Ian Lawrence-Tourinho
Chair – Bisexual Steering Committee
he/him
The five Steering Committees are a group of activists appointed or elected from every region of the world to support ILGA World’s work on bisexual, intersex, trans, women and youth issues. They were established in 2016 by the ILGA membership as a more representative way to continue the work of the ILGA Secretariats.
With seven persons from ILGA World member organisations in each committee, there is a now larger and more geographically diverse body working on the specific concerns of a population group, rather than relying on a single member organisation as was the case with the Secretariats.
The Steering Committees started to really take shape in 2019 when the first chairs of each steering committee were elected at the World Conference in Wellington and each ILGA World region appointed or elected its representatives.
As a result, our whole global family is better represented when ILGA World discusses bisexual, intersex, trans, women, and youth issues! Like with the Secretariats, the Chairs of Steering Committees also join the Executive Board, helping to make sure that our family speaks with one diverse but unified voice.
This is what queer democracy in action looks like!
last updated on: 26 June 2020
(opening photo by Ben Buckland)
Chair – Bisexual Steering Committee
he/him
Chair – Bisexual Steering Committee
he/him
Ian Lawrence-Tourinho
Chair of the Bisexual Steering Committee
Elected at ILGA World Conference, Long Beach, May 2022
Ian Lawrence-Tourinho (he/him) is Director of The Bi Foundation and founder of the amBi network, a growing, international collaborative of socially-focused bi communities.
As an activist, he is particularly interested in the role positive, affirming support networks can serve as a health and human rights intervention for bi people. In 2013, Ian created bi.org which has grown to become the largest online resource about bisexuality in the world.
organisation: Bi Foundation (United States)
Bisexual Steering Committee representative – Africa
he/him
Bisexual Steering Committee representative – Africa
he/him
Brice Tchuenguia
Representative of the Bisexual Steering Committee for Africa.
Born in September 15 of 1990 in the North-West region of Cameroon, Brice Tchuenguia gratuated from the Teachers Training School of Douala with a Bachelor in Mechanical Enginneering of Douala University.
Brice joins the ILGA World Bisexual Committee with extensive executive leadership experience in the nonprofit sector. He currently serves as Executive Director of a non profit organisation based in Cameroon, providing strategic consulting and assistance to LGBTIQA++ persons and association governance with an equity and social justice lens. He is engaged with many associations in his country to expand the bisexual+ community.
Prior to starting his activism in 2014, Brice served as Peer Educator of SID’ADO and Alternatives Cameroon, working on educating key populations on sexual health, sexual transmissible deseases and HIV/AIDS. He became the focal point and strategist for Alternative Cameroon on gender-based violence in 2016. In February 2016 he co-founded Working For Our Wellbeing, serving as Programme Director. He has become the organisation’s Executive Director in January 2019.
He is committed to serve the bisexual+ community, working for a better visibility and intagration of the bisexual person in the society of Africa and of Cameroon in particular.
organisation: Working for our Wellbeing (Cameroon)
Bisexual Steering Committee representative – Asia
she/her
Bisexual Steering Committee representative – Asia
she/her
Candy Yun
Representative of the Bisexual Steering Committee for Asia
Candy YUN (she/her) is currently the executive director of the Korean Sexual-Minority Culture & Rights Center (KSCRC) and a steering committee member of Rainbow Action against Sexual-Minority Discrimination, the coalition group of LGBT+ and allies’ organisations. Within these two groups, Candy is working for various projects, including on advocacy, capacity building, social campaigning, organising the national conference, human rights activism, research and lectures.
She has been involved in the LGBTI+ movement since the Sexual minority Committee of Democratic Labors’ Party in 2006. Soon, she got deeply involved in the trans movement, co-founding the Korean Transgender Activist Group Jirung-e and being a part of it for 5 years, until the group closed. After closing of Jirung-e, she worked as a project manager of the Transgender Patchwork Project, the incubating project of the new trans organization within KSCRC.
In addition, she worked with the Salim Medical Co-operative as part of local feminist activities, and she co-founded the Bi-Moim (now Bi-Magazine), a bisexual social meeting group.
She is a guest activist for the transgender human rights activist group Jogakbo in Korea.
organisation: Korean Sexual-Minority Culture & Rights Center (South Korea)
Bisexual Steering Committee representative – Europe and Central Asia
she/her
Bisexual Steering Committee representative – Europe and Central Asia
she/her
Rachael Moore
Representative of the Bisexual Steering Committee for Europe and Central Asia
Rachael Moore is a British born LGBT activist who lives and works in Brussels, Belgium. With a background in youth empowerment, LGBT rights and advocacy, Rachael is no stranger to dealing with discrimination in both social and professional settings. Previously she worked at the European Parliament. Her experience at European level of politics has given her a greater insight of places that were never meant for Black people or people of colour.
In 2019 she co-founded Rainbow Nation, an association that pushes for a different narrative regarding the visibility of queer, trans, black and brown people. Rainbow Nation pushes for diversity, inclusivity and multiculturalism that is not defined by whiteness. A true ‘Nothing about Us without Us’ stance with regards to how the LGBT community deals with its own issues of racism, transphobia and xenophobia. Rainbow Nation provides support group meetings for QTBPOC and organises community-building activities for victims of racism.
