Stories
- Sexuality (30)
- Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex (LGBT) rights (28)
- Gender, culture and society (11)
- Gender equality and women’s empowerment (10)
- Ending violence against women and girls (9)
- Human rights (8)
- Gender discrimination (3)
- Executive Director (3)
- Gender equality and inequality (3)
- Generation Equality (3)
- COVID-19 (2)
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From where I stand: “Together, we are building peace and equal rights in our territories”
Monday, August 17, 2020
Johana, a trans woman, is the founder of the Johana Maturana Foundation, an organization that promotes LGBTI people’s rights in the Chocó Department of Colombia. She stresses the need for financial resources to reach local communities and that communities must shape humanitarian action.
Advice from activists: Pride is a protest, and marginalized communities must be centre-stage
Friday, June 26, 2020
This year Pride goes digital, but its activism is as vibrant as ever. To commemorate Pride Month, we asked a few members of the LGBTQI+ community what Pride means to them, and what building-back-better from COVID-19 means.
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
Sophie Browne (she/her; they/them) is UN Women’s recently appointed LGBTIQ+ Policy Specialist. In this newly created, dedicated post, Browne will work across the organization, globally, and with external partners to integrate an LGBTIQ+ lens to UN Women’s work. Browne has long worked on gender and social justice causes in research, policy, advocacy, law reform and programming capacities . Sophie is also on the board of UN-GLOBE, the system-wide staff body for LGBTIQ+ personnel, and...
Monday, May 11, 2020
Around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating existing inequalities, including those based on sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics, with often-devastating impacts for LGBTIQ+ people, who are already among the most marginalized and excluded. The theme of this International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia – break the silence – calls our attention to these inequalities across the world and asks us to speak out together against the discrimination, restrictions on basic freedoms, and hate that LGBTIQ+ people face in the current context and beyond.
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Anastasiia Yeva Domani is a transgender woman from Ukraine who became an activist for transgender rights after fighting for her own right to transition with dignity.
I am Generation Equality: Pip Gardner, LGBTQI+ leader and activist
Wednesday, February 12, 2020
Pip Gardner is a gender equality and human rights activist with a focus on sustainable development. They are currently the Communications Manager for Woodcraft Folk, a co-operative youth movement in the United Kingdom (UK), and the Chief Executive of The Kite Trust, a charity for LGBT+ young people. Pip is a member of UN Women’s Beijing+25 Youth Task Force and attended the 25th year Regional Review Meeting of the Beijing Platform for Action for the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Region.
I am Generation Equality: Celina Jaitly, actor and activist
Thursday, January 16, 2020
Billions of people across the world stand on the right side of history every day. They speak up, take a stand, mobilize, and take big and small actions to advance women’s rights. This is Generation Equality. Celina Jaitly is an acclaimed Indian actress, human rights activist devoted to advocating for the rights of the members of LGBT communities in India, and a Champion of the UN Free & Equal campaign.
Thursday, July 18, 2019
In the first ever high-level meeting on gender diversity and non-binary identities held at UN headquarters in New York, Member States, UN entities and civil society came together to discuss the current state of LGBTI rights globally.
Five LGBTI activists you need to know
Thursday, May 16, 2019
Day in and day out, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender activists fight for their right to live, love, work, be heard and respected. They risk their safety to push for a world where all people, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics, are treated with equality. On some fronts, there have been joyous victories, but there is still much to fight for.
UN Women statement for the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia on 17 May
Thursday, May 16, 2019
On the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia UN Women calls to change the social norms that lead to the exclusion of LGBTI people that keep them living in the shadows and rupture their ties with their families and communities.
From where I stand: “Every journalist must be aware of the power they have to help change things”
Friday, May 3, 2019
Chissana Magalhães is a journalist from Cabo Verde who reports on gender equality issues regularly. Since undergoing a training programme through UN Women, she feels that the media has the responsibility to report on gender and human rights issues and stories can change lives.
Friday, April 26, 2019
Nicolette Bryan is a Jamaican youth activist and Executive Director of WE-Change, an advocacy group supporting women in the LGBTI+ community. They run a support group for survivors of sexual violence each summer and participants sometimes opt to share their stories at events. Ms. Bryan is attending the Tunis Forum on Gender Equality, where she is emphasizing the importance of the Beijing Platform for Action in global women's rights and feminist advocacy, and the need for understanding existing gender inequalities in the local contexts.
From where I stand: “Being LGBT means fighting against prejudice and violence every day”
Thursday, November 15, 2018
Helen Tavares knew she was different, but it took her a long time to accept her own sexual and gender identity because of societal pressure and expectations. Although homosexuality is legal in Cape Verde, LGBT people suffer discrimination and violence. Same sex marriages are not recognized and there is rampant discrimination against LGBT people in employment and housing.
UN Women Statement for International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia
Thursday, May 17, 2018
On this International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, our focus must be strongly on inclusion. That means advocating for change in ways that acknowledge the intersections between multiple forms of discrimination.
In the words of Yuan Feng: "Different sectors need to work together to fight domestic violence"
Monday, May 7, 2018
Yuan Feng, from China, is the co-founder of Equality, an NGO based in Beijing, dedicated to women’s rights and gender equality. The organization, a grantee of the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, managed by UN Women, works to end domestic violence and helps survivors of violence. Since the mid-1990s, Feng has also been a founding member, coordinator, chair-person, and board member of countrywide organizations, such as the Gender and Development Network in China, Anti Domestic Violence Network, Women’s Network Against Aids/China, and Media Monitor for Women Network.
Friday, April 27, 2018
Sandra Moran is Guatemala’s first openly lesbian member of the Congress. She organized the country’s first lesbian group in 1995, and was elected in 2015. She is well-known for her vocal support for women’s rights, indigenous women’s rights and LGBT rights in Guatemala.
Executive Director’s blog series: Violence against LGBTI persons
Friday, December 8, 2017
Part fourteen in a 16-part blog series by UN Women Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka on the occasion of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign.A 16-part blog series by UN Women Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka on the occasion of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign.
In the words of Nongnee Kondii: “I was told that being a lesbian woman is a sin”
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
Discriminatory stereotypes, cultural norms and attitudes that normalize and trivialize violence against women and girls are prevalent in every part of the world. Nongnee Kondii*, 25, from Yala, a southern border province of Thailand, never felt safe expressing her sexual orientation at home or in her community. When she experienced a traumatic sexual assault, she kept silent at first. In May 2016, after participating in a gender retreat for young people organized by Rainbow Sky Association(RSAT), an organization that works to promote the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual women, transgender and intersex persons (LGBTI) in Thailand, supported by the UN Trust Fund to end Violence against Women (managed by UN Women), Kondii decided to speak out and pursue the path of justice. With funding from the UN Trust Fund, RSAT continues to organize workshops with LGBTI individuals in Thailand to support them to combat stigma based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Statement for International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT)
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
On this International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT), UN Women joins with the international community to support the LGBTI community and “Celebrate Family Diversity”. We stand firmly behind the full human rights of all LGBTI people. Violations of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people undermines the shared international goal of gender equality. Addressing and ending such violations is part of the fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’s promise to leave no one behind.
Friday, July 1, 2016
UN Women welcomes the Human Rights Council’s decision to appoint an Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and calls for full support to the new mandate.