Staff

Julia Ehrt (she/her) is the Executive Director at ILGA World and a widely respected LGBTI activist and community leader.

Before joining ILGA World, she was the Executive Director of Transgender Europe, where she contributed significantly to how trans issues are perceived and debated today in Europe and beyond. She served as a founding Steering Committee member of the International Trans Fund (ITF) until 2019 and as a board member of the Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) for six years.

She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, and a signatory to the Yogyakarta Principles plus 10.

Julia holds a PhD in mathematics and lives with her partner and child in Berlin and Geneva.

Gurchaten (Nanoo) Sandhu (he/they) is the Director of Programmes at ILGA World. Born to Panjabi Sikh working-class migrant parents in the UK, Gurchaten is a widely respected LGBTI changemaker and community leader. At ILGA World, they work to strengthen and expand the organisation’s programmatic efforts while managing a growing Programmes team.

Prior to joining ILGA World, Gurchaten served as the Non-Discrimination Programme Officer at the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work Branch. There, they specialised in promoting social justice through decent and inclusive work for all, with a particular focus on enhancing LGBTIQ+ rights and economic inclusion. Additionally, Gurchaten was the President of UN-GLOBE, representing LGBTIQ+ personnel within the United Nations system.

Gurchaten is an advisory board member of The Inclusion Initiative at the London School of Economics (LSE), a trustee for Open for Business, and a fellow of the Salzburg Global LGBT Forum. They have also served as a steering committee member of the International Family Equality Day NGO, volunteered with Sarbat LGBT Sikhs, and were a trustee for We Create Space.

Gurchaten has been recognised as an OUTstanding LGBT Role Model from 2018 to 2021. They are also an Honouree of Out & Equal’s 2021 Global LGBTQ Corporate Advocate Outie Award, a winner of the British LGBT Award for Exceptional Inclusion in 2021, and the Pink News Award for Community Role Model of the Year in 2022.

Leanne MacMillan (she/her) joined the team at ILGA World as the first staff member of the Equal Rights Coalition Secretariat.  As manager she will build on the vision and foundation of the many volunteers from member states and civil society of this unique Coalition.

As a Director at Stonewall for several years, Leanne developed its global programme including advocacy, policy, programmes, partnerships and income generation working across civil society and with leading global corporates.  Known for her innovation and strategic thinking, she led the development of the hate crime app Zoteria, the creation of the Out of the Margins LBT+ SDG network, and SAFAR, a secure system to support the provision of humanitarian assistance, resettlement and advocacy for LGBTQI+ refugees and internally displaced persons, working extensively to address the urgent needs of those at grave risk in Afghanistan.

For over three decades Leanne worked across a range of human rights, humanitarian and development issues — including as a Director at the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims based in Denmark where she led the development of DFI, a global clinical database to track and support the rehabilitation of survivors of torture. Over several years at the global secretariat of Amnesty International, she was a member of the Strategic Leadership Team, was the Head of Office at the United Nations in York City; as the Global Refugee Coordinator she led policy, research, advocacy and a global campaign.

She has led strategic litigation and advocacy work at both regional and global fora with experience in policy, programme and advocacy work across a range of thematic issues including LGBTI people’s rights, torture prevention and rehabilitation, refugee law and policy, Sustainable Development Goals,, global health policy, detention, humanitarian assistance and resource mobilisation.  Leanne has carried out research, advocacy, and capacity-building in over 40 countries.

As part of the ILGA World team, Leanne aims to use her experience from secretariats, networks and coalitions to support the Equal Rights Coalition member states, civil society organisations and international organisations.

Leanne studied law at Osgoode Hall Law School in Canada, practiced law briefly before joining the refugee law research programme at the Centre for Refugee Studies in Canada to then follow a path of human rights activism.

Shakhawat Hossain, more commonly known as Rajeeb (all pronouns), has been involved in the global LGBTI movement for more than 20 years, contributing in many different roles and spaces. Over the years, Rajeeb has built extensive experience in organisational development, including leadership, project and program management, grantmaking, capacity building, community organising, and policy and advocacy work at national, regional, and international levels.

Before joining ILGA World, Rajeeb worked at RFSL, the Swedish Federation for LGBTQI Rights, where he led the organisation’s global advocacy and regranting programs.

Their activism began in 2003 as a volunteer with Boys of Bangladesh, the country’s oldest and largest LGBTQI platform, which they later went on to lead. Rajeeb has also served two terms on the board of ILGA Asia and has been closely involved in the early development of key global initiatives, including the IESOGI mandate, the Equal Rights Coalition, the LGBTI Inclusion Index, and the LGBTI Stakeholder Group, among others.

