TGEU welcomes the Trans Leaders Academy 2026-27 cohort

Alia Lehner (she/her) was born and raised in Austria. She is the State Secretary and Queer Representative of the Young Generation (JG) Upper Austria, and the State Secretary and Transgender Spokesperson of the SoHo Upper Austria.

Change-making  leadership vision:
To build an inclusive, courageous, and intersectional movement where trans people are empowered to lead, shape political decisions, and create lasting social change.

Beatriz Carmo Flores (she/her) is an activist and community organiser based in Portugal. As a Coordinator at GRIT, the trans reflection and intervention group of ILGA Portugal, she supports and strengthens community organising, from peer-support spaces to public advocacy.

Change-making vision:
To build collective power through community care, so that trans communities can lead the change for human rights while impacting positively each other’s lives and thrive together.

Evi Gümüssoy (they/them) is from Turkey and works on the TIN* & Refugees team at the TransInterQueer (TrIQ) organisation in Berlin.

Change-making leadership vision:
To transform these shared lived experiences into collective power by building community-rooted support networks that protect our sustainability, mental well-being, and joy.

Jononi Zulaikho (she/her) is a poet and artist actively contributing to Colored Qollective through translation and creating and holding space for trans and queer communities.

Change-making leadership vision:
To hear and see one another, speak openly about our differences and the privileges that shape our experiences, while remembering that, despite our differences, we remain connected in different ways and are part of a larger whole.

Mak Maslać (he/him) is a writer, editor and cultural worker based in Zagreb, Croatia. He is the editor-in-chief of VoxFeminae, a queer feminist online magazine focused on culture and societal phenomena, where he also writes on queer and feminist topics, literature and popular culture.

Change-making leadership vision:
To create and protect spaces for more open, critical and nuanced conversations about culture, queerness, sexuality and BDSM through writing, publishing and community work.

Maui Angela Miranda (she/her) is a writer, editor and cultural worker based in Zagreb, Croatia. He is the editor-in-chief of VoxFeminae, a queer feminist online magazine focused on culture and societal phenomena, where he also writes on queer and feminist topics, literature and popular culture.

Change-making leadership vision:
To create sustainable systems of care that center racialized trans migrants. I aim to cultivate “care-full” spaces where trans individuals can heal from systemic racism while building collective resilience and joy.

Miia Kovanen (she/her) is from Tampere, Finland. In this project, she represents Transfeminiinit Ry / Transfeminines NGO. She works in the organisation under the title of a volunteer social assistant. She is also a member of the feminist organisation Naisasialiitto Unioni / The Finnish Women’s Association Unioni.

Change-making leadership vision:
To take on this new role given to her. Indeed, she has only been in the sphere of advocacy for a relatively short while. Her journey has necessitated rapid personal development, which she aims to continue in these new responsibilities.

Natsumi Hernandez (she/her) is a transgender activist, model, runway coach, and personal stylist originally from Nicaragua. Since 2014, she has worked in human rights and transgender advocacy, collaborating with organisations such as USAID and local initiatives supporting vulnerable members of the LGBTIQ+ community.

Change-making leadership:
Creating safe spaces for her community, for her trans siblinx who are undocumented, experiencing addiction, or facing mental health challenges.

Pie Formosa (they/them) is a Chinese human rights defender, non-binary activist and refugee based in Brussels, Belgium. They coordinate Protect Human Rights Defenders (PHRD.EU) and are part of TGEU’s Trans Refugee Network, working across trans liberation, refugee justice, democracy, accessibility and resistance to transnational repression.

Change-making leadership vision:
To turn survival into solidarity and lived experience into collective power  ensuring that those most affected can shape the systems, policies and movements that govern their lives.

Queen Kevhoney Scarlett (she/her) is a visionary leader based in France, representing Miss Trans Global and Inspiration.s Worldwide. Crowned Miss Trans Global 2024, she draws strength from her rich mixed background spanning the West Indies, Asia, and Europe to champion equity and representation.

Change-making leadership vision:
To empower communities through inclusive, bold action that bridges cultures and transforms grassroots passion into sustainable global impact.

René Fet (he/him) is a lifelong LGBTIQ+ activist, campaigner, professional gay, and community organiser with a refugee background, currently based in Luxembourg. Originally from Russia, he was at the forefront of the fight for LGBTIQ+ rights, co-organising Moscow Pride 20 years ago and challenging institutional homophobia through direct action, campaigning, and advocacy.

Change-making leadership vision:
To turn his lived experience, his voice, and his courage to speak up when others cannot safely do so into collective power — and use that power to change institutions, communities, and lives.

Sean-Claude (he/him) is a Jamaican-born Creative Director, Curator, Storyteller and Community Organiser who migrated to the Netherlands as an asylum seeker in 2015. He is the founder of Freedom Work NL, a Black-trans-led DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accountability) and creative consulting firm working towards LGBTQIA+ justice and Black liberation, and Man.ish Cave, an organisation supporting BPOC transmasculine people in and around Amsterdam.

Change-making leadership vision:
My change-making leadership vision is rooted in storytelling, liberation, healing, community building, and creating spaces where freedom becomes possible.

Theodoros Vlachos (they/them) is from Greece and works independently as a social worker and researcher on trans and queer studies. They hold an interdisciplinary background in Social Work and International Relations (MSc, Aalborg University), with professional experience across humanitarian, community, NGO, and corporate settings, focused on child and adolescent protection, support for vulnerable groups, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) communications.

Change-making leadership vision:
To create spaces where lived experience becomes knowledge, participation becomes agency, and trans and gender-diverse people have the power to shape meaningful and lasting change.

Tyler Dušak (they/them) is a queer transgender activist living in Croatia and a member of Zagreb Pride and Sjemenište kolektiv. Their focus is on building queer spaces where folk are welcome to express themselves and encouraging visibility and pride of all individuals in hopes of strengthening community efforts of transgender rights advocacy.

Change-making leadership vision:
Strength, compassion, and accountability with the ultimate goal of building a society with equality and equity for everyone and freedom from oppression at its forefront.

Universe of Universal Friends (ey) is an intersectional trans activist in the Riga, LV area and beyond. With a focus on active inclusion and outreach, ey have been collaborating on the kviriem.lv queer resource and event compilation project, and running frequent, reliable trans community-building, artmaking, and connecting events.

Change-making leadership vision:
To make events  and connecting more accessible and enjoyable to a greater number of impoverished trans people, especially intersectionally oppressed trans women.

Yuli Fernandez (she/her) is originally from Cuba and currently based in Greece. She is a Black trans woman, political refugee, migrant, and LGBTQIA+ activist living in Athens. She is a community facilitator, treasurer, and board member of her organisation, where she works to strengthen support, visibility, and inclusion for LGBTQIA+ people, particularly refugees, asylum seekers, and trans communities.

Change-making vision:
To turn lived experience into collective strength, create pathways for those who are often excluded, and build communities where everyone can lead with dignity and freedom.