2008
– 30 October – 2 November: 12th ILGA-Europe Annual (=30th ILGA European) Conference in Vienna, hosted by HOSIWien. “Think globally, act locally” is its theme.
– November 3- 6: 24th World Conference, Vienna, Austria
o Theme: “Organising locally to bring about global change”
o Two preconferences are held: Women and Transadjective/umbrella term to describe a person whose gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth. More. Regional board members meet in regional and interregional meetings prior to the conference.
o 200 activists coming from 81 countries, 120 scholars
o Participants vote to change name from the International Lesbianadjective/noun to describe a woman whose enduring physical, romantic, and/or emotional attraction is to other women. Women and non-binary people may use this term to describe themselves. More and Gayadjective to describe people whose enduring physical, romantic, and/ or emotional
attractions are to people of the same gender. Men, women and non-binary people may use this
term to describe themselves. More Association to “ILGA, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexualadjective used to describe a person who has the capacity to form enduring physical, romantic, and/ or emotional attractions to those of the same gender or to those of other genders. More, Trans and Intersexan umbrella term for the spectrum of variations of sex characteristics that naturally occur within the human species. Intersex people are born with variations of sex characteristics (such as genitals, reproductive organs, hormonal and chromosomal patterns) that are more diverse than stereotypical definitions of male or female bodies. Up to 1.7% of the global population are born with such traits; yet, because their bodies are seen as different, intersex children and adults are often stigmatised and subject to harmful practices – including in medical settings - and discriminated against. More Association”
o The conference, which coincided with ILGA’s 30th birthday focused on building regional associations of African, Asian, and Latin American activists and on moving away from a traditional binary genderrefers to a social construct which places cultural and social expectations on individuals based on their assigned sex. More representation.
o Gloria Careaga (Mexico) is elected as Co-Secretary general of ILGA together with Renato Sabbadini (Italy)
o Swedish Lesbian and Gay Federation RFSL is re-elected ILGA world Women’s Secretariat
o Instituto Runa (Peru), the group is re-elected as ILGA World Trans Secretariat
o ILGA-LAC asks the conference to express its rejection of the Vatican’s decision to have “to-be priests” undergo a psychological exam in order to determine if they are gay. o LGBT LEGAL (Peru), MUMS (Chile) and El Closet de Sor Juana (Mexico) asks for the end of persecution of the women’s and human rights defenders movement by the government of Nicaragua.
o Participants discuss the way forward around LGBTIacronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people. Although this is not the acronym available to describe people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and sex characteristics, it is the most commonly used in United Nations spaces and advocacy. More issues at the United Nationsan international organisation comprising 193 member States. It has the mission of maintaining peace and security, protecting human rights, providing humanitarian aid and ensuring economic and social development across the globe. It is a network of many different bodies and agencies, each of which has a particular role and responsibility. More and other international forums such as the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting or the review of the Durban conference, a follow-up to the 2001 UN World Conference against Racism, Racial Discriminationunequal or unfair treatment which can be based on a range of grounds - such as age, ethnic background, disability, and diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions or sex characteristics, amongst others. More, Xenophobia, and Related Intolerance.
2009
-May: ILGA re-applies for ECOSOC Status for the 3rd time.
– July 25: ECOSOC Council vote grants consultative status to ILGA
– July 25 – August 2: The second World Outgames, was hosted by Copenhagen, Denmark. ILGA organised 4 workshops with the themes: Being LBT women in North Africa and the Middle East; Being Trans; Lesbian movements and interaction with other Human Rights movements; and the Impact of HIV/AIDS on the LGBTI struggle. Co-Secretary General Gloria Careaga was a member of the Outgames Standing Committee.
Fall: start of ILGA’s Regional Communication and development project. ILGA hires communication officers in 3 regions, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and Asia. Steave Nemande, Stephane Tchakam, Eben Diaz, Raquel Andrade, Gabriel Oviedo, Jennifer Josef and Sass Rogando Sassot produce weekly e-newsletters for Pan Africa ILGA, ILGA-LAC and ILGA-Asia.
– 29 October – 1 November: 13th ILGA-Europe Annual (=31rst ILGA European) Conference in Malta, hosted by Malta Gay Rights Movement. Its theme is “Overcoming Religious & Cultural Barriers to LGBT Equality”.
– November: Publication in English of ILGA’s “Lesbian Movements: Ruptures & Alliances”, then translated into Spanish and French.
2010
– February: launch of ILGA’s new website
– March 5: ILGA organizes a side event on homophobiafear, unreasonable anger, intolerance or/and hatred directed towards people attracted to others of the same gender. More within the education system at the 54th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).
– May: ILGA’Secretariat and regional communication officers engage in an effort to both verify and increase its membership list through an outreach effort : In May 2010, ILGA was able to verify the existence of 528 members worldwide. This major clean-up meant a drop in the number of member organisations. This was made up in the subsequent months by an increasing number of organisations applying to become members of ILGA.
– June: launch of ILGA’s Directory of LGBTI and allied organisations. Start of a major effort to increase ILGA’s outreach. By the end of 2010, ILGA’s Directory includes 1800 organisations. ILGA counts 719 members, a 36% increase from the previous year.
– 28-31 October: 14th ILGA-Europe’s Annual (=32nd ILGA European) Conference in The Hague hosted by COC Haaglanden. Its theme is “Expressing our differences, challenging our prejudices, developing our alliances.”
