Inna Iryskina

Analytical manager

A trans woman, currently the analytical manager of Insight and an expert on transgender issues. I used to write science fiction; now I write brainy analytical, educational and opinion pieces.

My path into human rights began with personal experience. When I started my transition, I quickly felt first-hand how complicated and hard it is in Ukraine. At first I came to Insight simply looking for support, but along the way I realised: I myself have something to offer to change the situation for the better. And pushing for these changes together is much easier.

Human rights are a basic, unshakeable value for me. I am convinced that every human being is a unique personality who must be able to express themselves freely in society. It is precisely to secure this freedom that human rights must be protected.

I define my political stance as egalitarian individual-centrism. I stand for equal rights and basic opportunities for everyone, where the group exists for the person, not the person for the group. I believe that access to positions of power and to socially significant decision-making should depend solely on the level of professionalism. I hold a scientific picture of the world, I am an agnostic and a convinced supporter of progressive values.

What fuels me:

I am a person of texts. When I manage to lay out a complex thought beautifully, clearly and understandably, I get genuine aesthetic pleasure from it. But what charges and inspires me most is feedback: when my texts resonate with someone and help them understand or rethink something.

Blitz interview:

What do you do when you are not saving human rights?
I love walking in nature, listening to electronic music (I used to write a little myself) and watching Formula 1 broadcasts.

One sentence about yourself that is not a job title:
I structure, systematise, bring in the constructive, and dot all the i’s.

Three words that describe you:
Thoughtful, goal-oriented, principled.

A queer watch you recommend?
Breakfast on Pluto. I first watched it exactly when I was weighing up my transition. The main character and the film as a whole gave me such a mood that it became a matter of time rather than of whether to do it at all.