The Macedonian Association for Free Sexual Orientation in cooperation with the Research Centre for Gender Studies at the Faculty of Philology held a workshop under the title Gender and Sexual Policies.

The reason for the workshop was the flagrant lack of gender sensitivity, and programs of any sort in regards to gender issues in the curricula of our university, as well as a critique of a number of great intellectuals who form the opinions of many “academic citizens” that make shocking sexist statements.
The prime goal of the workshop was to open a debate within the university, to develop the awareness to gender and sexual issue between students as well as professors and to give a solid and intellectual basis to the activism for women’s and LGBTQ rights.

The following made their contribution: Professor Elizabetha Sheleva, Ph. D, with “Sexual/Gender Policies in Dr. Suzana Milevska’s text – Patriarchy and Penetration and Zarko Trajanovski, M.A. – Anti-discriminatory policies.

In her speech professor Elizabeta Sheleva, Ph.D. talked about sexual/gender policies in the text, focusing on the content in the media, which mention and raise the issue of gender asymmetry or sexuality, where one can notice the absence of thought –through attitudes, the intellectual and conceptual basis, even when promoting and affirmative attitude toward sexual differences or when confronting the majority. Such statements take the position which further consolidates the already existing gender stereotypes.
Dr. Suzana Milevska talked about the problem of gender policies in visual arts and culture, about the relationship between, domination, power and violence which exist in society and which are reflected within contemporary art and culture. Dr Milevska also talked about how to recognize sexist models of gender and sexual policies taking into account the fact that the patriarchate was never homogenous and unified. Dr. Milevska also talked about the relationship with patriarchal models on inter-gender relations from the critical aspect of these models in art and culture.
Zarko Trajanovski, M.A. in Human Rights in anti-discriminatory policies stressed the need to adopt the law on non-discrimination in Macedonia. Mr. Trajanovski clearly highlighted the need to protect human rights in the country and to bring these to the attention of the public and respect them. He also mentioned the instance in many European universities, in which student campuses are waging a battle to eliminate discrimination against LGBT individuals.