RESURSEN TSENTSAR BILITIS

Since 2004, Bilitis is a champion for mobilizing the LGBTI people in Bulgaria and an advocate for LGBTI rights on local, national and international level. Bilitis is the oldest still existing LGBTI organization in the country. Its activity started as a self-support group of lesbians and bisexual women and gradually has included trans and intersex people in its leadership, making Bilitis a lesbians and bisexual women, trans and intersex people-led organization. Our approach takes into account the interconnectedness between gender, race, class, sexual orientation, gender expression, ethnicity, religion, disability, and other factors, which shape the social status of the individual. We work to counterbalance the hetero-patriarchal norms, which are creating inequalities based on gender, restricting people within the binary gender norms for male and female, and thus fueling LGBTI-phobia. We also work to overcome translesbophobia, the lack of safe spaces for queer women, and to create a strong and inclusive LGBTI rights movement in Bulgaria. Our mission is eliminating all forms of discrimination and achieving full equality for LGBTI people in Bulgaria and for achieving it, we have designed the following strategic goals: 1 Improve the legal framework for full recognition of LGBTI rights in Bulgaria and change policies in partnership with another NGOs, activists, political allies, donors, institutions and citizens. 2 At the grassroot level: activate, empower and involve LGBTI people, support new leaders and strengthen the LGBTI movement in Bulgaria. 3 At the level of wider society: disseminate the values of intersectional feminism and overcome the heteronormative structures, including gender stereotypes. ACTIVITIES ORGANIZING AND EMPOWERING THE LGBTI COMMUNITIES Bilitis provides various of community-focused activities: sports and awareness raising community events, workshops and trainings and self-support groups for LGBTI youth, trans and intersex people and queer women. Bilitis also provides private consultations to trans and intersex people and supports the non-formal self-support group for trans and intersex people called T.I.A. through facilitation and providing space for the meetings of the group. In addition, we organize the annual week-long Sofia LGBTI Community Fest which takes place each December in Sofia since 2005 and includes dosen of queer events such as art exhibitions, movie screenings, performances, workshops, games and others. Organized from the community for the community, this is a unique event aimed at empowering and nurturing young activists. Furthermore, Bilitis is co-organizer of Sofia Pride, the largest human rights event in Bulgaria, since its first edition in 2008. Bilitis is also co-founder and co-manager of the first LGBTI community center in Bulgaria - the Rainbow Hub, which operates since April 2018. PROMOTING SPORTS AND WELLBEING In 2018 Bilitis introduced Sofia Pride Sports - sports festival which includes variety of sports and wellbeing events as part of Sofia Pride Month. Sofia Pride Sports aims on addressing important for the LGBTI community topics through sports and introducing sports as part of the queer community life in Bulgaria in order to fight stigma and promote wellbeing. Besides Sofia Pride Sports, we hold many other sports events throughout the year, aiming at organizing the queer community around sports and introducing the queer sports culture in Bulgaria. CONDUCTING RESEARCH Throughout the years, Bilitis has conducted research on various topics such as the situation of Rainbow Families, LGBTI students and teachers, domestic and dating violence against LBT women, hate crimes, among others. Research findings and recommendations further Bilitis' advocacy work. ADVOCATING FOR LGBTI RIGHTS Bilitis advocates for legal gender recognition, criminalization of unnecessary medical interventions on intersex children, introduction of anti-LGBTI hate crimes law and marriage equality. Participation in v