Promoting the digital inclusion of LGBTIQ+ people and ensuring their safety in hostile environments

Join ILGA World and the Délégation Genève Ville Solidaire of the City of Geneva for an online event addressing how to promote the digital inclusion of LGBTIQ+ people and ensure their safety in hostile environment.

The event is part of the City of Geneva’s annual campaign against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia 2025.

Date: Thursday, 15 May 2025
Time: 5:00 PM Central European Summer Time (what’s the time where you are based?)
Location: online, upon registration
Duration: 90 minutes (Q&A included)
Language: English – with simultaneous interpretation in Spanish, French, and International Sign Language

This event is co-hosted by ILGA World and sponsored by the Délégation Genève Ville Solidaire of the City of Geneva

Digital spaces offer unprecedented opportunities for LGBTIQ+ people to connect, advocate for their rights, and build collective movements. However, an estimated 2.6 billion people remain offline due to inadequate infrastructure, high costs of devices, and lack of accessible content. This exclusion is even more pronounced for LGBTIQ+ individuals, particularly those facing intersecting oppression such as racialised, indigenous and disabled individuals to name a few.

Yet, digital spaces can also expose activists and community members to cyber-harassment, blackmail, and intrusive surveillance, especially in regions where discriminatory laws target LGBTIQ+ individuals.

This panel will present the research and work done by three international organisations on the challenges of digital exclusion and dangers faced by LGBTIQ+ individuals in different areas of the world.

Roundtable guests:

• Shreshtha Das (they/them) – Researcher/Advisor on Gender, Gender, Racial Justice, Refugees and Migrants Rights Programme at Amnesty International
• Daniele Paletta (he/him) – Communications Manager at ILGA World
• Rasha Younes (she/her) – Interim Director, LGBT Rights Program at Human Rights Watch
• Dr Hazbi Avdiji (they/them, moderator) – Lecturer on Diversity in the Digital Age at the Haute École de Gestion de Genéve