Rajeeb holds a BA in English Literature from Daffodil International University in Bangladesh, with continuing education credits from George Mason University in the United States. He recently completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Organisational Leadership at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.

Often described as the “first out gay man” in Bangladesh, Rajeeb relocated to Sweden in 2016 following serious threats and persecution. This experience of being a refugee, coupled with years of frontline activism and international exposure, has deeply shaped their values and worldview. In an increasingly polarised world, he remains grounded in the power of human connection, active empathy, open dialogue, and intentional community action.

To unwind and recuperate, Rajeeb enjoys cooking and hosting friends, wandering through new cities, or simply slowing down with a good book or movie

Guillermo Ricalde (he/they) is a Specialist with ILGA World, working on UN Special Procedures and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Born and raised in Mexico, he is a lawyer, researcher, and writer specialising in human rights, gender, SOGI, and migration. He holds a joint Erasmus Mundus master’s degree in Migration and Intercultural Relations (EMMIR) from a consortium of African and European universities led by the University of Oldenburg (UOL) and the University of Stavanger (UiS), as well as a second master’s degree in human rights and the rights of Indigenous peoples, and a bachelor’s degree in law from the Autonomous University of Yucatán (UADY).

Guillermo has built an extensive academic and international advocacy career, with expertise in UN human rights mechanisms, including Treaty Bodies, Special Procedures, and the Sustainable Development framework. He has engaged in advocacy across both New York and Geneva, contributing to reports and documentation that inform UN processes.

Prior to this, he worked with local NGOs and activists in Mexico, advocating for women’s, Indigenous, and migrant rights, and providing human rights training to universities and governmental institutions.

Alongside his international advocacy work, Guillermo has conducted research and co-authored publications in peer-reviewed journals and media outlets on gender equality and LGBTI migration in Europe. His work has been recognised with academic awards, including the Blu Tirohl Award by Taylor & Francis in gender studies.

He is also an experienced lecturer and trainer, skilled at communicating complex issues to diverse audiences, and has participated in conferences across Europe, Africa, Asia, North America, and Latin America.

In addition to his human rights work, he has developed a parallel career as a writer, publishing his first children’s book, La Guardiana de Estrellas, in 2020, and contributing to a literary anthology published by the Literary and Cultural Association of Yucatán in 2022.

Lily Dong Li Rosengard (they/them) is ILGA World’s Senior Officer on Gender Identity & Gender Expression.

Lily began their advocacy as a student activist. They have over a decade of experience in gender justice, human rights, and intersectional feminist movements. Prior to joining ILGA World, Lily worked at Plan International, a gender equality INGO in over 80 countries. Lily was the Global Education Policy and Advocacy Specialist, leading on gender-transformative education for social justice. Before that, Lily led youth advocacy for Plan’s United Nations New York team, working with multi-sectoral partners to ensure meaningful and ethical inclusion of girls and young women in all their diversity at the UN. Lily initiated Plan’s youth-led policy approach to the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in partnership with youth activists from across West and East Africa and the Middle East. Lily also led Plan’s engagement with the Independent Expert on SOGI, through a ‘Queer Youth Dialogue’. Lily was elected to Plan’s global Anti-Racism & Equity Council and was a member of the LGBTQIA+ Champions Network working on SOGIESC advocacy.

Prior, Lily worked in Hanoi, Vietnam, on an Australian DFAT-funded Women’s Economic Empowerment Programme, and at GenPol: a Gender Policy Think Tank. In 2020, Lily was selected to be on the Diversity & Inclusion Advisory for CIVICUS: the global civil society alliance.

Lily holds a BA in Philosophy and Religious Studies from the University of Cambridge, and an MA in Political Science: Human Rights from University College London, where they focused on gender, LGBTQIA+ rights and mental health as a human right.

Lily is the co-founder of Community Care Collective, a global grassroots activist network that centres radical love and community care at the heart of the social justice movement, whilst ending taboo and shame around mental health and mental illness and other intersecting topics typically stigmatised in society.

Outside of work, Lily is a writer and poet, often on topics of intersectionality, queerness, mixed-raced identity, and mental health. Lily also loves climbing, cats, and craftivism.

Crystal Hendricks
Programme officer – Sex Characteristics

Crystal Hendricks (she/her) is a queer intersex feminist womxn. She is a human rights defender who has been at the forefront of advocating for policy change for intersex people.

