Danilo (he) is a founding member of Lamba, the first LGBT organization in Mozambique. He is a strong advocate for advancement on LGBT rights not only in his country but also in the region and globally. He has been PAN African ILGA co-chair, AMSHeR (African Men for Sexual Health and Rights) board-member.
Carmel (she) is South African – she has been an activist for many years and in the last 20 years an evaluator. Carmel works across Africa as well as Globally to support local, national and regional organisations, working towards gender equality and in particular on SOGI rights, in order to understand the contribution that these organisations are making to change and to support learning, adaptability and resilience.
Carla (she) is currently an independent consultant, a visiting scholar at CUNY Graduate Center, and a senior advisor at the Vaid Group. Prior to this she was Director of Programmes at the Other Foundation in South Africa. Previously, she was a visiting scholar at the Gender and Sexuality Law Center, at Columbia University; the Director of International Programs at the Arcus Foundation; and she led the Ford Foundation’s education and sexuality program in Eastern Africa where she fostered a partnership among global and regional funders to establish a new human rights fund focused on support for sexual minorities, that led to the establishment of The East Africa Sexual Health and Rights Initiative (UHAI).
Caleb (he) is an LGBT activist in Belize. He became politically active when he was 31, after attending a workshop in Belize City for gay men and for people living with HIV, and co-founded the United Belize Advocacy Movement (UNIBAM). He was the chief litigant in a case successfully challenging the anti-sodomy laws of Belize.
Bin Xu (she) is a dedicated LGBT rights activist in China.
In 2004 Bin founded Common Language, a support and rights group for lesbians, bisexual women and transgender people in China. In 2008 Bin Xu con-founded Beijing LGBT Center, and served as its executive director from 2009-2010.
Berfin Atlı (she), a Kurdish and queer feminist activist, is the Culture, Art and Academic Studies Coordinator at the Social Policy, Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Studies Association (SPoD), which works on LGBTI+ rights in Turkey. She also coordinates the Alliance for Narrative Power, an alliance to combat anti-gender narratives. This alliance aims to develop cooperation between different movements against anti-gender actors and harmful narratives and to look for creative and innovative ways.
Anthony (he) is the Executive Director of Gay Kenya Trust, an organization that works towards equality and non-discrimination for all including gay and lesbian individuals in Kenya. As a lawyer, he has previously worked as the Legal and Human Rights Officer at the Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya where he was instrumental in designing and initiating the implementation of what was then a strategy towards decriminalization of adult consensual same-sex conduct. He currently sits in the advisory panel of the Queen’s Young Leaders Award.
Otieno (he) is a strategic communications practitioner, institutional systems strengthening catalyst, narrative enthusiast and dialogue facilitator who uses narrative approaches to promote inclusivity and reduce violence against LGBTIQ+ plus persons in Kenya. Presently, he is the Sogicampaigns Africa team lead, coordinating capacity building on public campaigning for 8African countries under the Free To Be me Program. Otieno is a proud parent to a lesbian identifying young woman.
Marsel works as a Program Officer at the European Union Sivil Düşün Program, supporting active citizens and civil society organizations throughout Türkiye. He also is the founder of Kampanya+, a queer campaigners support programme stemming out of Sogicampaigns. He is also Regional Coordinator at Global Grassroots Support Network. He also volunteers in the Political Participation Team at Social Policy, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation Studies (SPoD)
Mariano (he) is a LGBTIQ+ human rights advocate. He holds board positions within influential organizations and consults for the World Bank and IOM. Mariano’s expertise in project management, public policy and strategic communications benefits vulnerable populations, particularly LGBTIQ+ individuals and refugees. His commitment is recognized through multiple fellowships and awards from global human rights institutions. He leads the LAC chapter of SOGI Campaigns, Derechos Humanos y Diversidad.