by Jessica Stern - Executive Director OutRight Action International
For me, as for many of us, the end of the year tends to come hand in
hand with reflection about the past year, and looking forward to what
comes next.
It has been a hard year, unlike any other. COVID-19
has left no person unaffected, and LGBTIQ communities in particular have
faced devastating consequences around the world, leaving us more
isolated, more vulnerable, more excluded, and physically cut off from
chosen families and communities.
"Community is a promise that we are not alone," said Hamed Sinno in their heartbreakingly beautiful and emotional keynote speech at
OutSummit, OutRight's annual global conference for LGBTIQ Equality
which was held virtually this year. Those words couldn't be more true.
Especially this year.
But while we could not be with our
communities physically, we did find community in virtual spaces. And
nowhere was this more clear than at this year's OutSummit. 1650 people
from over 100 countries registered to take part. The levels of
engagement in sessions, in plenaries, in chats and the networking space
was beyond anything we could have imagined. It was a heartfelt reminder
of the strength of our community, and the potential of our movement.
WATCH RECORDINGS FROM OUTSUMMIT
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDBBbveIozTj1IsTEAh5id0ckck4W2s9R
We
sometimes say "the global LGBTIQ movement" like it's a given, but
that's not true. It is a precious thing. It takes nurturing to create.
It catalyzes progress. And it saves lives. We have a global LGBTIQ
movement because we build relationships in spaces like OutSummit and
because we learn to fight, not just for ourselves, but for each other.
Over
the last year Bhutan and Gabon have decriminalized same-sex relations.
Sudan removed the death-penalty for same-sex relations. The UN
Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity called for a
global ban on sexual orientation and gender identity change efforts
(so-called "conversion therapy"). Montenegro passed partnership
legislation. People around the world rose up against structural racism
and police brutality in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.
Individuals, corporations, foundations and governments supported
OutRight's COVID-19 Global LGBTIQ Emergency Fund, which to date has
distributed 1 million dollars for LGBTIQ people around the world.
But
over a third of the world's countries still criminalize same-sex
relations. LGBTIQ populations continue to face a devastation of
livelihood due to COVID-19. Forces opposing gender and LGBTIQ equality
are still way more funded and organized than us. We still have an uphill
battle.
The status quo is unacceptable. We must fight against
invisibility, exclusion, poverty, anti-trans ideologies, anti-woman
ideologies, anti-Blackness, discrimination in all its forms, and we must
always fight anti-LGBTIQ violence!
We are not alone. We have a
global movement, and together we can, and do, move mountains. I wish you
all the best for the next year, and hope that it brings with it more
progress, more strength, and a return of our physical, as well as our
virtual, community spaces.
P.S. If you missed OutSummit, or particular sessions, you can watch the recordings at:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDBBbveIozTj1IsTEAh5id0ckck4W2s9R
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