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Description
The project deals with the perception of the LGBTI community in Slovakia. According to a 2015 Eurobarometer survey, the acceptance of transgender people in Slovakia is very low compared to the EU-28 average. 71% of respondents in Slovakia reject the basic idea of universal human rights and that LGBTI people, should have the same rights as heterosexuals.
Waldemar Švábenský is a photographer, graphic designer and father. He initiated and organized the 1st year of the festival of transgender culture: World According to Gabriel created as a natural reaction to the death of his child, Gabriel, who was a transgender person. Even though Gabriel was supported by his family, on 5th March 2018, he decided to end his life. After Gabriel´s death, his father and brother created a website www.gabrielsvabensky.sk, full of Gabriel´s paintings, thoughts and memories. They wanted to elevate Gabriel''s death to a legacy that would help other people in a similar situation.
The project is a continuation of Waldemar´s personal initiative, which aims to: support transgender people and their families/relatives and sensitize the society to them in Slovakia. The result of the project will be the 2nd year of the festival, a live library of transgender people stories and a public discussion.
The main activities of the project are the preparation and realization of the transgender culture festival, World According to Gabriel, the live library and public discussion in cooperation with SME daily.
The project focuses on opening public debate, increasing understanding, uncovering the world of transgender people, their relatives and families, who are also part of our world, building cohesive communities and fulfilling the individual lives of these people.
The project is beneficial for various target groups, such as the LGBT community, parents and relatives of transgender persons, the arts and culture community, high school and university students, citizens in the broader sense, etc.
Summary of project results
The aim of the festival was to raise awareness of the trans community in Slovakia and to provoke public discourse in the form of debates, theater performances, literary readers, concerts, film performances and exhibitions. The main motive is to draw attention to the critical situation of transgender people and to bring their lives and problems closer to the majority audience.
The main point of the program was a discussion on the topic "Transcendence in the Family, moderated by Michal Havran. His guests were Veronika Hrašková, an LGBT activist and coach who deals with the problem of trans people at the European level, Pavlína Fichta Čierna, mother of a transgender son and her son Claude Johann Čierny, who was also the author of a photo exhibition called Transgresia. The exhibition together with the screening of Diana Mráziková''s documentary about the Cuban trans community "Havanský denník" were accompanying events of the festival. The festival also included a 12-part video survey, in which personalities of the Slovak cultural and social scene answered questions about trans people and the stereotypes associated with them. All activities significantly help with the main purpose of the festival, to spread awareness of the trans community in Slovakia.
The holding of the festival significantly influenced people from the LGBT community, who began to use counseling services aimed at helping the community to a much greater extent. The festival is attended by people from counseling centers, who provide on-site assistance and information to festival visitors on request. Awareness of the trans community in society has grown significantly, the festival has received two awards, the Otherness Award in the Act of the Year category and Acknowledgments from Ombudsman Maria Pataky, "Ombudsman Thank You 2020".
Through its existence, the project significantly helps to break down social stereotypes and animosities towards the LGBT community, actively promotes equal rights for this minority and fights against the myths and untruths that are spread about LGBT people in society.