Activist Identities and Attitudes towards Activism among Russian-speaking Transgender People

• In Event: Social Activism in Soviet and Post-Soviet Russia

Abstract

The article explores the attitudes of transgender (trans) people towards trans activism and their willingness to identify as “activists.” Activism was understood both in a broad sense as any activities aimed at a goal (e.g. writing texts, sharing information) or in a narrow sense as the work of NGOs and street protests. A bidirectional causation between participation in activism and gender transition was observed: not only trans people joined activism to protect their rights, but some started to identify as trans after becoming activists.

Author

• Yana Kirey-Sitnikova, Uppsala U (Sweden)