Crystal was the Intersex Programme Officer at Iranti, a regional organisation based in South Africa, and the acting administrator for Intersex South Africa. Crystal is also a former Rainbow Advocacy fellowship scholar. She served as the Chair of the ILGA World Intersex Steering Committee and is a current Advisory Board member of the Intersex Human Rights Fund.  Crystal has over 7 years of experience working within the intersex movement.

Her desire to see intersex people freely exercising their rights and freedoms drives her to work tirelessly to ensure that intersex issues are the leading edge of policy discussions, and that intersex people are at the helm of driving such conversations.

In her free time, she loves spending time with her family and enjoys watching the occasional musical.

Omar van Reenen (they/them) is the Strategic Alliances & Coalitions Consultant with ILGA World, focusing on building global partnerships to advance LGBTI people’s rights.

Born and raised in Namibia, they are a civil rights activist and the Co-Founder of Equal Namibia, the “largest civil rights movement in the country since independence” (Namibian Sun, December 2021). Omar’s advocacy was instrumental in landmark victories such as the 2023 Supreme Court ruling recognising same-sex marriages concluded abroad and the 2024 High Court decision decriminalising apartheid-era sodomy laws.

Omar holds a master’s degree from the Center for Human Rights and has completed the International LGBTI Youth and Student Organisation Activist Academy, the Young African Leaders Initiative, and the Human Rights Campaign Global Innovator Fellowships. Their grassroots activism extends beyond Namibia, earning them recognition as one of The Guardian‘s “most inspiring persons of 2023.”

Before joining ILGA World, Omar mobilised support for strategic litigation, led annual Pride celebrations, spearheaded LGBTI visibility campaigns, promotes queer civic engagement, and built queer youth networks across Africa. Their advocacy journey was inspired by their grandfather’s anti-apartheid struggle and the Black Lives Matter movement during their tenure as the first international student elected President of the State University of New York-Oswego Student Government in 2018, where they passed significant racial justice and gender equality reforms.

Doug A. Graffeo (they/them) is Senior Officer at the Secretariat of the Equal Rights Coalition, hosted at ILGA World.

Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, Doug is an accomplished rights defender, researcher, and social scientist in the fields of LGBTQI+ rights and intersectional feminist justice. As a human geographer by trade, Doug excels at providing critical analyses of complex social and political dynamics in a variety of contexts and at a diversity of scales. Their perspective is also informed by their lived experience as a non-binary, transfeminine, mixed-race person with a history of migration and class struggle.

Doug has collaborated with organisations working on human rights and justice from the grassroots level and academia all the way to the multilateral scene. In recent years, Doug has worked alongside international organisations and mechanisms in the pursuit of equal rights and freedom for all LGBTQI+ people. Prior to joining ILGA World, Doug was the Equal Rights Coalition Officer at LSVD+, co-chairs of this mechanism from 2022 to 2024.

Doug holds a Master of Arts in Sexual Diversity Studies and Human Geography from the University of Toronto, where they also obtained their Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies. Prior to leaving Venezuela, Doug attended the School of International Studies at the Central University of Venezuela.

Yuri Yoursky (he/him) is a Ukraine-born and Estonia-based LGBTI activist. Yuri holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations and Europe-Asian studies, and he is in the process of obtaining a Ph.D. in Public Administration with a research topic of “Sustainable Organizational Development of Small Non-Profit NGOs”.

Yuri started his activist path with the Ukrainian community-led organization Gender Zed in Zaporizhzhya, practiced his skills at “Gay Alliance Ukraine”, and over 7 years served the communities in Eastern Europe and Central Asia as a Programs Lead of ECOM – Eurasian Coalition on Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity. Previously, Yuri was part of the IGLYO (2018-2020) and ILGA-Europe (2020-2022) Boards and currently acts as a Board term at GNP+ (Global Network of People living with HIV).

Yuri is a certified trainer on the topics of non-profit organizational development, MEAL, and fundraising.

Naïké Ledan (she/her) is a dedicated social justice advocate with a rich background in human rights, women’s empowerment, and health justice, working primarily across Sub-Saharan Africa, Haiti, the LAC region, New Orleans, and Canada. Her advocacy centers on addressing structural exclusion, with a strong emphasis on civil rights and cross-movement solidarity. She spearheads a global strategy focused on sexuality, SRHR, and gender justice.

In her previous role, Naïké has been instrumental in bridging the gap between funders LGBTQI+-, girls- and young women-led civil society organisations, always prioritising the principles of shared leadership, anti-colonialism, and anti-patriarchal values that are central to social justice.

