🌊About the wave
Collective Talas TIRV is the first trans-led, non-profit and non-partisan organization in Serbia that focuses its work on trans, intersex and gender variant (TIGV) persons. The organization arose from the need to address problems of the TIGV community in Serbia with a broader intersectional-feminist approach and by using mechanisms that protect gender equality, respect different identities and their freedom of expression, and oppose all forms of oppression.
👥Our team
Matea (1996) is the Executive Director of Collective Wave TIGV. In this role, he is responsible for the strategic leadership and coordination of all organizational activities, including the development of projects, programs, and initiatives aimed at empowering the TIRV community in Serbia and advancing its rights.
Matea has a degree in sociology and is the author of several publications and research studies focusing on TIRV-related topics.
Aleksa (1981) is one of the founders of the organization Collective Wave TIGV. He currently works as an advisor. He has been active in activism since 2008, volunteering with numerous activist organizations and informal groups focused on advancing LGBTIQ+ rights. Aleksa is also one of the founders of the regional transfeminist organization Trans Mreža Balkan. By education, Aleksa is a geographer and a theorist of art and media, and currently works as an associate professor at the Faculty of Media and Communications. He is the author of two books: Representations of Transgender Identities in Visual Arts (2015) and Media Construction of the Other Body (2019).
Laura (1998) is an author, translator, self-taught social theorist, and activist from Novi Sad. Their work focuses on research and activism on queer and trans rights, radical democracy, social justice, anti-militarism, climate justice, and the development of policies in these areas. She participated in the initial meetings that led to the founding of Collective Wave TIGV and has been a regular collaborator since its foundation and she is currently on position of a project assistant. Additionally, she is part of Infoteka CK13 in Novi Sad, and from 2020 to 2023 she had worked as a youth worker at Grupa IZAĐI.
Sara (1993) works in video production, photography, and editing. She is one of the founders of Collective Wave TIGV, where she contributes as a collaborator on campaigns, exhibitions, and artistic projects. In addition, she writes fiction and scripts for films and TV series.
Izi (1995) is a artist and activist. They have performed numerous drag shows and organized the multimedia exhibition “Prostor između” (“Space in Between”), which used various visual media and performances to explore and communicate the concept of non-binary identity. Izi also directed the short film “SRŽ” as part of the Queer Film Residency organized by škART Tivat. He is one of the founders of the informal group “Kvir Panč”, which aims to decentralize queer events and create a diverse program and safe space for queer people in Pančevo. At Collective Wave TIGV, Izi works as a program assistant.
Mission, vision and values
Our mission is to build a strong, organized, empowered and inclusive TIGV community in Serbia. We firmly believe that only a community-based movement can provide sustainable psychological, social, legal, economic and educational support to its membership.
Our vision is a society in which every person will have the opportunity and necessary material conditions to explore and express their gender freely and to defy gender norms without a fear – regardless of their sex, assigned gender, race, ethnicity, or socio-economic status. Our goal is a politically active and empowered TIGV community, engaged in decision-making at all levels of society.
Our values
⚧ Respect of human rights – Collective Wave TIGV stands for the respect of all human rights for all persons regardless of their nationality, national or ethnic origin, skin color, religion, language they speak, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical characteristics or any other personal characteristic.
♀ Feminism – Collective Wave TIGV promotes and advocates for the implementation of feminist principles such as gender equality, equal pay, equal access and opportunities for schooling and education, women’s empowerment, resistance to essentialist, heterosexist, misogynist and any other form of discrimination based on sex and gender.
✊ Solidarity – Collective Wave TIGV is guided by the principle of solidarity in every initiative and action, that is, it strives for interconnection and mutual cooperation within the TIGV community itself, but also outside of it.
☮️ Pacifism – Collective Wave TIGV promotes pacifist values of peace and is deeply guided by the assertion that war and general violence is not a solution to international and national disputes.
🆔 Self-determination – Collective Wave TIGV supports every form of self-determination of individuals, which implies the right to decide about one’s own body and life, as well as the free choice of identity determinants and ways of presenting one’s identity.
👤 Intersectionality – Collective Wave TIGV is guided by the principle of intersectionality, which means taking into account different dimensions of identity such as: sex, gender, sexual orientation, race, class and nationality, with the understanding that each of these personal characteristics can affect an individual’s life chances.
🙌 Respect of identity, personal integrity and experiences – Collective Wave TIGV firmly believes in the validity of everyone’s identity, personal integrity and experiences without question.
👀 Transparency in work – Collective Wave TIGV bases its work on the principle of transparency, that is, all activities and initiatives are visible, clear and accessible to the general public.
🤔 Critical thinking – Collective Wave TIGV encourages reasoned critical thinking that can lead to progress both in professional work and in the personal development of all of us.
🗣️ Culture of dialogue – Collective Wave TIGV in its work fosters a culture of dialogue, that is, wants to listen and hear anyone who thinks differently.
💯 Integrity – Collective Wave TIGV is consistent with the organization’s mission and vision without deviating from them.
👐 Inclusivity – Collective Wave TIGV is open to work and cooperate with people of all identity profiles.