Udruženje Logos

Organisation Logos kindly invites you to attend the round table discussion "Religious and Gender Identities - (In)tolerance of Diversity". [more]

Logos (λόγος) gathers the persons whose primary goal is to promote dialogue and understanding, as well as capacity building, among the individuals who do not conform with, and/or diverge from the patriarchal normative system, and who consider various forms of spirituality, faith and inter-faith dialogue important for their life and the identities.

It is a human rights based centre for advocacy, research, learning and grass-roots exchange in Bosnia and Herzegovina, open to all people of good will, committed to the faith and spirituality, civil society, feminist, gender and queer theory, regardless of their religion, nationality or ethnicity, sexual or gender identity, age, ability, social status or race.

Logos is particularly devoted to dissolution of all forms of discrimination and oppression based on one's self-determination and identity (especially in or by the institutions of organised religion).

The values Logos bases its work on are:
>>	promotion and protection of the right to self-determination,
>>	promotion of dialogue and understanding,
>>	values of the open civil society,
>>	protection of all human rights and freedoms,
>>	creating the possibilities for development and self-advancement of an individual in its full capacity, as well as the society as a whole,
>>	inter-faith understanding and dialogue,
>>	reaffirmation of the positive values of the culture of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Our long term objective is deconstruction of the patriarchal normative system, through a constructive social dialogue, in order to enable the positive and sustainable social changes that include the full promotion and protection of the right to self-determination and integrity.

Immediate objectives are:
>>	advocating and contributing to the dissolution of all forms of stereotypes and discrimination within the patriarchal normative system, as well as the binary gender concept,
>>	promoting dialogue, understanding and learning, as well as capacity building and offering support to persons who diverge from, and/or do not conform with the patriarchal normative system, and who consider various forms of spirituality, faith and inter-religious dialogue important for their life and identities,
>>	support to the full implementation and development of the Law on Gender Equality in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Logos endorses the concept of gender-sensitive language as a base tool for further work on promotion of the freedom of expression and self-determination of an individual.

Udruženje Logos
P.O. Box 453
71000 Sarajevo
Bosnia and Herzegovina

logos@logos.org.ba

>> Establishment of the Research Education and Documentation (RED) Centre in Sarajevo, promoting the queer culture and identities in a variety of specific programmes and activities.

>> Basic training programme for the young LGBTIQ activists in the region (first in a series of sessions was held in Prishtina, Kosovo, in cooperation with the Youth Initiative for Human Rights).

>> Logos' representatives co-founded and participated in all the activities undertaken by Muslim Advocacy Initiative (MAI). Logos has acted as sponsoring organisation of MAI Strategic Meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia. Similarly, Logos participates in the self-organising of the queer faith-based communities committed to other faiths and spiritual practices across the world.

>> Contribution to The Status of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina; A Shadow Report.

>> Contribution to the draft law on the prohibition of discrimination in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Logos (Greek: λόγος):
Often translated as word, it can also mean thought, speech, reason, proportion, principle or logic. The term has varied use in philosophy, analytical psychology, rhetoric and religion. In religion, it is translated as the Word of God, i.e. the very possibility of the divine/transcendent entity to communicate with the people.

Faith:
Ability of the spirit to lead a person to the state in which she/he can understand the eternity, independently from the conscience or reason (Friedrich Max Müller).

Spirituality:
Commitment to understanding and personal experience of the spiritual realm.

Patriarchal Normative System:
Traditional binary state of the society in which the male members deliberately predominate over the power positions.

Gender Equality:
Equality of all genders/sexes in every aspect of life. It does not include only male and female gender/sex.

Gender:
A concept of one's own identity and expression that can confirm, reject and/or transgress the male and female gender roles, as defined by the society.

Sex:
Social concept based on biological characteristics. Humans are traditionally classified to male and female sex. Some contemporary theories include intersex as the third sex.

Gender Identity:
Self-perception of one's own gender, which is not necessarily in accordance with the biological sex. It may diverge from the binary concept of "male" and "female".

Gender Expression:
Outward expression of one's own gender identity in attire, gestures and behaviour.

Sexual Identity:
Self-perception of one's own sex, which is not necessarily in accordance with the biological sex. It may diverge from the binary concept of "male" and "female".

Sexual Orientation:
Emotional and physical attraction to the persons of the same and/or other sexes.

Homosexuality:
Emotional and physical attraction to the persons of the same sex.

Bisexuality:
Emotional and physical attraction to the persons of the same and other sexes.

Heterosexuality:
Emotional and physical attraction to the persons of other sexes.

Lesbian:
Female person who is emotionally and physically attracted to women.

Gay:
Male person who is emotionally and physically attracted to men.

Bisexual person:
Person who is emotionally and physically attracted to persons of the same and other sexes.

Transgender person:
Person whose gender identity and expression diverge from the traditional gender roles based on one's sex.

Transsexual person:
Person who intends to, or has already changed (by medical surgery and/or hormonal therapy) own biological sex.

Intersex person:
Person who's sexual and reproductive organs do not conform to the traditional notion of "male" and "female".

Queer:
Social, cultural, political, gender and/or sexual concept of identity of the persons who do not conform to the patriarchal normative system and who support social, cultural, political, sexual and gender diversity.

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