Webinar: “Courageous commitment to LGBTIQ+ rights”

On 29 May 2024: A discussion with human rights defenders from Guatemala, Honduras and Indonesia

LGBTIQA+ people – lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer or asexual people – are often marginalized, arbitrarily arrested, violently attacked or even murdered because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. They are affected by structural discrimination and for example have limited access to healthcare or the labor market. In many places, state authorities are involved in this inequality and deny protection from hostilities and violence.

Webinar: Mutiger Einsatz für LGBTIQA+-Rechte

This dynamic can also be observed in Guatemala, Honduras and Indonesia: 2023 was one of the most violent years for the LGBTIQA+ community in Guatemala, with 34 cases of hate crime. In Honduras, at least 47 LGBTIQA+ people were killed in the same year. Furthermore, Indonesia passed a law in 2022 that penalises sexual relationships outside of heterosexual marriage from 2025 onwards.

Human rights defenders who raise their voices for more equality and draw attention to human rights violations against LGBTIQA+ people are particularly at risk when it comes to violence and criminalisation.

What challenges do LGBTIQA+ human rights defenders face in Guatemala, Honduras and Indonesia and which political goals are they currently pursuing? What can the international community do to support their commitment? We would like to invite you to join us for a discussion with three human rights defenders about these and other questions.

Guest speakers:

Riska Carolina, lawyer and human rights defender from Indonesia, talks about her work at the Consortium Crisis Response Mechanism (CRM) and how LGBTIQA+ human rights defenders and individuals can be supported in crisis situations.

Chahim Vásquez, human rights defender from Guatemala, informs about her work at the Espacio de Resistencia plural Jalanil Aj Q’eqchi‘ and, as an inter*woman and Maya Q’eqchi Afro-Romani, shows the perspective of people who are affected by intersectional discrimination.

Loren López, human rights defender from Honduras, is executive director of the Asociación de las Mujeres Lesbianas y Bisexuales LITOS part of the Asociación LGBT Arcoíris de Honduras, focusing on the defence of their sexual and reproductive rights, political advocacy work and the visibility of lesbian and bisexual women, and reports on the situation in Honduras and her work.