Blog: Perspectives

Pride is protest. Pride is celebration. It is defiance, rebellion, revolution. It is a manifestation of one of our basic human rights – the freedom of assembly. Pride can be a city-wide festival, a march, or an underground gathering concealed from eyes of the authorities. Pride is diversity, beauty, love. It can last hours, days, a month, or be over in a matter of minutes. In some places it is not only state-sanctioned, but heralded. In others – banned -, and its organizers - persecuted.

Brazil’s Supreme Court decision to criminalize homophobia and transphobia should be a step in the right direction to avoid impunity in the future. But not the only step.

For the past two weeks, I have been elbow deep conversion therapy research, specifically legislation banning it around the world, and the opposition to such bans as part of my role in OutRight Action International. I will not rehash the many studies that show that conversion therapy (CT) is profounding detrimental to a person’s wellbeing. It is very clear that there is no scientific basis for CT, and it has been rejected by every major psychologist organisation worldwide. Nevertheless, it is banned in only very few places (and a CT ban doesn’t a queer-friendly nation make, in many countries with a ban it was because the CT there was the most violent and reprehensible); Malta, Ecuador, Brazil, parts of Spain, a few others but also in all these places CT still occurs.

Suraj Girijashanker is a David W. Leebron Fellow at the Arab Foundation for Freedoms and Equality and OutRight Action International.

OutRight Action International is pleased to announce the appointment of new co-chairs to its Board of Directors: Micheal Ighodaro and Valerie Ploumpis. Each of them brings tremendous expertise, grace and love to OutRight. Together, they make a powerful duo with sharp insights into LGBTIQ organizing and a heartfelt commitment to human rights.

United Caribbean Trans Network (UCTRANS) is the first Caribbean trans initiate that will encompass our voices together to advocate on behalf of the Caribbean trans community to promote the protection and ecognition of the human rights of trans persons in our region.

(Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei) As of 3 April, 2019 the final elements of Sharia law passed back in 2014 come into force in Brunei, with particularly worrying consequences for women and LGBTIQ people.