NYC Media Roundtable to Discuss US Elections and UN Policies - Dec 8th, 2016

MEDIA ADVISORY

Media contacts: Rashima Kwatra, rkwatra@outrightinternational.org, +1 (917) 859-7555

Global LGBTIQ Activists Comment on US Elections & UN Policies in NYC Media Roundtable - December 8, 2016

(New York) – OutRight Action International, the LGBTIQ human rights advocacy organization, will host a media briefing with global LGBTIQ human rights defenders on Thursday, Dec. 8  at  4:30PM  in New York City.

The advocates from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa comment on the implications of the US elections on the global LGBTIQ human rights movement, as well as progress and pushback at the United Nations.

  1. As a strong proponent of LGBTIQ rights around the world during the Obama administration, questions surrounding a US backtrack or continued support to advance these issues are of paramount concern in the transition to a Trump administration.
  2. 2016 has seen unprecedented shifts in policy and commitment as well as conservative pushback at the United Nations. For the first time, the Security Council urged countries to protect LGBTIQ people from violence after the Orlando massacre, the first-ever Independent Expert on SOGI was created, and hostile resolutions have been tabled to prevent forward movement of LGBTIQ issues by the African Group and the Organization of Islamic Countries.

Activists at the roundtable include:

Amir Ashour - President and Founder of IraQueer, the first and only organization for the LGBTIQ+ community in Iraq and Kurdistan region. It aims at raising the visibility and increasing the awareness about and for the local queer community by sharing news and stories, and providing different kinds of trainings.

Georges Azzi - Co-founder of Helem, a Lebanese non-profit organization working on improving the legal and social status of LGBT people, and is the executive director of the Arab Foundation for Freedoms and Equality

Paisarn Likhitpreechakul - Paisarn is the co-founder of FORSOGI and also a board member of the Foundation for SOGI Rights and Justice. In 2011, the foundation won the landmark case against the Ministry of Defense for its practice in labeling transgender conscripts as "mentally ill". He is a leading advocate on Asian LGBTIQ issues as well as on maneuvering the UN human rights mechanisms.

Rosanna Flamer-Caldera is the Executive Director of Equal Ground, a non-profit organization seeking human and political rights for the LGBTIQ community of Sri Lanka. She has organized several lesbian and bisexual women’s conferences in Sri Lanka for the South Asian region and spearheaded the first research effort on homophobia violence and hate crimes against lesbian and bisexual women in the rural areas of Sri Lanka.

Steve Letsike - is an activist, feminist, leader, mentor and vibrant human rights advocate. She is co-chair of the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) (with H.E Cyril Ramaphosa Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa) as well as chairperson of the SANAC National Civil Society Forum.

Jessica Stern - Executive Director of OutRight Action International, with a specialty in gender, sexuality and human rights globally. Among commitment to international LGBTIQ issues, Stern has campaigned extensively for social and economic justice in the United States.

Kenita Placide -  Caribbean Advisor for OutRight Action International. She is also a human rights, HIV and LGBT activist from St. Lucia. She is the Executive Director of United and Strong and the Eastern Caribbean Coordinator of Caribbean Forum for Liberation and Acceptance of Genders and Sexualities.

The briefing will be followed by a Q&A. Immediately after the breakfast, journalists will have an opportunity for one-on-one interviews with the activists and OutRight regional experts.

DETAILS:

  • What: Media roundtable with global LGBTIQ activists and NGO leaders in NYC
  • Who: Advocates from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, Russia and Australia
  • When: 4:30 PM. Thursday, Dec. 8
  • Where: 80 Maiden Lane, Suite 1505, New York, NY, 10038

To RSVP for the breakfast or to schedule an interview with 15 other available activists at another time during the week, please contact Rashima Kwatra, rkwatra@outrightinternational.org, 917-859-7555.

The week of advocacy begins on December 5th and wraps up on Saturday, Dec. 10th with a daylong conference OutSummit: Pushing the Boundaries of Global LGBTIQ Activism, which brings together leading LGBTIQ experts from the US and globally to discuss the most cutting edge issues impacting LGBTIQ communities.

Press coverage is welcome. Please visit: http://www.outsummit.org/outsummit-news/ for details.

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