Myths and facts about sexual orientation and gender identity

Inna Iryskina 19.01.2022 Blog

Short of well-grounded arguments in discussions defending the LGBTQI+ community?

We have gathered a long list of unscientific claims, stereotypes and myths connected with sexual orientation and gender identity, and set out in detail how they fail to match reality and how things actually are.

Analytical Manager

Inna Iryskina

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.

Publications, interviews and media archive:

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