Levon (he) is a human rights and healthcare activist, currently communication coordinator at New Generation Humanitarian NGO a non-governmental organization established in Armenia in 1998 and working for the protection of socially vulnerable groups: LGBTQI+ people, sex workers, migrants, refugees and displaced populations, PLHIV, People who use psychoactive substances, Prisoners and detainees; Young people.
Leo (he) is an LGBTQ+ activist currently working as an Organisational Development Project Coordinator at GENDERDOC-M Information Center. With degrees in social psychology and film directing, Leo conducts training courses and workshops, and provides mentorship on storytelling, media literacy, campaigning and advocacy, as well as creative communication and audiovisual tools for NGOs and governmental organisations. In 2018, Leo consulted for the PAIGC party in Guinea-Bissau on their election campaign strategy and from 2021 took part in the creation of a series of campaigns for GENDERDOC-M. Leo is fluent in six languages and works worldwide, spreading his knowledge and helping different organizations find their voice.
Lana (she) joined Legebitra in January 2015 and was actively involved in advocacy efforts surrounding adoption of Marriage Equality amendment in spring 2015 and later in the Marriage Equality referendum campaign in December 2015. Afterwards she was involved in broader advocacy project within which “Kaj pa ti opaziš?” (“What do you notice?”) campaign was created. Before joining Legebitra she interned for a European Parliament MP and was active in the liberal political youth section.
Juan (he) has been organising many events in Suriname, from Pride marches to IDAHOT events, film festivals, etc. His current main engagement is with PAREA, a network of LGBT professionals in the country. As such, he has been involved in international work on workplace equality.
Hla Myat (he) is one of several LGBT activists that openly challenged prejudices and discriminatory practices in Myanmar, demanding equality and acceptance of LGBT persons across Myanmar society. He is leading the LGBTI organization Colors Rainbow and co-founded Myanmar’s inaugural LGBT film festival “&PROUD,” that aimed to create more space for the LGBT community and constructive conversations and engagement among the broader public. He has been working with the Ministry of Education for inclusion of SOGIE in formal education setting, and has been collaborating with lawyers, parliamentarians for legal reform to protect LGBT people in Myanmar.
Hiker (they) is the founder of the Oii-Chinese the first intersex website and organization for Chinese speaking intersex community, based in Taiwan since 2008. Hiker is the first intersex activist who came out in Taiwan to raise intersex awareness in a positive way publicly by initiating the “Global Free Hugs with Intersex Movement” in the 8th Taipei Pride Parade 2010. Hiker initiated “Intersex Asia” on Facebook to gather and incubate new intersex activists from Asia since 2013. Two years later Hiker called for the first Asian intersex activists gathering in the ILGA Asia Taipei and was elected as the first intersex co-chair of ILGA ASIA. 2018 Intersex Asia Network was established officially during the First Asian Intersex Forum and Hiker Chiu was selected as the co-chair.
Grainne (she) is Chairwoman of Marriage Equality and former Co Director of Yes Equality, the coalition that brought a landslide victory for the referendum on marriage equality in Ireland in 2015
Grainne is a long time feminist activist, former chairwoman of National Women’s Council of Ireland and Vice President of European Women’s Lobby. Co author of ‘Ireland Says Yes’ (Merrion Press, 2016) and Editor of ‘Crossing the Threshold – Story of Marriage Equality in Ireland’ (Merrion Press, June 2017). She is currently rolling out training for Council of Europe SOGI Unit on relationships recognition to member states of Council of Europe. A recipient of a Gay And Lesbian Award (GALA)for her lgbt activism in 2015, she was also awarded ‘Tatler woman of the Year’ 2015 and recently, Dublin City University awarded her an Almuni Special Achievement Award in 2017 for her work on LGBT rights and marriage equality in the Yes Equality campaign.
A lesbian feminist activist since 1997, Ging (she) has worked extensively for legal and social change in the Philippines. She was the Executive Director and one of the founders of the Lesbian Advocates Philippines (LeAP!) She was also one of the founders and active members of Task Force Pride, the local network engaged in organizing the annual LGBT Pride event in the Philippines, of the Asia Pacific Rainbow, a regional LGBT organization, and a former member and party list nominee of LADLAD, a national LGBT political organization for LGBT people in the Philippines.
Ging has been a technical advisor of UNDP Being’s Asia regional project LGBT in Asia, and is acting Chairperson of the Quezon City Pride Council, instrumental in having the anti-discrimination ordinance passed in Quezon City. Ging is one of the co-founder & member – ASEAN SOGIE Caucus, a coalition of LGBT groups in Southeast Asia advocating for the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGIE) in the ASEAN.
She joined OutRight Action International in 2008 as Project Coordinator for Asia and the Pacific.
Between 2016 and 2020, Fabrice (he) worked as Human Rights Officer for the United Nations Free & Equal campaign. He co-authored and led the United Nations Global LGBTI standards of conduct for Business, the largest corporate social responsibility initiative on LGBTI issues in the World. Previously, Fabrice was Senior Country Officer at the World Bank where he worked from 2001 to 2016. Fabrice holds an MBA from American University in DC. Fabrice volunteers on the Board of Outright Action International, Housing Works, the NYC Gay Men’s Chorus, Alturi, the KindRED Pride Foundation, Witness to Mass Incarceration and the Institute of Current World Affairs (ICWA). In 2019, he received the Golden Gate Business Association Award, the IGLTA Pioneer Award and the Alan Turing LGTBIQ Award for his human rights work. He lives in New York City with twin sons Maxime and Eitan.
Dastan Kasmamytov, LGBTQ+ activist, adventurer, mountaineer and software engineer, who lives currently in Germany. He is originally from Kyrgyzstan and has strong connections to his home country and its LGBTQ+ movement. Dastan has a long history of queer activism both within Kyrgyzstan and internationally. He also founded Pink Summits campaign (pinksummits.org) that aims at queer visibility through mountaineering and rock-climbing.