Earlier, I noted the passing of Stana Cerović, one of the last recognized members of the South Slavs’ ancient trans-male / third-gender category, and described how even before Stana’s death, younger transgender people in the Balkans have come to be treated as a new phenomenon, severed from historicity and often attacked. Today, let's look at one of those “new” trans people, “Major Helena” — forty-something activist Helena Vuković, who is well-known in the Balkans but little-noticed in English-language media.
Like many trans women, Helena long knew she was not a man.1,2 As a child, she grew her hair long to curl it, and put on feminine clothes when no one was around.1 At 13, she found a copy of the book Šta treba znati o polnom životu (“What one needs to know about sexual life”), which helped her realize she was transgender.2 However, again like many trans people, she found herself in a hostile culture that expected her to be nothing but masculine.2 In an effort to conform, she married young and joined the Serbian military, rising to the rank of major: “uniforma je trebalo da ubije Helenu,” she said: the uniform was supposed to kill “Helena”.2,3 It couldn’t.
Over the years, she made acquaintances in Serbia’s trans community,1 and in 2014 she revealed her identity to her wife, four children, and superiors, resulting in an amicable divorce and early retirement.1,2,3,4 (In 2015, a Serbian human rights body agreed with her that officials discriminated against her in their reason for pushing her into retirement: they claimed she was a threat to the army’s honour.1) In 2016, she was thrilled to undergo sex reassignment surgery, with Serbia's state health fund covering 65% of the cost; she gathered the rest (120 000 dinars, or about €975, £820 or $1050) from her savings and supporters, especially in the gay- and trans- rights organization Egal (“Equal”).3,4
As a trans lesbian,2,4 Helena is an activist for both communities1,4,5 in a country where transgender people live “under constant fear of hate crimes on the margins of the society”, often targeted by violence.1 She has organized Pride events in Serbia, spoken at events abroad, and met with the Serbian parliament.4,5,6 In 2016, the Serbian group GayEcho named her 2015's Gay Icon of the Year.5 Due to her efforts, cisgender people in the Balkans have greater awareness and understanding of their transgender compatriots, though acceptance is still low.
[1] Jovana Gec, Transgender army major wins victory in conservative Serbia, Yahoo / AP, 1 May 2015.
[2] Major Helena: Da mi na krstu ne piše staro ime, B92, 24 December 2015.
[3] N. Gavrilović, Detalji o promeni pola: Major Helena sada i fizički žena, Blic, 21 June 2016.
[4] Major Helena konačno postao žena: J....... mater svakom ko mi kaže da je ovo bio hir!, Newsweek Serbia, 3 August 2016.
[5] Helena Vuković proglašena gej ikonom godine, Crol / GayEcho, 13 January 2016.
[6] N. Peruzzi, Helena Vuković — skromna heroina borbe za trans* prava, Crol, 16 September 2015.
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