Transgender Europe
A European umbrella organisation advocating for the rights, safety, health, and wellbeing of transgender and gender-diverse people.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Transgender Europe (TGEU) is a European umbrella organisation and advocacy network focused on combating discrimination against transgender and gender-diverse people. Established at the first European Transgender Council in Vienna in November 2005, it brings together member organisations working on trans rights, community support, legal reform, research, and public education. The organisation was initially created as a volunteer-led network and was formally registered as an Austrian charitable organisation approximately fourteen months after its founding. It later developed into a staffed association with a permanent base in Berlin. TGEU’s work combines political advocacy with community-oriented programmes and evidence gathering. Its advocacy agenda addresses legal gender recognition, protection from discrimination and violence, access to healthcare, asylum and migration, family rights, employment, and the social inclusion of trans people. Although its original geographical focus was Europe, its mandate was expanded in 2018 to include Central Asia following campaigning by trans activists from the region. By 2025, the organisation reported a network of more than 200 member organisations in almost 50 countries across Europe and Central Asia, supported by a staff team and a governing board. A major part of TGEU’s research profile is the Trans Murder Monitoring project. Launched in April 2009 in cooperation with the academic online magazine Liminalis, the project collects and analyses reports of homicides involving trans and gender-diverse people worldwide. It subsequently became a pilot project of the Transrespect versus Transphobia Worldwide research programme. The monitoring provides a recurring international record of lethal anti-trans violence while also highlighting the limitations of available data, including underreporting and differences in identification and reporting practices between countries. TGEU also publishes the Trans Rights Index & Maps, an annual overview of the legal situation affecting trans people in Europe and Central Asia. The index examines areas including legal gender recognition, asylum, bias-motivated speech and violence, non-discrimination, health, and family rights. Its maps draw particular attention to legal gender-recognition requirements such as compulsory sterilisation and mandatory mental-health diagnosis. These publications are used by activists, policymakers, researchers, and international institutions to compare national legal frameworks and identify discriminatory barriers. The organisation participates in wider civil-society structures, including ILGA-Europe, the Network of European LGBTIQ* Families Associations, the Social Platform, and the International NGO Conference at the Council of Europe. TGEU’s role is therefore both representative and operational: it supports cooperation among grassroots groups, develops policy positions, produces comparative research, and advocates with European and international decision-makers. It is an active non-profit network rather than a commercial product brand, and its principal offerings are research, policy advocacy, capacity building, coalition work, and community support.
History
Transgender Europe was established at the first European Transgender Council in Vienna in November 2005. The organisation emerged as a regional umbrella structure for trans activists and organisations seeking coordinated action against discrimination and for improved rights and wellbeing. It was formally registered as an Austrian charitable organisation around fourteen months later. For much of its early existence, TGEU operated primarily through volunteer activity. The network obtained its first independent project-based funding in 2008. This enabled it to move toward a more structured programme of work, although the organisation did not hire its first project staff until 2009. The initial staffing was connected to the implementation of the Transrespect versus Transphobia Worldwide project and the Trans Murder Monitoring programme. In April 2009, TGEU began working with Liminalis, an academic online magazine concerned with sex and gender emancipation, to document reports of killings of trans and gender-diverse people. The monitoring later became a pilot project within the wider Transrespect versus Transphobia Worldwide research initiative. A significant institutional change followed the 2012 General Assembly in Dublin, which decided that the organisation’s seat should move from Austria to Germany. The relocation process was completed in 2014. At the General Assembly held in Budapest, the Austrian association was closed, finalising the transfer of the organisation’s seat to Berlin. Berlin subsequently became TGEU’s operating base and headquarters. Alongside its violence-monitoring work, TGEU developed comparative legal and policy research. The Trans Rights Index & Maps became an annual resource examining the legal position of trans people across Europe and Central Asia. The index covers areas such as legal gender recognition, asylum, protection against discriminatory speech and violence, equality law, healthcare, and family rights. The accompanying maps focus on coercive or pathologising legal gender-recognition requirements, including compulsory sterilisation and mandatory mental-health diagnosis. The research has given activists and policymakers a common framework for identifying legal barriers across jurisdictions. In 2016, TGEU’s General Assembly adopted a Sex Work Policy at the European Transgender Council in Bologna, Italy. The decision formed part of the organisation’s broader effort to develop policy positions on issues affecting trans communities whose rights and safety are shaped by intersecting forms of discrimination. In 2018, the organisation expanded its mandate beyond Europe to include Central Asia. This followed sustained efforts by trans activists from Central Asian countries and reflected the development of a broader regional network. TGEU also established relationships with wider European and international civil-society bodies. Listed memberships include ILGA-Europe, the European regional organisation of ILGA World; NELFA, a network representing LGBTIQ* families associations; the Social Platform; and the International NGO Conference at the Council of Europe. These links support coalition work and engagement with European institutions. By 2025, TGEU was headquartered in Berlin and operating with a staff team of fourteen and a board. Its network included more than 200 member organisations in almost 50 countries. The organisation’s contemporary model combines regional advocacy, community work carried out with member groups, legal and policy research, and documentation of anti-trans violence. Its continuing importance rests on connecting local and national organisations with European and international policy processes while maintaining data and research programmes that make violence and legal discrimination more visible.
