Discrimination of transgender people in Croatia - a view from their perspective

Glavna tema ovog rada su razni obrasci diskriminacije s kojima se susreću transrodne osobe u Hrvatskoj. Metodom polustrukturiranog intervjua cilj nam je bio istražiti i kategorizirati iskustva transrodnih osoba s transfobijom u raznim životnim aspektima kao što su obitelj i prijatelji, obrazovni sustav, birokracija, radno mjesto, zdravstveni sustav i javni prostor. Uzorak čini 10 punoljetnih transrodnih osoba koje žive u Hrvatskoj. Tematskom analizom transkripata intervjua dobili smo uvid u iskustva koja imaju transrodne osobe u Hrvatskoj, kako su ta iskustva utjecala na njih te kako su se zbog njih osjećali. Rezultati pokazuju kako u mnogim životnim aspektima transrodne osobe doživljavaju razne oblike diskriminacije, u nekim slučajevima čak i nasilja. Iskustva s „izlaskom iz ormara“ svojoj obitelji često su znala biti negativna, ali bi kroz vrijeme članovi obitelji promijenili mišljenje i postali bi podrška. Glavni problem obrazovnog sustava je nasilje od strane vršnjaka. Birokratski sustav u Hrvatskoj također u mnogim slučajevima nije adekvatno funkcionalan za pomoć transrodnim osobama prilikom tranzicije. Unutar zdravstvenog sustava glavni je problem needuciranost medicinskog osoblja, kao i centraliziranost, odnosno dostupnost psihijatara i psihologa koji su specijalizirani za transrodnost jedino u Zagrebu, što stvara dodatne probleme osobama koje ne žive u Zagrebu. Ključni nalazi u ovome radu mogu biti orijentir za daljnja istraživanja ove teme, kao i pokazatelj potrebe za intenzivnijim educiranjem opće populacije o temama rodnih seksualnih identiteta.The main topic of this paper are various forms of discrimination faced by transgender people in Croatia. Using the semi-structured interview method, our goal was to investigate and categorize the experiences of transgender people with transphobia in various aspects of life, such as family and friends, the education system, bureaucracy, the workplace, the healthcare system and public spaces. The sample consists of 10 adult transgender persons living in Croatia. Through the thematic analysis of interview transcripts, we gained insight into the experiences of transgender people in Croatia, how these experiences affected them and how they made them feel. The results show that in many aspects of life, transgender people experience various forms of discrimination, and in some cases even violence. Experiences with coming out to their family were often negative, but over time family members would change their minds and become supportive. The main problem of the education system is violence by peers. The bureaucratic system in Croatia is also in many cases not adequately functional to help transgender people during the transition. Within the healthcare system, the main problem is the knowledge about transgender issues that medical staff lacks, as well as the centralization, that is, the availability of psychiatrists and psychologists who specialize in transgender issues only in Zagreb, which creates additional problems for people who do not live in Zagreb. The key findings in this paper can be a landmark for further research on this topic, as well as an indicator of the need for more intensive education of the general population in Croatia on the topics of gender and sexual identities