🌊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
Nora Juno Janković (she/they)
As one of the founders of the organization, Nora (1995) acquired her activist knowledge and experience from the age of 18 through participation and work in left-wing organizations and anarchist spaces. Nora volunteered in civil society projects focused on ecology and technological aid development for people with disabilities. Within the Collective Wave TIGV, she is Coordinator for Public Health Advocacy and Education.
Nora’s nickname in the community is JUNICEF, by her empathetic attitude towards trans youth.
Aleksa Milanović (he/him)
Aleksa (1981) is one of the founders of the organization Collective Wave TIGV and a Program Coordinator. He has been involved in activism since 2008 as a volunteer for numerous activist organizations and informal groups working to promote LGBTIQ+ rights. Aleksa participated in founding the Trans Network Balkan in 2014, and his current position in that organization is Arts and Culture Coordinator. He is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Media and Communications in Belgrade and the author of two books that deal with transgender issues: Representation of Transgender Identities in Visual Arts (2015) and Media Construction of Other Body (2019).
Aleksa has his little organic garden near Belgrade.
Sara Sarić (she/her)
Sara (1993) works in the field of video production, photography and editing As a transgender woman, she is also one of the founders of the Collective Wave TIGV and holds a role of the Coordinator for Culture and Art. Sara also writes fiction and scripts for film and series.
Sara is strangely interested in cyborg feminism.
Matea Stefanović (he/him)
Matea (1996) is sociologist and researcher, holding two integral positions in the Collective Wave TIGV: firstly, the position of Research Coordinator where he deals with sociological research related to human rights and the social position of TIGV persons in Serbia, and secondly, the position of Coordinator for Community Work where he works on gathering, strengthening and empowering the TIGV community in Serbia.
Matea is reclaiming trans and queer space in Serbian folk music.
Džejlana Prušević (she/her)
Džejlana (1990) orients her interest around sexual and mental health of queer identities. She holds an MA degree in Comparative Literature and is a psychotherapist on supervision. Džejlana migrated back to Serbia only to further focus her work on the wellbeing of marginalized groups and improving their social position in Serbia.
At the moment, she works for UN Sexual and Reproductive Health agency, and in the Collective Wave TIGV performs a role of Project Advisor and Community Support Program Coordinator.
Džejlana religiously follows development of feminist porn industry.
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.