Petra Hristova is a Bulgarian transgender woman, writer and activist whose personal struggle for legal recognition became one of the most significant transgender rights cases in Bulgaria. Born in 1998, she grew up in northern Bulgaria, moving between Veliko Tarnovo, Lyaskovets, Kozarevets and Gorna Oryahovitsa. Her childhood was marked by isolation and bullying, including physical violence, and she has spoken publicly about growing up without the freedom and security that many children take for granted. At the age of twelve, Petra came across an interview with a Bulgarian transgender woman living abroad. It was a turning point. At a time when little information about transgender identities was available in Bulgarian, she began researching the subject herself, often relying on English-language sources to understand feelings she had struggled to name. Education became an important part of Petra's life. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Applied Linguistics, studying English and Korean, followed by a Master's degree in English Philology. She also obtained a professional qualification in organisational psychology. Later, she enrolled in studies in midwifery, inspired by the idea of helping bring new life into the world. Petra began her medical transition after her first year at university and started hormone therapy in September 2015. Finding appropriate medical care proved difficult, as she encountered specialists who lacked experience with, or were unwilling to treat, transgender patients. In January 2022, she underwent gender-affirming surgery at a private clinic in Greece.
Alongside her personal transition, Petra began a long struggle for legal recognition. In 2018, she brought proceedings before the District Court in Gorna Oryahovitsa seeking changes to her civil-status records. Although the first-instance court ruled in her favour, the decision was challenged and later overturned. After exhausting the available domestic remedies, Petra took her case to the European Court of Human Rights. On 27 September 2022, the Court ruled in her favour in P.H. v. Bulgaria, finding that Bulgaria had violated her right to respect for private life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The judgment awarded her compensation and became an important decision in the continuing debate over legal gender recognition in Bulgaria. Yet Petra's story did not end with her victory in Strasbourg. The practical struggle to obtain documents reflecting her identity continued, and in the years that followed she remained involved in further legal efforts. Her experience has made her a visible voice on the difficulties faced by transgender people in Bulgaria, including discrimination in education, employment, healthcare and everyday life. Petra is also a writer and has continued to pursue new interests and ambitions. She has studied additional languages, explored astrology and developed an interest in acting. Her life is therefore a story not only of courts and activism, but also of education, reinvention and an enduring determination to keep moving forward.
Today, Petra Hristova remains one of the most visible transgender women in Bulgaria, known for her willingness to speak openly about her life and for her determination to fight for the right to live with dignity and legal recognition.
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| "I was a very artistic child." |
Monika: Petra, welcome to The Heroines of My Life. I have to tell you how happy I am to have you here, because you are the very first sister from Bulgaria whom I have had the pleasure of interviewing for my blog.
Petra: I am truly impressed that my story has reached such a large and intelligent audience, and I am very proud and, of course, very grateful. Thank you for the invitation.
Monika: You clearly have a remarkable talent for languages, having studied English, Korean, Turkish, and other languages. Was learning languages something that came naturally to you from childhood, or did you discover this talent later in life?
Petra: Yes, actually, it started at a very early age. My mother and grandmother used to buy me magazines for young explorers, and I was fascinated by the world I saw in the pictures and read about in the text. My ascendant sign is Sagittarius, so naturally I love travelling, philosophy, and learning.
Monika: You have accumulated an impressive list of qualifications, including degrees in Applied Linguistics and English Philology, as well as training in organisational psychology. Were you always academically ambitious?
Petra: From a very early age, my mother and grandmother were very strict about my education. They raised me to be intelligent and well-mannered and gave me a great start in life, for which I am very grateful. I have always had this ambition inside me, along with a passion for studying, discovering new things, and finding new horizons.
Monika: You later decided to study midwifery, inspired by the idea of helping bring new life into the world. There is something rather beautiful about a woman who has fought so hard to be recognised herself wanting to help others enter the world. What attracted you to that profession?
Petra: There is a very important figure in Bulgarian history called Rayna Knyaginya. According to historical accounts, she was the first Bulgarian woman to train as a midwife. She was also the first woman to sew the national flag, and she was a strong and independent woman. She became an inspiration to me. Unfortunately, because of some institutional problems, I stopped after my first year. But it is never too late to start again. Life is strange and fascinating in the way it keeps giving us new opportunities.
Monika: You have recently started exploring acting, which seems like a fascinating new chapter in your life. What was it about acting that attracted you?
Petra: Actually, I was a very artistic child. I was interested in singing and theatre, as well as drawing, but life took me in a different direction at that time. My mother enrolled me in dance classes, both traditional Bulgarian and Latin American, from an early age, and later I took part in local theatre productions. But then there came a point when I stopped and started questioning myself. That is why I have started again. Of course, there is a deeper motivation behind it now. It is called love... something I never really learned how to understand.