- 2025
Network reaches more than 200 member organisations
[1]TGEU was described as having more than 200 member organisations in almost 50 countries, with fourteen staff members and a board.
- 2018
Mandate expanded to Central Asia
[1]The General Assembly in Antwerp voted to include Central Asia within TGEU’s geographical mandate.
- 2016
Sex Work Policy adopted
[1]The General Assembly adopted TGEU’s Sex Work Policy at the European Transgender Council in Bologna.
- 2014
Seat transfer completed
[1]The transfer was completed when the Austrian association was closed at the General Assembly in Budapest.
- 2012
General Assembly approves relocation to Berlin
[1]The General Assembly in Dublin decided to move the organisation’s seat from Austria to Berlin, Germany.
- 2009
First project staff hired
[1]TGEU hired its first project staff to implement the Transrespect versus Transphobia Worldwide work, including the Trans Murder Monitoring project.
- 2009
Trans Murder Monitoring begins
[1]TGEU launched the Trans Murder Monitoring project in April 2009 in cooperation with Liminalis.
- 2008
First independent project-based funding
[1]The organisation secured its first independent project-based funding, supporting its transition beyond a primarily volunteer structure.
- 2007
Formal registration as an Austrian charitable organisation
[1]TGEU was formally registered as an Austrian charitable organisation approximately fourteen months after its establishment.
- 2005
Organisation established in Vienna
[1]Transgender Europe was founded at the first European Transgender Council in Vienna in November 2005.
Products and positioning
A regional trans-led and trans-focused advocacy network combining policy work, community organising, comparative legal research, and monitoring of anti-trans violence.
Research and monitoring programme · 2009
Trans Murder Monitoring
A global monitoring programme that collects, checks, and analyses reports of homicides involving trans and gender-diverse people. It began in April 2009 through cooperation between TGEU and Liminalis and later became a pilot project within the Transrespect versus Transphobia Worldwide research programme. Its recurring updates provide an evidence base for advocacy while acknowledging that reported figures cannot capture every case of anti-trans violence.
Legal research and policy resource
Trans Rights Index & Maps
An annual comparative resource documenting the legal situation of trans people in Europe and Central Asia. The index examines legal gender recognition, asylum, bias-motivated speech and violence, non-discrimination, health, and family rights. Its maps focus on problematic legal gender-recognition conditions, including compulsory sterilisation and mandatory mental-health diagnosis.
Conference and network forum · 2005
European Transgender Council
A convening and decision-making forum for trans activists and organisations associated with TGEU. The council has hosted significant organisational discussions, including the adoption of policy positions and the expansion of the organisation’s geographical mandate.
Non-profit support and advocacy · 2005
Advocacy and member support
TGEU supports member groups through coalition building, policy advocacy, community work, capacity development, and engagement with European and international institutions. Its subject areas include equality, healthcare, legal recognition, asylum, family rights, and protection from violence and discrimination.
Brand decisions
2018
Expand the mandate to Central AsiaStrategyBackground
Trans activists from Central Asia advocated for their region to be included in TGEU’s work and network.
Action taken
The General Assembly at the European Transgender Council in Antwerp voted to broaden TGEU’s mandate to Central Asia.
Aftermath
TGEU’s regional advocacy and community work came to cover Europe and Central Asia.
2016
Adopt a Sex Work PolicyOtherBackground
Sex work is an issue affecting parts of the trans community and intersects with safety, discrimination, policing, and access to rights.
Action taken
The General Assembly adopted TGEU’s Sex Work Policy at the European Transgender Council in Bologna.
Aftermath
The policy became part of TGEU’s formal advocacy framework.
2012
Move the organisation’s seat to BerlinStrategyBackground
TGEU sought to establish a more durable institutional base as its volunteer network developed into a staffed advocacy organisation.
Action taken
The General Assembly held in Dublin approved moving the organisation’s seat from Austria to Berlin, Germany.
Aftermath
The relocation was completed in 2014 when the Austrian association was closed at the General Assembly in Budapest. Berlin remains TGEU’s headquarters.
Recent events
- 2025
Transgender Europe publishes its 2025 Trans Murder Monitoring update[1]
Other
The 2025 update recorded 281 trans and gender-diverse people reported murdered between 1 October 2024 and 30 September 2025. The update stated that 68% of the recorded murders occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean, with Brazil accounting for 30% of the total.
- 2018
TGEU expands its mandate to Central Asia[1]
Other
At the European Transgender Council in Antwerp, Belgium, the General Assembly voted to extend TGEU’s geographical mandate to Central Asia, following advocacy by trans activists from the region.
- 2016
TGEU adopts a sex-work policy[1]
Other
The organisation’s General Assembly adopted a Sex Work Policy at the European Transgender Council in Bologna, Italy.
- 2009
Transgender Europe launches the Trans Murder Monitoring project[1]
Other
TGEU began systematically collecting and analysing reported homicides of trans and gender-diverse people through the Trans Murder Monitoring project, initially in cooperation with Liminalis.
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