“The freedom to shine bright:” the 2025 end-of-year message by ILGA World

Dear member organisations, dear friends across the world,

No matter where we come from, the colour of our skin, the body we inhabit, or the faith that drives us — most of us want very similar things: the freedoms to shine bright as our true selves, and to keep our families, friends, and communities whole.

2025 has been a year of severe setbacks. We are facing reactionary politicians seeking to extinguish the hard-won light of our freedoms and take away our agency over the decisions that impact our lives.  We have watched political forces relentlessly rolling back equality, recognition and protections, cutting the lifelines of millions, and suppressing the resources that allow our organisations to care for those the State leaves behind.

But we know better. When they force us to be resilient, that’s when they really see us coming together. In moments of fear and uncertainty, we gather, we support and protect one another, and we share our light. Across continents, we have seen you stand firm—carrying the torch of dignity into places where it has been deliberately suppressed.

To every member organisation, every activist, and every allya term used to describe someone who is actively supportive of LGBTI people. It encompasses straight and cisgender allies, as well as LGBTI people who actively support other populations within the community at large. More, we say: thank you. ILGA World is our shared home: a space where we collide, draw strength from our collective energy, and recognise that even in the darkest moments, the light has not gone out — it is carried by thousands of people, groups and organisations, in countless places, refusing to let it be taken from them. You are the light that keeps this chosen family alive.

In 2025, for the first time Burkina Faso chose to criminalise consensual same-sex sexual acts, and Trinidad and Tobago reversed its decriminalisation ruling, sending waves of concern across the Caribbean.

In Argentina, the government of Javier Milei issued a decree modifying the historic 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 Law, the first in the world to allow a change of name and genderrefers to a social construct which places cultural and social expectations on individuals based on their assigned sex. More marker under standards of self-identification.

In the United Kingdom, the Supreme Court restricted the definition of “woman” for the Equality Act. New Zealand would have halted new prescriptions for puberty blockers if the High Court had not delayed the ban, requesting a judicial review.

Governments worldwide continued to drastically cut foreign development aid, while in the United States the Trump administration launched a war on development and denied transadjective/umbrella term to describe a person whose gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth. More, gender-diverse, 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 people the right to play sports, while the Supreme Court upheld state bans on gender-affirming care for youth.

Hungary and Slovakia passed constitutional amendments undermining the rights of our communities, with the former going as far as banning Pride marches and threatening those defying their orders with arrests. In Kazakhstan, the Senate introduced discriminatory “anti-LGBTI propaganda” restrictions into national legislation – but the country president can still choose to reject them.

This is just a small part of what we are up against.

This year, our communities lost voices that have been incredibly strong, and that had carried us forward with their wisdom, determination, and humanity.

While we were facing one of the toughest years in our recent history, we also mourned the deaths of our former co-Secretary General Tuisina Ymania Brown, as well as Isikeli Vulavou, Jholerina Brinnette Timbo, and Miss Major Griffin-Gracy. The horrific murder of Imam Muhsin Hendricks shook us all to the core. Everywhere, our communities kept facing violence, and mourned hundreds of people who were killed or died unrecognised.

We miss all of them immensely — together with all the many 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 human rights defenders who are no longer with us — and we vow to carry their legacy forward.

Despite the setbacks, our communities continued to work for a better world for everyone. And positive developments kept coming, even during this dark year!

Following a campaign by 1,259 non-governmental organisations from 157 States and territories, the Human Rights Council renewed the mandate of the Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity – the only human rights expert within 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 system that is specifically dedicated to addressing violence and 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 against LGBT and gender diverse persons.

Saint Lucia decriminalised consensual same-sex sexual acts, and Dominican Republic did the same for those serving in its armed forces. Marriage equalitywhere national marriage legislation also includes same-sex couples or gender-neutral reference to the spouses. References to “gay marriage” that are sometimes made by media outlets and decision-makers incorrectly are incorrect, as no country has created a marriage law specifically for same-sex couples. More became a reality in Thailand and Liechtenstein.

Courts continue to support our right to form a family and to live our lives in dignity. The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that EU countries must recognise same-sex marriages legally performed in another member State when the couple has moved to and lived in. In Hong Kong, a judge ruled in favour of a 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 couple’s recognition of their son. In Kenya, the Eldoret High Court directed the government to introduce legislation to protect trans people — a first across the continent! In the United States, the Supreme Court rejected a request to overturn its landmark 2015 marriage equality decision. Cuba passed a law allowing people to change their gender marker on identity documents without abusive preconditions.

Thousands of people marched during Budapest Pride in defiance of a ban, in a landmark moment for democracy across Europe. The Council of Europe set its first standards protecting intersex people’s human rights, and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights presents its first-ever report on discriminatory laws and policies, violence, and harmful practices against intersex people.

