Committed to continuing our fight for equal rights, LGBTIQ movements across Asia started the year stronger and more defiant amid worsening threats to our existence.
From state persecution in Afghanistan to a repressive criminal code in Indonesia, the violations of our human rights are mounting, but we must never allow our resistance to falter.
At the Sydney WorldPride 2023, the first edition to be held in the southern hemisphere, some of us came together to dream of what could be and amplify each other's voices.
Among many things, we learned that LGBTIQ liberation is not possible without decolonising our movements, including our indigenous and First Peoples siblings, and forging more solidarities within and beyond our communities to counter the growing anti-LGBTIQ and anti-rights forces.
We hope this newsletter will keep you in the loop on developments throughout the region and help tighten the rainbow threads that bind us together as a regional movement for equality.
"One of the most powerful ways to combat this discrimination is by sharing our stories and experiences. By doing so, we can break down barriers, build understanding, and foster empathy within our communities..."
At the Sydney WorldPride Human Rights Conference on 1-3 March 2023, ILGA Asia shone a light on LGBTIQ rights and issues in Asia, including the state of LGBTIQ people's digital rights in Asia and the LGBTIQ humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
ILGA Asia and Stonewall have developed Safar, a highly-secure case management tool and framework that will equip people with knowledge about their rights and options for resettlement or in-country support.
To advance the fight to eliminate conversion therapy in Asia, ILGA Asia is launching a campaign in collaboration with All Out and local civil society organizations. In this phase, five video interviews and online petitions to end conversion therapy in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka will be released.
So-called “conversion therapy” is an unscientific and harmful practice that targets LGBTIQ persons to try and change their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. It doesn’t work, and it also leaves lasting psychological damage and trauma on survivors.
We bring attention to Bangladesh on Transgender Day of Visibility with the story of Tarin Tani who talks about her experiences of abuse at the hands of family members, medical professionals and religious leaders
In the wake of Doski’s murder, Yeksani and other human rights organisations have called on the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to investigate the murder and bring the perpetrator to justice.
Against all odds, LBTIQ women are leading movements across Asia against patriarchy and other systems of oppression. For Women’s Month, five of them told us what must be done advance LBTIQ women’s rights as part of our broader struggle for gender equality.
Our Strategic Development Director, Khine Su Win, urged Asian states to repeal discriminatory laws, end anti-LGBTIQ violence and promote the full range of human rights for all.
De La Pasion is an activist and aspiring human rights lawyer. He has joined and led campaigns and protest actions to advance human rights, including LGBTI rights. He believes that knowledge of international human rights law and international and regional human rights mechanisms is an effective way of advancing LGBTI rights and that these must be accessible to all advocates.
