It’s mid-September, and Kirkenes – a small town in the north of Norway – is busy with preparations for its annual Barents Pride festival, a unique cross-border event that could turn out to be inspirational for many people. The idea for Barents Pride emerged in response to oppressive laws in Russia targeting LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly…
Although they now may seem antiquated to most people, attempts to forcefully change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity are still common in many countries, even in the heart of Europe. In Italy, a staggering 1 in 5 LGBTQIA+ people has been subjected to these conversion practices. As a reaction, the Italian queer movement came…
Before Poland got rid of its last LGBT-free zone in April 2025, it was four activists that put hate on the map in 2019.
Activists around the world have flipped the long-standing argument that homosexuality is a disease. Homophobia, not homosexuality, is sick.
In this campaign, Turkish activists fought anti-LGBTIQ erasure by showing that queer people have always been a part of the family—and they're not going anywhere.
In this campaign, Romanian advocates mocked opponents of civil unions, asking, \”What's so scary and revolting about two people loving each other?\”
Trans youth seem to be on every politician\\\’s mind. This American study has crucial insights on how to talk about these highly charged issues.
How can activists engage in the divisive debate over trans inclusion in sports without compromising the battle to build broad public support for equality?
In Hungary, activists led a successful campaign to defeat a referendum on an anti-LGBTIQ law that had already been passed—and built public support in the process.
The best chemsex campaigns from Mexico to Belgium start with a profound understanding of the intersectional vulnerabilities of LGBTIQ people to stigma and other mental health harms.
Russian LGBTIQ activists masterfully used the power of family in this campaign showing allies with their LGBTIQ siblings.
Queer feminist activist Zhanar sat down with us to share the story behind their 2023 candidacy for office in Kazakhstan.
In the Philippines, activists appealed to core national values and centered happiness and family in their public campaign for equality.
Moldovian activists told us how they responded to the backlash against their campaign on LGBTIQ children in schools.
ECOM shared tips and tricks from their TikTok campaign for LGBTIQ acceptance in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
Breakthrough India shares insights from their award-winning public campaigns against gender-based violence.
Russian journalist Sasha Kazantseva fought Putin\’s gay \”propaganda\” law with a viral campaigning encouraging queer people to share their childhood photos.
This research-based approach to divisive issues can help you campaign for trans rights in your own country, too.
From Human Rights Watch to sympathetic MEPs, European sex workers\’ rights advocates assembled a grand coalition to urge the European Parliament to protect their rights.
Meer kilkot, a non-binary cat mermaid that became the face of a Russian trans group in the face of heavy censorship.
Activists got high-profile allies from diplomats to UN oficials to help them break the silence about violence against queer women in Armenia.
Volunteers requested their employers to grant them sick leave for being LGBTIQ in this viral campaign to end conversion practices in Vietnam.
Rainbow Life Museum captures the stories of older LGBTIQ people in Cambodia to debunk misconceptions and break the stigma around sexual and gender diversity.
EQUAL GROUND told us us how they developed a research-driven campaign to appeal to the broader Sri Lankan public on LGBTIQ acceptance.
The campaign for Spain\’s comprehensive trans law started through rigorous research and audience testing.
In part two of our series on the campaign for Spain\’s trans law, we delve into how campaigners analyzed social media to come up with best narratives.
From parents thanking their trans kids to trans activists honoring political allies, the campaign for Spain\\\’s trans law put the spotlight on stories of gratitude.
To mitigate the damage of Russia\’s gay \”propaganda\” law, activists started a public campaign asserting that people are not propaganda.
Pink Summits is a campaign bringing LGBTIQ visibility to the highest mountain peaks in the world. Dastan Kasmamytov told us the history of the campaign and shared the lessons they learned.
The \”Yes\” campaign is a story of determination, where Australian activists used the full arsenal of organizing and campaigning tools to win marriage equality.
This Mexican campaign created spaces for LGBTIQ youth at risk of violence, battling isolation and online hate.
Activists take us behind the scenes of I DO, a campaign that has mobilized public support for marriage equality thanks to its organic and engaging nature.
Russian trans activists took us backstage their campaign against Putin\’s gay propaganda law.
Advocates for marriage equality in Japan complement lobbying and litigation with a public awareness campaign that has successfully increased public support for the measure.
Corporate allyship during Pride is vital, but businesses must do it right and demonstrate consistent support for LGBTIQ equality.
A trans advocacy group in Germany told us how they used communications testing to come up with a compelling narrative for trans equality.
Insight Ukraine led a donation drive that successfully mobilized support for women and LGBTIQ people and centered stories of solidarity in wartime.
LGBTIQ activists turned to independent media personalities from YouTube to Twitter to publicize their campaign for inclusive legal reforms.
Through compelling video animations that earned over 10 million views, the UN\’s Free and Equal Campaign told real stories of queer migrants.
Campaigners spilled all the beans on what worked and what didn\’t in their successful campaign for marriage equality.
