Projekt-Kodi civil ka dështuar në sigurimin e njohjes ligjore të statutit të partneritetit të çifteve të sekseve të njëjta (të bashkësisë jashtëmartesore apo martesës) dhe i’a mohon këtyre përsonave të drejtën për të krijuar familje. Mos rregullimi i partneritetit për çiftet e të njëjtit seks në Projekt-Kodin Civil nga grupi punues që është formuar nga Ministria e Drejtësisë, është çasje diskriminuese në bazë të orientimit seksual.Kushtetuta e Kosovës garanton të drejtën për martesë dhe krijimit të familjes. Është e qartë që në Kushtetutën e Kosovës nuk ka gjini të përcaktuar, që do të pengonte çiftet e seksit të njëjtë të martoheshin dhe të krijonin familje. Më tej, Kushtetuta e Kosovës siguron edhe shtresa të tjera të mbrojtjes së të drejtave themelore të njeriut. Neni 24 i Kushtetutës – Barazia para ligjit garanton që çdo person gëzon të drejtën e mbrojtjes ligjore pa diskriminim duke përfshirë edhe orientimin seksual si bazë të mbrojtur. Kushtetuta lejon zbatueshmëri direkte të Konventës Europiane për Mbrojtjen e të Drejtave të Njeriut dhe Lirive Themelore dhe të Protokolleve të saj në legjislacionin e brendshëm të Kosovës, dhe përcakon që në rast të konfliktit të dispozitave ligjore të mbizotëroj ato. Më tej, në pajtim me Nenin 53 të Kushtetutës së Kosovës, të drejtat themelore të njeriut duhet të interpretohen në harmoni me praktikat gjyqësore të Gjykatës Europiane për të Drejta të Njeriut. (“GJEDNJ”)Gjykata Europiane për të Drejtat e Njeriut ka njohur bashkësinë e personave të seksit të njëjtë si partnerë në Konventën e të Drejtave të Njeriut në nenet lidhur me “Jetën e Familjes”. Gjithashtu, GJEDNJ ka dhënë një numër të konsiderueshëm të gjykimeve lidhur me obligimin pozitiv të shteteve për të njohur ligjërisht partneritetin e çifteve të seksit të njëjtë. Grupi punues ka dështuar të aplikoj praktikat e Gjykatës Europiane për të Drejtat e Njeriut dhe ka dështuar të draftoj legjislacion që është gjithëpërfshirës dhe jo-diskriminues në bazë të orientimit seksual. Është e qartë që Projekt-Kodi Civil përjashton persona nga e drejta për partneritet dhe e drejta për të krijuar familje në bazë të orientimit seksual. Si i tillë, është diskriminues dhe shkel Nenin24 të Kushtetutes, që garanton barazi para ligjit dhe Nenin 37 të Kushtetutës, që garanton të drejtën për martesë dhe familje. Prandaj, Projekt-Kodi Civil duhet të përshkruhet në përputhje me obligimet e Kosovës për të siguruar të drejta të barabarta për të gjithë qytetarët dhe duhet të siguroj njohjeligjore të çifteve të seksit të njëjtë.

Blert Morina and the artistic group Haveit have been honored with the Democracy Award for 2018 for their contribution to promoting human rights and gender equality in Kosovo.

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A joint meeting was held between the Ombudsman, Non-Governmental Organizations and Civil Society, the purpose of which was to continue last year's practice of joint observance of December 10, International Human Rights Day.

CEL nënshkroi kontratën për projektin “Avancimi i Pozitës së komuniteteve LGBTI në Shoqëri”.

Ju faleminderit shumë Ambasada e Holandës në Kosovë.

CEL ka mbajtur një vizitë studimore në Shqipëri, Tiranë me ç’rast është takuar me disa organizata jo-qeveritare dhe akter të tjerë të rëndësishëm për të drejtat e njeriut.

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Dear friends,

Ambasada Holandeze në Kosovë shprehë kënaqësinë të njoftojë që sot u nënshkrua kontrata e re,- projekti Matra “Përmirësimi i gjendjes së komuniteteve LGBTI në Kosovë!”

The project starts in November 2016 and will last approximately two years.

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Së bashku me kolegët nga Qendra për Barazi dhe Liri e Kosovës dhe (Parada ponosa Beograd )- Parada e Krenarisë e Beogradit mbajtën një takim me përfaqësuesit e Ministrisë së Punëve të Jashtme të Norvegjisë.
Në këtë takim u diskutua për statusin e personave LGBTI në rajon, sfidat e aktivistëve LGBTI dhe mënyrat se si të mbështesim luftën tonë për një shoqëri pa diskriminim, dhunë dhe urrejtje ndaj personave LGBTI.
Faleminderit edhe një herë, Komitetit Norvegjez të Helsinkit për rregullimin e këtij takimi.

As part of the "Let It Be" program PriFilmFest, u mbajt diskutimi “Ndikimi i Filmit në ndryshimin e pikëpamjes së një shoqërie Homofobike”, në panelin e të cilit morri pjesë edhe CEL.

U mbajt konferenca e organizuar nga ATRC me temën: “Rritja e pjesëmarrjes së grupeve të margjinlizuara në Kosovë” në panelin e titulluar “Komunitetet LGBT dhe shoqëria kosovare” ku ishin të ftuar:
Avokati i popullit – Hilmi Jashari, i cili diskutoj për rolin e tij në mbrojtjen e komuniteteve LGBTI si dhe për mangësit e ligjeve në fuqi ,
Habit Hajredini nga Zyra për Qeverisje të mirë, diskutoj mbi arritjet dhe sfidat e institucioneve shtetërore në lidhje me të drejtat e komunitetit LGBTI, ndërsa Prof.dr. e Sociologjisë, Linda Gusia njëkohesisht dhe anëtare e bordit të CEL diskutoj për Seksualitetin dhe cështjet LGBTI, duke shpjeguar rolin a arsimit si të rëndësishëm për komunitetet LGBTI.

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CEL's staff had a very productive meeting with STREHA representatives, the only remaining shelter in the region. During our meeting we discussed on further coopration regarding assistance for at risk, homeless LGBT youth in the region.

Rajmonda Sylbije ishte pjesë e panelit ” Mbrojtja e lirisë së tubimit ”.
Përvojat dhe zgjidhjet e reja, gjatë Konferencës Rajonale për Lirinë e Asamblesë në Ballkanin Perëndimor të organizuar nga YUCOM dhe Komiteti i Helsinkit për të drejtat e njeriut.