Naïké’s work also delves into feminist theory, particularly the exploration of women’s sexual pleasure as a means of liberation, self-honoring, and challenging societal norms. Her focus extends to decriminalising gender and sexual pluralities, prison abolition, and breaking silences around marginalised identities.

Her leadership extends across various international organisations, including the UNDP, UNAIDS, the Organization of American States, the Global Fund, Housing Works and Health GAP.

Naïké  holds a Master of Science (M.Sc.) in International Development from the Université de Montréal and is pursuing a postgraduate degree in Public Health at NYU’s Global Institute of Public Health, further deepening her expertise in gender justice advocacy as a global health issue.

J. Andrew Baker (he/him) is an artist, Indigenous Language speaker, two-spirit knowledge carrier, development professional, educator, counsellor, and activist from Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. He currently lives in Switzerland, where he is ILGA World’s Manager on Fundraising and Monitor, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL).

For the past 20 years, Andrew focused his career and volunteerism on Indigenous and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. He is the past co-president of InterPride, and the co-founder and head of partnerships of Global Pride, the largest community-led Pride event to date. It gathered an online audience of 57 million people.

He is a professional fundraiser, adult educator, and MEL specialist who founded three 2SLGBTQIA+ organizations in Canada. Andrew served on multiple local, national, and international non-profit boards and implemented over 10 successful Indigenous-led programs in Ontario.

He began his career as a professional fundraiser in 2010. Since then, he collaboratively secured partnerships with governments – including Finland, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Canada, the USA, and Sweden. He launched 2SLGBTQIA+ campaigns in partnership with multinational corporations including Apple, Burberry, Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation, VF Corporation Brands, Google, YouTube, and Facebook. He led fundraising teams that have raised over 20 million USD towards 2SLGBTQIA+ and Indigenous-led initiatives. He has participated in fundraising collaborations that have raised over 125 million USD in cash and cash equivalents.

In 2017, he received the Inspire Lifetime Achievement award in Toronto, Ontario, Canada for 20 years of dedication to Indigenous and LGBTIQ communities in Ontario and Canada.

Madhu J. (she/they) is the Senior Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Officer with ILGA World.

Madhu has over a decade of work experience in research and feminist MEL, with a specific focus on qualitative and participatory methodologies. She has extensive experience in coordinating and managing feminist participatory evaluation projects at both the national and multi-country/ regional levels. As a feminist MEL professional, Madhu has extensive experience working with participatory and contribution-based frameworks, and specifically with grassroots groups and small organisations. It is through this lens that she has developed a keen interest in exploring the intersections of feminist economic models, data, and technology.

Prior to joining ILGA World, Madhu was with Women’s Fund Asia, where she handled the MEL portfolio as their Program Officer- MEL. Madhu holds a Master’s in Social Work from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, India, and an M.Phil. in Multi-disciplinary Gender Studies from the University of Cambridge.

Daniele Paletta (he/him) is the Communications Manager at ILGA World.

He has worked on media and communications for ILGA World since June 2015.

He has almost twenty years of experience in various communications roles – including as editor for business magazines and press officer for cultural institutions. As a freelance journalist, his articles have appeared in several newspapers, magazines and news sites in Italy. He also worked as a communications manager for a law firm supporting the UN Global Compact and has published three books, all released by Vololibero Edizioni. In 2017, he contributed to a manual on digital strategies.

He holds a Master of Science in Communications at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, and a Master’s Degree in Communications on Discography and Radio at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan.

For media enquiries: media(at)ilga(dot)org

Suelle Anglin (she/her) is a communication and reputation management professional with a wealth of knowledge, and over seven years of experience working in the private sector and non-governmental organizations, in Jamaica and the Caribbean doing brand development and implementing strategic marketing and communication campaigns on traditional and new media.  A recently awarded Chevening Scholar, Suelle holds a Master of Arts degree in Corporate Communication, Marketing and Public Relations from the University of Leeds, England, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Language Communication and Society from The University of West Indies, Mona.

Over the last five years, she has worked with one of the leading human rights organizations in Jamaica, promoting the public education, tolerance, and acceptance of LGBT people. She has been critical in expanding pride celebrations and the inclusion and promotion of dancehall spaces, highlighting the nuances existing with LGBT people and the genre. In addition, she has been pivotal in implementing information communications technology (ICT) integration in the national HIV testing, treatment and support, and linkage to care response in Jamaica.

Suelle has key interests in feminism, promoting safe sex education, and accessing information in the global HIV response for lesbian and bisexual women. Her interest in data and its rapid development and socio-linguistics guides how she develops and implements human rights cantered work.

