Reserving the Right to be Complex: Gender Variance and Trans Identities in the Greek Legal Order

WithintheGreeklegalorder,genderidentityrecognitionandthelegalimplications oftransidentitieshave,inrecenttimes,increasinglybecomethesubjectsof legislationandlegalanalysis.Nonetheless,inthisnewlyemergingdebate,contextspecificityandhistoricityareoftenside-stepped.Inthisvein,thepresentthesis asks:Howdidissuesofgendervarianceemergeinthenationallegalorderduring thepreviouscenturyandhowweretheydiscussedandregulatedbeforethe existenceofLGBTI+rights?Starting fromthepremisethatthelegalmanagementof genderidentityadherestodifferentlarge-scalepoliticalprojectsonamacrolevel while,onagroundlevel,itismaterialisedthroughbureaucraticinformalityand individualsurvivalstrategies,thethesisproceedstoexplorethefollowingqueries: To whichprocessesandprojectsdoesrecenttrans-relatedlegislationrelateand howcanitbecomprehendedwithinthem?Howdoessuchlegislationtranslateinto legalrealityasalivedexperienceinGreeceandhowcanitbeappraisedona symbolicandmateriallevel? Withthesequestionsinmind,thethesisanalysestextsthatwerecompiledthrough archivalresearchtocreateagenealogyofthelegalmanagementofgenderidentity duringthepreviouscentury.Itunearthscategoricalconflations,interpretative workingsandotherdominantepistemicgesturesthatcreatedachaoticnexus withinthesupposedlyself-evidentprocessofregisteringandcategorisinglegible citizens.Multiplecontemporarylegalsourcesandasetofsemi-structured interviewsarethenusedtoappraisethemainpiecesoflegislationrelatingto genderidentityissuesatstateandgroundlevel.Exploringthewayinwhichtrans rightscanbeunderstoodinanationalcontextoftraditionalethno-sexualvalues, thethesismakesanargumentforcomplexinconcreto readingsofsuchlegislation thatgobeyonditsmereunderstandingasalinearanduniversalnarrativeof progressorassimilation.