This SCMP article tells the inspiring story of Thai activists turning pro-democracy rallies into demonstrations for gender and marriage equality.
With bus ads and rainbow crosswalks, young activists led a campaign that helped pass a law banning conversion practices in the city of Mexico and put their group on the map.
This public campaign got families talking about LGBTIQ issues over Shabbat dinners.
Weeks of protest across Poland mounted public pressure for the release of an LGBTIQ activist and energized a movement in a country of \”LGBT-free\” zones.
In Ukraine, LGBTIQ activists took the fight for equality to the sky—fighting anti-LGBTIQ messages from atop the country\’s most iconic monument.
Activists in BiH told us about the importance of organizing Pride in the last Balkan capital where a Pride march took place.
South african queer artist Gabrielle Le Roux talked to us about the power of art to promote trans and intersex visibility.
A singer, a beauty queen, a parent, an athlete…To appeal to the public, LGBTIQ activists in Suriname chose members of the public to get their message across.
Activists in Sweden took a cue from invstigative reporters and used hidden cameras to expose homophobia in employment.
Photographer Kevin Truong took us behind the scenes of The Gay Men Project, a compelling photo project telling the stories of gay men around the world.
Artists from across South Africa came together in a creative incubator to develop tools for campaigners.
This Jamaican campaign put a human face on sexual and gender diversity and was very successful that activists did it again.
Aiming to win public opinion after winning in court, Costa Rican activists led a successful campaign for marriage equality that reached one and a half million (in a country of five million).
Polish activists mobilized LGBTIQ people and allies to vote for supportive politicians and reach out to their family, colleagues and friends to vote for equality.
The #MyIntersexStory campaign shined a spotlight on a community plagued by stigma and invisibility, sharing personal stories to debunk myths and raise public support.
Act for Change used interactive community theater to fully immerse young people in the topics of teenage pregnancy and sexual and reproductive health.
Parents posted newspaper ads not to shame their children, as in the classic Serbian tradition, but to declare that they would never reject their queer child.
With a homophobe as president and a high stakes court case, activists responded to the urgency and came up with a powerful campaign that mobilized celebrities and politicians.
Activists took a gamble by marching in Pride with minimal police protection, and now attest to the power of \”open\” marches to bring their message closer to the public.
The organization behind this crazy but brilliant idea told us how they made it work.
Campaigning is both one of the most challenging and one of the most exhilarating tasks for a campaigner for sexual, gender, and bodily diversity. It takes us “out there” to face the public, on what often seems like an impossible task to change hearts and minds. It takes us into the extremely counter-intuitive field of…
Campaigners working on divisive issues can take a cue from this sex workers\’ campaign in South Africa, which deployed humor to win hearts and minds.
The victory of free choice in a Catholic country offers inspiration for LGBTIQ campaigners everywhere.
After various public campaigns, including documentaries, petitions, and demonstrations, Taiwan became the first country to legalize marriage equality in 2019
LGBTIQ activists in Fiji shares how they managed to start the first-ever Pride march in the country in 2019.
Amid state censorship and repression, QueerFest in Russia persisted in using culture, art, and beauty to provide spaces for queer visibility.
This HIV awareness campaign offers lessons for those working to raise the visibility of underrepresented groups within LGBTIQ communities.
Intersex activist Hiker Chiu talked with us about the power of hugs to foster awareness and acceptance.
Makeup and fashion groups can be the perfect way for LGBTIQ campaigners to reach some groups of women.
This low cost campaign got donor countries to give millions for the fight against tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV and AIDS.
Despite the criminalization of homosexuality in the country, 12,000 people joined the 5th Pride festival in the country (and the first one with a boat parade).
Czech trans activists sat down with us to talk about their We are Trans campaign promoting trans people\’s visibility and debunking misconceptions about their lives.
This article was written by Indian journalist Pawan Dhall for the SOGI Campaigns. The views expressed therein are those of the author. On September 6, 2018, the Supreme Court of India irreversibly read down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, a British era relic that carried on for 71 years into independent India. This…
Showing queer people shopping together or doing household chores, this campaign showed that LGBTIQ people are \”traditional\” Russians with the same values.
This photo campaign tells the stories of queer people in the countries where homosexuality is still illegal.
This HIV awareness campaign in four major Asian cities just shared their major insights after a four-year run.
Through sexy and scary video ads, LGBTIQ group ACCEPT got Romanians to abstain from voting on a memorandum on marriage equality.
From Singapore to Kenya, learn from these campaigns to decriminalize homosexuality utilizing petitions, social media releases, and magazine covers.
This article from Waging Nonviolence tells the valiant story of flotillas of Sri Lankan women defeating the military without violence.
This cartoon lesbian girl is the star of informative flashcards in Bangladesh to challenge myths and stereotypes around LGBTIQ people.
In Timor-Leste, LGBTIQ activists produced a documentary on stories of family acceptance of LGBTIQ people, tapping into a core national value to appeal to the public.
This campaign in Belarus showcases the value of using core messages like family and love for LGBTIQ campaigning.