This is what the tireless work of our communities has led to. Despite all the hardships, we keep walking towards meaningful equality for all — together.

All the work you will read about takes effort, time, and adequate resources.
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Together with our members organisations and regions, ILGA World continues to raise the voices of our global communities — from the grassroots up to the halls of power.

Our research continued to break new ground. We expanded the ILGA World Database, casting a light on how most States worldwide still have no laws protecting LGBTI youth from school bullying. In a joint report, we also summarised ten years of intersex advocacy in United Nations spaces and explained what steps lie ahead.

ILGA regions brought hundreds of LGBTI human rights defenders and allies together for their regional conferences, which took place in Nepal, Lithuania, and South Africa.

Throughout 2025, we supported our members as they engaged with United Nations human rights bodies, and continued to amplify their voices in these spaces. All these efforts are bringing about concrete change for our communities on the ground!

We welcomed activists to Geneva for weeks of advocacy around various UN human rights bodies, especially the Universal Periodic Review. We co-hosted a particularly successful Trans Advocacy Week, an initiative that will reach its tenth edition in 2026. And we welcomed intersex activists from across the world as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rightsthe leading UN entity on human rights, representing the world's commitment to the promotion and protection of the full range of human rights and freedoms set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. More presented its historic first report about the community.

We delivered statements and hosted events at the Human Rights Council; connected activists with Special Procedures mandate holders during their country visitsmissions carried out by UN Special Procedure mandate holders to assess the situation of human rights in a specific country. During their missions, they will meet with national and local authorities, national human rights institutions, as well as with NGOs, civil society, and survivors of human rights violations. Findings, conclusions and recommendations of such missions are published in reports to the Human Rights Council. More; and strengthened our work on strategic litigation, national advocacy engagement, and the Sustainable Development Goals.

But our work doesn’t stop in Geneva: ILGA World was yet again a co-convenor of the LBTI Caucus at the Commission of the Status of Women — where we supported the participation of six LBTI human rights defenders to bring trans, gender-diverse, and intersex rights into the heart of global gender equality discussions.

Beyond the UN, we ensured that LGBTI issues were high on the agenda in the world of sports, thanks to our work with the Sport and Rights Alliance and multiple partners — especially to drive dialogue for democracy in sport and to ensure that everyone has the right to play.

We kept advancing equal rights in the business world through our presence in the Partnership for Global LGBTI Equality, and we raised awareness for the importance of economic inclusion during the UN Forum on Business and Human Rights, where LGBTI voices were present like never before.

We brought our member organisations together for online meet-ups — informal meetings for peer exchange, learning, visibility, and global solidarity.

While we continued to develop stronger internal procedures, including by applying feminist approaches to our logistics and developing more flexible reporting for our sub-granting initiatives, we also strengthened our work in partnership with external actors.

Like never before, progressive movements must be in unity. Throughout the year, our cross-movement work brought together feminist and LGBTI movements, as well as organisations working on sexual and reproductive health rights and an equitable HIV response to respond together to the intense anti-rights pushback that we are going through.

ILGA World continues to look into the needs, priorities, and funding landscape of the international and regional movements through the LGBTI Pathways project, which will soon launch its global survey: stay tuned!

We also continue to host the secretariat of the Equal Rights Coalition — linking the protection of the human rights of LGBTI persons and the promotion of inclusive development — and of the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, bringing millions of people worldwide to celebrate sexual and gender diversity.

All this work would not have been possible without our Board and committee members who volunteered their time, energy, skills and passion to keep ILGA a truly movement-owned organisation.

We are so grateful for our staff members and consultants! With their work, they continue to keep the ILGA World engine running smoothly, and ensure they can serve our communities at the best of our capacity.

As we absorbed the shockwave of this difficult year, ILGA World will dive into 2026 by continuing to turn the needs and priorities of LGBTI people worldwide into new forms of strategic work.

To our communities, we simply say: ILGA World is your home, and your voice has a place here.

We will continue to be there for you through our work of advocacy, capacity building, and research — with more attention than ever to cross-movement solidarity and strategic alliances.

Today, a powerful few are trying to hollow out democracies and human rights systems for everyone. We recognise that our struggle is not just about LGBTI people, but connected to the quest of seeking and fulfilling global justice for all. By defending our rights, we are as well defending the rights of all people to live free from criminalisation, coercion and unlawful state interference.

Time and again, LGBTI people have rolled up their sleeves and sowed the seeds of change for the benefit of all society. It is certainly not by accident that, in 2026, we will celebrate the IDAHOBIT under the theme “At the heart of democracy”: with so much at stake, you are invited to join in. Together, we can prepare the ground for a better future for everyone.

Best wishes to all for rainbow peace and joy during the holidays and festive season!

Kimberly Frost and Yuri Guaiana
ILGA World Co-Secretaries General

Julia Ehrt
ILGA World Executive Director