17 November: ILGA sharply condemns the decision by a U.N. General Assemblythe main deliberative and policy-making organ of the United Nations which makes decisions on international issues such as development and peace and security. All 193 member States are represented, and each has one vote. More panel on Tuesday November 16, to delete the specific reference to killings due to sexual orientationrefers to a person’s capacity for profound emotional, affectional and sexual attraction to - and intimate and sexual relations with - individuals of a different gender or the same gender or more than one gender. More from a resolution condemning unjustified and extra-judicial executions around the world.
– December 4-9, 2010: 25h World Conference in Sao Paulo (Brazil) hosted by Coletivo de Feministas Lesbicas, grupo Dignidade, Grupo Arco-Iris and Instituto Edson Neris.
o Due to logistical problems the Executive Board of ILGA and the Brazilian organizers agreed on moving the conference location from Rio de Janeiro (location agreed at the last world conference) to Sao Paulo.
o Theme: “Building the way forward in times of crisis”
o Two preconferences are held: Women and Trans.
o Panels on “Public policies: positive experiences”, “Revisiting HIV/AIDS: new glances: youth, lesbians, human rights, sexual rights, sexual workers, elderly” and “Building alliances: how can we face the crisis together – focus on
fundamentalisms, economy, politics and social context”
o Renato Sabbadini and Gloria Careaga are re-elected as Co-Secretaries General of ILGA; Minority Women in Action is elected as Women’s Secretariat and Transsa Dominicana as Trans Secretariat.
o The conference condemned the repeated attempts to link ILGA and LGBTI organisations with paedophilia and insisted that the United Nations recognizes ILGA’s right to obtain ECOSOC status in order to engage with the United Nations system like any other legitimate organisation.
– 2010 ILGA annual activity report
2011
– February 23: ILGA organizes a panel at the 55th session of the Commission on the Status of Women: “Sexuality, homophobia and transphobiarefers to negative cultural and personal beliefs, opinions, attitudes and behaviours based on prejudice, disgust, fear and/or hatred of trans people or against variations of gender identity and gender expression. More: the need to improve access to education and work”
March: By the end of 2011, 1484 new organizations were added to ILGA’s Global Directory of LGBTI organizations since last year reaching 3200 organisations. ILGA membership has increased by 16%, reaching 834 members.
– June 7: ILGA organizes a panel at the 17th session of the Human Rights Councilan inter-governmental body within the United Nations which has the responsibility to promote and protect human rights. It is comprised of 47 member States, each elected to 3-year terms by the 193 member States of the United Nations. More at Palais des Nations, Geneva: “The Growing Consensus: Towards the End of Criminalization and Human Rights Violations based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity”.
– June 15: Joint Statement on ending acts of violence and related human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identityrefers to a person’s deeply felt internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond with the sex assigned at birth. More signed by 85 States
– July: Apinda Mpako of Behind the Mask is hired as regional coordinator for Pan Africa ILGA and received on site training by the coordinator of ILGA’s Regional communication and Development project.
-September: Publication of ILGA’s “Lesbian Health: Myths and Realities” in English, Spanish, French and Dutch. Supported by the Belgian Foundation against Cancer. In 2012 the publication was translated by local groups into Indonesian, Filipino and Georgian.
– September 3-5: ILGA and ILGA-Europe co-organize the World’s 1st International Intersex Organising Forum in Brussels which brought together 24 activists representing 17 intersex organisations from all continents.
– 27-30 October: 15th ILGA-Europe’s Annual (=33rd ILGA European) Conference in Turin hosted by the Organising Committee of the 15th ILGA-Europe’s Annual Conference in Turin. Its theme is Human Rights and “Traditional Values”: clash or dialogue?”
– 2011 ILGA annual activity report
2012
– February 27 – March 9, New York. ILGA facilitates participation of several activists at the 56th UN Commission on the Status of Women which theme is “The empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, development and current challenges”. ILGA and RFSL co-organise one of the LGBTI-related panels: “We are everywhere! Empowerment of lesbian and bisexual women and trans people – in rural areas and beyond”
– March 7: The Human Rights Council convenes a panel discussion on “Human Rights, sexual orientation and gender identity” at its 19th session.
-June: The second cycle of the UPR system (Universal Periodic Review) began in June 2012. As from 2012 ILGA set up a coordination system consisting in sending personalised reminders to its members about the deadlines to submit the NGO report, assist in supporting the submission of the reports, liaising with other LGBTI groups and civil society organisations, facilitate contact with the local EU office and with embassies and missions in Geneva, gather information on how to best follow up on recommendations made and accepted by the State under review. Whenever possible, ILGA is supporting the attendance in Geneva of representatives(interviews) of those organisations that have made submissions to the UPR process and accredits them to allow those activists to address the Council and further advocate for LGBTI rights. At the 13th session of the Universal Periodic Review in June 2012, ILGA supported the Indonesian LGBT organisation Arus Pelangi in Geneva.
-June 26 : 20th Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva: Joint Statement of The International Lesbian And Gay Association, the Sexual Rights Initiative together with Action Canada For Population Development on the organised Public Panel on Women Human Rights Defenders – presented by Fikile Vilakazi of the Coalition of African Lesbians.
–September: ILGA’s Directory reaches 5151 organisations. ILGA counts 917 member organisations.