Multilogues on the Now: Trans*parent: Living Library

It is impossible to talk about bodily autonomy in contemporary discourse without acknowledging the question of trans people and challenges they face from media, healthcare providers, legislators and a broader public on the path to securing the freedom to make decisions about their own bodies. This is made even more urgent by the fact that the government of the Czech Republic continues to demand that trans people undergo surgical sterilisation. Most crucially, decisions about trans people’s lives in the Czech Republic are still made by a small group of sexologists, who hold mostly deeply pathologising views on transgender people and force them to reduce their often complex gender identities to those that fit society’s cisnormative expectations. In an intimate setting that takes the form of the living library, Ema Lorca, Georgia Hejduk and Jamie Rose, member of Trans*parent, a Czech organisation which is working to challenge the current situation, will share with participants their own experiences and stories of what trans people go through in the Czech Republic.

Jamie Rose is a master’s student of anglophone literatures and cultures. In her studies, she focuses mostly on the work of by queer and trans women. Her activities within Trans*parent include organizing educational workshops and raising public awareness.

Georgia Hejduk is a member of Trans*parent and the Czech Pirate Party. Among her other activities, she is involved in citizen’s lobbying and youth education.

Ema Lorca is a master’s student of gender studies, focusing on queer theory, and a member of the Transparent leadership board. They organise picnics, board game sessions and maintain Transparent’s Instagram profile.