Camila Galdino (she/her) is a Black lesbian feminist from Brazil, currently based in Toronto, Canada. With over 17 years of experience in the non-profit sector, she has worked across communications, operations, and logistics — always through a feminist and social justice lens.

Passionate about feminist organising and deeply committed to collective liberation, Camila has contributed to regional and global movements, building efficient systems that support inclusive, mission-driven initiatives. She thrives in roles that bridge strategy and execution, particularly in contexts rooted in the Global South.

Camila has worked with a range of international organisations. Before joining ILGA World, her most recent position was at AWID, where she supported global operations and systems design, with a focus on equity and access. She was a key coordinator of the AWID Forum in Brazil, one of the world’s largest feminist gatherings.

She holds a degree in Media and Social Communications from IESP in Brazil and is fluent in Portuguese, English, and Spanish.

Demet Gümüş (she/her) is a human rights activist from Turkey with an MA in Human Rights and Multi-level Governance from the University of Padova. Her work focuses on transforming governance and membership systems while advocating for queer-feminist justice and racial equity. She is particularly interested in strengthening civic participation, democratic practices, LGBTIQ+ human rights, and queer-feminist movements across different contexts.

Oscar Fitzpatrick (he/him) is ILGA World’s Logistics Officer.

Operating from his base in Dublin, Ireland. Oscar is a multidisciplinary advocate, facilitator, and researcher with a rich background in live events and theatrical production management, facilitation, and program management.

Since 2019, Oscar has supported a diverse range of projects and initiatives within ILGA World. Initially joining as a Junior consultant to the Sex Characteristics programme in 2019. From 2020 to 2023 Oscar was the consultant to ILGA World’s youth programme, in this role he acted as the logistical nexus of the Global Queer Youth Network. Working closely with the ILGA World Youth Steering Committee and a network of LGBTIQ youth advocates, Oscar spearheaded the implementation of diverse online, in-person, and hybrid programming initiatives. In 2022, Oscar acted as the consultant to the hybridisation of the ILGA World Conference. In 2023, Oscar supported the GIESC team as a consultant to the Sex Characteristics Programme.

Prior to his time at ILGA World, Oscar served as an advocacy fellow with the New York Transgender Advocacy Group (NYTAG), where he championed the meaningful participation of transgender, gender nonconforming, and non-binary young people in local, state, and national governance.

In addition to his professional engagements, Oscar holds a Master’s degree in New Media and Digital Culture from the University of Amsterdam, which he attained in 2021. During the course of this study, Oscar implemented a variety of research projects concerning the intersection of digital citizenship and digitally mediated anti-gender violence.

Polyxeni Kallini (she/her) is the Finance Manager at ILGA World.

Born and raised in Greece, she graduated from the Faculty of International and European Studies at the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki, and pursued a Masters in Migration Studies at the University of Sussex. Returned to Greece in 2012, she joined the civil society movement, volunteering and then working in a national NGO supporting disadvantaged children, mostly Roma people and victims of trafficking, while she was also trained in the Council of Europe’s Manual for Human Rights Education with Young People, Compass. In 2015, she returned to the UK, where she started working for Peace Brigades International until July 2020, when she joined ILGA World’s team.

She holds a PRINCE2 Certification in Project Management (2019), and speaks Greek, English, Spanish, Italian and French and currently learning German. She lives with her husband in Munich, she loves swimming and running and is a qualified ballet teacher.

Vasilis Balasis (he/him) is the Finance Officer at ILGA World.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geology from Aristotle University in Greece and is completing his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) at the University of Nicosia, Cyprus.

Although he worked in business and sales from a young age, his studies have a major focus on human resources management as well as diversity management and combatting discrimination in organisations, and ILGA World is the place where both of his passions are met: finances and social justice.

Vasilis speaks Greek, English and German, and he’s currently learning Spanish and French.

Karla Avila Becerril (she/her) is ILGA World’s Human Resources Manager.

Karla’s career in HR spans more than 8 years, during which she has worked with diverse groups of employees. She has a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by LGBTIQ individuals in the workplace and has been actively involved with LGBTIQ employee groups throughout her career. Her dedication has been instrumental in creating a supportive and inclusive workplace culture that values and respects everyone.

In addition to her work in HR, she has been a speaker on forums like Out & Equal and Pride Connection. Her expertise has been acknowledged by different communities, being invited to share her knowledge and help create more diverse, inclusive and equitable environments.

Karla is a licensed psychologist, and her clinical background has given her a unique perspective on the mental health needs of diverse communities. She has provided therapy to LGBTIQ patients in her own psychology practice for the last three years.