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| Petra's biography. |
Monika: You have also spoken openly about the difficulty of finding employment despite your education and qualifications. How frustrating is it to work so hard to educate yourself and then feel that people stop seeing your abilities as soon as they learn that you are transgender?
Petra: It is incredibly frustrating to spend so much money on education and professional courses, only to be treated like you are worthless afterwards. Those words are harsh, I know, but that is the reality many of us live with. I have also won numerous prizes in competitions, so I know what I am capable of. But with enough courage, I believe nothing is impossible in this life.
Monika: I still remember my first meeting with another transgender woman. It was such a powerful moment, almost as if all the pieces of a puzzle suddenly fell into place and I finally understood myself. You were only twelve when you came across an interview with a Bulgarian transgender woman living abroad. Do you remember what went through your mind when you saw her? Was it that same feeling of suddenly realising, “I am not alone, there are other people like me”?
Petra: I completely understand what you mean because I believe many of us go through almost the same experience. For me, there was something more. Something inside me suddenly said, “This is it! This is what I am going to do. This is who I am.” I still remember seeing this beautiful red-haired woman, who has since passed away. May she rest in peace. Her name was Deni Lazaro. She was a singer in Bulgaria for many years before moving to Greece, where she lived afterwards.
Monika: When you came out, did your mother embrace you as her daughter? And do you feel any connection to her in the way you look, carry yourself, or even in your style and mannerisms?
Petra: Yes, I remember that moment very clearly. We were doing some repairs at home, and suddenly I told her, “You want me to be one of the boys, but I am a girl!”
Of course, she was shocked at first, perhaps for a month or two, but eventually she accepted things as they were. We went shopping together, and she was the person who stayed beside me during my surgery. She was, and still is, a very, very important person in my life. My grandmother found it harder to accept at first, but with time she got used to it too. I have to say that these two women raised me and helped me become the person and the woman I am today.
Monika: Finding knowledgeable and willing medical professionals proved extremely difficult for you, and you had to search for information yourself. How frightening was it to realise that you might have to become your own researcher and advocate because the Bulgarian healthcare system was not prepared to help you?
Petra: It was very stressful because I was at university at the time, and I went through a complete breakdown. My whole world turned upside down. And yes, this “system” can be dangerous. I made it through, but some people may not. It doesn't have to be so cruel and difficult. I am very lucky that I learned English through video games from an early age, because it allowed me to do my own research. And I was very lucky to have my mother beside me when I had to make important decisions.
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| "I love fashion and everything connected with it." |
Monika: Looking back at the beginning of your transition, what do you remember most strongly: the fear, the excitement, the impatience, or perhaps the relief of finally doing something about feelings you had carried since childhood?
Petra: All of them. But perhaps the excitement and the unknown were the strongest feelings at the time. The real relief came after the “final” surgery. I finally felt complete.
Monika: I had my own bottom surgery in Thailand, and until I read about your experience, I honestly wasn't aware that such options were available in Greece. How did you go about researching your options and choosing the clinic and surgeon in Greece?
Petra: Actually, I found that surgeon completely by chance. At first, I thought it might even be some kind of scam because, at that time, Thailand and Serbia were considered the main destinations for these surgeries. I spent about two years talking to the surgeon and trying to decide whether I was making the right choice. I didn't have enough money at first either, so it took time. Eventually, I went through with it, and now, four years later, I have absolutely no regrets.
Monika: Petra, looking at you, I have to say, you look like a million dollars! But many of us still feel the pressure to “pass” as women, and even when we look and feel confident in ourselves, society can be very quick to judge. How do you personally deal with those outside expectations? Have you reached a point where you simply think, “I know who I am, and that's enough”?
Petra: I went through that during the early stages of my transition. It was quite stressful, but I am a very determined person. When I decide what I want, I do whatever I can to achieve it, so other people's opinions were never a major factor for me. I simply knew I would succeed, and I think I did. There are other transsexual women who constantly feel that they don't pass, and some have a very difficult time with it. But I believe that if we were born this way, we carry a certain power inside us, and sooner or later that power finds its way to the outside.
Monika: I remember the time right after my transition, it was pure euphoria. My closet is still full of dresses and shoes that I literally bought by the dozens back then, and I must have tried on hundreds. I felt like I had to make up for all those years that were taken from me. Did you feel the same way?
Petra: Yes, pretty much. I started wearing more feminine clothes and accessories during my university years, but after surgery I really developed my own style. My zodiac sign is Taurus, and its ruler is Venus, so I love fashion and everything connected with it.
END OF PART 1
All photos: courtesy of Petra Hristova.
© 2026 - Monika Kowalska
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