The draft law on legal recognition of gender identity based on self-determination has the support of the majority of political parties in Montenegro, according to research by the Spektra Association.
That non-governmental organization presented the research today at the panel discussion "Personal is political: Attitudes of officials, representatives and voters of political parties".
As the PR Center reports, the participants of the event appealed to the Government to send the draft law to the Assembly procedure as soon as possible, so that the deputies could consider it and make a decision on its adoption by the end of the year.
The executive director of the Spektra Association, Jovan Ulićević, commenting on the research results, said that the support of citizens is not only declarative, but also shows an understanding of several things.
"First of all, that human rights are indivisible, that they are not particular, and that a certain consistency is necessary in respecting human rights so that we can truly say that we respect them as a society and a state," said Ulićević.
He said that he was particularly pleased that members of the Europe Now Movement, the Democratic Party of Socialists, the Democrats and the Citizens' Movement URA expressed such explicit views, while, as he stated, encouraging messages were also heard from members of parties of less numerous nations.
According to Ulićević, the essence of the issues addressed by the law are "whether we believe that everyone should have the right to decide about their life or not, that is, that they have the right to self-determination".
Director General of the Directorate for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms in the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights, Mirjana Pajković, said that the goal of the law is to free Montenegro from the retrograde and inhumane practice of sterilization.
"I cannot imagine that any citizen, especially a public office holder, considers it acceptable that the state requires its citizens to remove their organs and permanently deprive themselves of their reproductive capacity just to get an identity document," said Pajković.
Analyst at the DAMAR Institute, Hakile Resulbegović, said that the research showed that most political actors have a basic understanding of the concept of transgender, but they lack deeper knowledge about psychological, social and medical aspects.
She pointed out that the research showed that the need for clearer and more educational communication of political parties towards citizens was emphasized.
The president of the Committee for Gender Equality in the Parliament, Jelenka Andrić, said that the research is a document that can be relied on and clearly indicate that the views of civil parties confirm that human rights have no alternative.
The President of the Committee for Economy, Finance and Budget in the Parliament, Boris Mugoša, said that he has no doubt that the Social Democrats will support the Law on Legal Recognition of Gender Identity on the basis of self-determination.
The deputy of the Democratic Party of Socialists, Aleksandra Vuković Kuč, said that if there is a consensus in the Parliament about the draft law, as research suggests, the Government should take it into account.
The political director of the URA Civil Movement, Ana Novaković-Đurović, pointed out that the Law on Legal Recognition of Gender Identity on the Basis of Self-Determination has the support of that party.
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