When the absence of care becomes deadly

In recent years, Anna has been one of at least four queer people in Kosovo whose deaths by suicide have been acknowledged within the community.

“Often I think, what will happen when I stop dressing like a boy, when the makeup and everything else finally show who I am? What happens when people see me as a woman?” Era said.

“I was empowered and sure of myself when I decided to start hormone therapy,” Blert Morina said. “Being turned down everywhere was a huge step backward. It wasn’t treated as a medical need at all. It felt dehumanizing.”

“People are trying to move forward in a system that has given them no way to do so safely,” said Genc, a queer activist.