Showing queer people shopping together or doing household chores, this campaign showed that LGBTIQ people are \”traditional\” Russians with the same values.
Engaging over three million people, the #ChangeTheClap campaign aimed to change mindsets and foster public acceptance of trans people.
Activists offered free hugs to strangers in India as part of their fight to get society to embrace sexual and gender diversity.
Organizers shared with us how they managed to organize a large-scale demonstration for LGBTIQ equality in a country where homosexuality was criminalized.
Activists transformed an attack on their office into a large-scale campaign involving an Olympic athlete.
Grandparents starred in a series of humorous campaigns that aimed to normalize LGBTIQ individuals in Slovenia.
Activists launched a provocative poster campaign that went from unnoticed to banned in Armenia. They told us how.
This campaign got a high-level cleric speak out in support of LGBTIQ equality.
This video campaign showcased powerful stories of LGBTIQ youth from Fiji to China, breaking the silence about stigma and discrimination.
The traditional Gai Jatra festival has been the perfect site of Nepal\’s Pride parades, demonstrating that tradition and progress are not contradictory.
Insight Ukraine\’s \”Words Hurt\” campaign is a masterclass on campaigning against homophobia. Striking posters show that hate speech doesn\’t just hurt. It\’s also ugly.
In Russia, this online interactive documentary puts human faces to the impact of hate speech on communities.
With Archbishop Desmond Tutu on their side, South African activists led a campaign debunking the claim that homosexuality is un-African.
Against all odds, activists persisted and got high-profile figures to join their campaign to shift public opinion and win a referendum on marriage equality.
Activists shared tips from their campaign that got social media talking about safe sex and HIV in India.
Campaigners did not have a secret recipe, but a rigorous methodology behind their successful public campaign for marriage equality in the U.S.
From Kosovo to Thailand, here are great examples of world leaders joining Pride parades and supporting the fight for equality.
As our opponents weaponize family values against us, we need to tell our stories of family love.
The Brisbane-based LGBTIQ group told us how they turned the Story Bridge rainbow for IDAHOBIT.
Activists in Fiji told us the story behind Rainbow Connections, a radio program highlighting the links between women\’s and LGBTIQ rights.
In a private beach, activists created a safe and inclusive queer space in a country where homosexuality is still criminalized.
The Chinese magazine Gayspot told us how they used the Chinese tradition of postage stamps to promote queer visibility in a uniquely Chinese way.
Who says UN reports can be fun? In Singapore, LGBTIQ activists used comic strips to inform UN member states on queerphobia in the country.
Every year, OII Europe (Organisation Intersex International Europe)–the umbrella organization of European human rights-based and intersex-led organizations–holds campaigns for Intersex Awareness Week. In 2023, it was called “DEPATH INTERSEX” with the aim of helping people gain an understanding of what pathologizing intersex bodies means, why it has to stop, and how we can start depathologizing…
This video campaign by Brazillian LGBTIQ activists is the perfect example of using metaphors (and eggplants) to get a message across.
Lebanese campaigners took us behind the scenes of their video campaign on gender identity and sexual health, offering valuable insights on campaigning in the context of social taboo.
Forced to cancel a public rally, Georgian LGBTIQ activists found a poignant way to show their invisibility in the country.
Activists staged a photo exhibit for IDAHOT 2014 capturing intimate moments of queer life in Myanmar.
UNESCO told us how they got more than 2,000 students to chalk rainbows in various schools across Bangkok.
More than 200 people hugged for equality during IDAHOT 2014 in Portugal.
Activists had gay people kiss in public in a social experiment that was received surprisingly well, proving that sometimes polarizing public debates are far from reality.
Activists in Geneva told us how they used table placemats to raise awareness about LGBTIQ people\’s rights—a campaign that involved UNAIDS and supportive restaurants
Lesbian feminists bravely put up a banner with this humorous message on a city bridge, sparking a public discussion on LGBTIQ acceptance in the country.
The organizers of a bike protest in Albania told us how they prepared a unique protest action where activists and allies braved the rain and resisted attacks to cycle with love aroung the capital.
In their first IDAHOBIT campaign, activists in Papua New Guinea got 300 people to pose in pictures with their poster showing messages of support for LGBTIQ community.
Across Eastern Europe, activists released balloons of different colors into the sky in a rainbow flashmob for IDAHOBIT.
What is your biggest fear? This two-part campaign by Moldovan LGBTIQ activists raises awareness on queer people\’s fears of prejudice and violence, and calls on allies to join a march for No Fear.
In SrI Lanka, where same-sex intimacy is still illegal, activists have managed to get foreign embassies to raise the rainbow flag and publicly support their calls.
Shashank, a business development professional in a consulting firm, is one of the core team members of Harmless Hugs, a queer collective founded in 2012, which is currently operating in Delhi and Kolkata. Harmless Hugs is an expansive space driven by core values of unity in diversity and coexistence. Raising over tags, its vision is…
