About TGEU

We represent 200+ member organisations across 50+ countries.

TGEU was founded in 2005 under the name Transgender Europe e.V. Since then, we’ve established ourselves as a legitimate voice for the trans community. In 2018, we expanded our regional scope to include Central Asia. We now serve trans people in 50+ countries in Europe and Central Asia.

Our vision

TGEU envisions a world free from discrimination where gender diversity is celebrated, where trans people are valued, and where trans movements are self-aware, intersectional, and evolving to meet the needs of a diverse and resilient community.

Our mission

TGEU’s mission is to strengthen the rights and wellbeing of trans people in Europe and Central Asia. We strive to represent the diverse needs of our members within human rights mechanisms, build the capacity and skills of our members to meet the needs of local communities, and develop intersectional and decolonised programmes to build more resilient and connected trans movements.

How we advocate for trans rights & wellbeing

TGEU has three primary areas of work.

Advocacy

TGEU advocates for the rights of trans people in the EU and UN. We endeavour to centre vulnerable gropus in our advocacy. We also work with our members to advocate at the national level.

Community 

TGEU invests in the capacity, skills, and wellbeing of local trans communities. We provide support and opportunities to our members. Our work focuses on building strong and resilient trans rights movements.

Research 

We research problems trans people face to publish clear and verified data. We use this data to understand our needs and advocate for laws and policies that improve trans rights and wellbeing.

Every two years, our members vote to adopt our strategic plan. This guides our direction in these three areas of work.

Our values

We endeavour to build an atmosphere of kindness, trust, safety, appreciation, and cooperation and emphasise celebrating the resilience and diversity within our communities. Our overarching aim is to have the direction of our work set by people directly affected by the issues at hand.

Community Involvement

We place community involvement at the core of our movements: we work in the community – with the community – for the community to improve the situation of trans people in Europe, Central Asia and other regions of the world. We strive to maintain and strengthen our linkages to trans communities to collectively identify our common goals and advocate for the solutions cooperatively. We seek to ensure they are included, consulted and given a voice while increasing community resources through our actions. The ultimate measure of our impact is the improvement of the lives of individuals and the communities they are part of.

Intersectional approach

Intersectionality is a key approach in our decision-making processes and actions. This means we consider the historical, social and political context in order to create processes and practices that reflect and act upon different forms of oppression and discrimination. We believe that working for the liberation of people in the margins is key to the liberation of all. We, therefore, aim to center these experiences by increasing representation and empowerment of the most marginalised groups within our structures and approach to work.

Decolonial approach

We acknowledge that our organisation is based in Western Europe and continuously reflect on the position of TGEU in the Western European context and the power dynamics arising from this. We attempt to examine, unlearn, challenge and reimagine West-centric theoretical and political perspectives, cultures and discourses in our work with organisations, collectives, communities, and individuals.

Culture of reflection

We emphasise investing in reflective processes that include constant questioning, listening, learning and sharing. We strive for a stimulating environment that welcomes different thoughts, appreciates critical analysis and gives room for innovative ideas and creativity with time to review and evaluate our decisions, actions, structures, and processes thoughtfully.

Wellbeing focus

We aim to ensure the wellbeing and sustainability of those involved in our work and the communities we work in, with and for. We acknowledge the emotional and mental stress that oppression and injustice cause and, therefore, reaffirm our commitment to self-care and collective wellbeing

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