Bisexual Steering Committee representative – LAC
she/her
Bisexual Steering Committee representative – LAC
she/her
Oriana López Uribe
Representative of the Bisexual Steering Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean
Elected at the ILGALAC regional conference, Bogotà, November 2019
Oriana López Uribe (she/her) has been a feminist and sexual rights activist for 17 years. She has collaborated with various organizations and networks developing strategies for information and promotion of sexual rights, as well as sexual and reproductive health for women, youth and adolescents. She is Director of Balance Promoción para el Desarrollo y Juventud AC and of the programme Abortion Fund for Social Justice MARIA. She is a member of the global feminist alliance Resurj and the regional network Vecinas Feministas por la Justicia Sexual y Reproductiva en América Latina y el Caribe.
Since 2007, she has been carrying out advocacy activities in the area of sexual and reproductive rights of young people and women at the national, regional and international levels. Since 2010, she has specialized in the formation of abortion doulas and since 2012 in the reduction of stigma related to abortion at the individual and community levels.
Oriana has a degree in Social Communication from UAM-Xochimilco. In 2011 she received the Omeccihuatl medal from Inmujeres D.F. for her commitment to women’s health and rights for her work as coordinator of the MARIA Fund and in the same year the WAS (World Association for Sexual Health) awarded her recognition for her work in the field of sexual health for young people.
organisation: Balance (Mexico)
Bisexual Steering Committee representative – Oceania
Bisexual Steering Committee representative – Oceania
Bisexual Steering Committee representative – Oceania
vacant position
Chair – Intersex Steering Committee
Chair – Intersex Steering Committee
more information coming soon
Intersex Steering Committee representative – Africa
he/him
Intersex Steering Committee representative – Africa
he/him
Lawrence Shone Edem Adjei
Representative of the Intersex Committee for Africa
Shone Edem (he/him) is the Executive Director of Key Watch Ghana, an intersex-led NGO in Ghana. Shone has an extensive ten years working experience on various programs for LGBT+ persons in the country.
He is a human rights advocate and an HIV prevention and treatment services interventionist. Shone also works with Interfaith Diversity Network of West Africa (IDNOWA), providing advocacy for LGBT+ and faith leaders in West Africa.
He is a member (Public Relations Officer) of the Alliance for Equality and Diversity (AfED) and also serves as a member of the Justice and Peace committee of the Global Network of Rainbow Catholics (GNRC).
Shone is passionate about intersex visibility and rights recognition, as well as the rights of all LGBT+ persons.
organisation: Interfaith Diversity Network of West Africa (Ghana)
Intersex Steering Committee representative – Asia
they/them
Intersex Steering Committee representative – Asia
they/them
Hiker Chiu
Representative of the Intersex Steering Committee for Asia
Hiker Chiu is an intersex human rights activist who founded OII-Chinese in 2008. As part of their work mission, Hiker started a “Global free hugs with intersex” campaign at Taipei’s LGBT Pride Parade in 2010. In 2011 and 2012 they participated as spokesperson for Asia in the first and second International Intersex Forum. 2015 Hiker was elected as Co-Chair of ILGA Asia and a member of the ILGA World global Board being the first intersex activist ever elected to become a member of an ILGA board. In February 2018 Hiker and fellow intersex activists founded Intersex Asia as an umbrella organisation for intersex human rights activism in Asia. Hiker is currently serving as co-chair of Intersex Asia.
organisation: OII-Chinese
Intersex Steering Committee representative – Europe and Central Asia
he/him
Intersex Steering Committee representative – Europe and Central Asia
he/him
Dan Christian Ghattas
Representative of the Intersex Steering Committee for Europe and Central Asia
Dan Christian Ghattas, PhD, is the Executive Director of Organisation Intersex International Europe (OII Europe).
He started advocating for intersex human rights in Europe in 2009, and has since provided expertise to governments, EU and CoE and UN Treaty Bodies.
He was one of the initiators of the first International Intersex Forum (2011) and is a co-founder and former co-chair of OII Europe. In 2013, he compiled the first empirical (pre-)study on the life situations of intersex individuals worldwide, Human Rights Between the Sexes, covering 12 countries and most continents. In 2016, he authored the ILGA-Europe/ OII Europe Intersex Toolkit Standing up for intersex human rights – How can you help? and in 2019 the ILGA-Europe/ OII Europe legal toolkit Protecting intersex people in Europe. A toolkit for law and policy makers. With digital appendix and checklist. Since 2015, he is the European Advisor for the Astraea Intersex Human Rights Fund and since 2016 Bridge Advisor for the Disability Rights Fund.
organisation: OII Europe (Germany)
Intersex Steering Committee representative – LAC
Intersex Steering Committee representative – LAC
Julián Parra
Intersex Steering Committee representative – Latin America and the Caribbean
elected at the ILGALAC regional conference, Bogotà, November 2019
biography available soon!
organisation: Orgullo LGBT (Venezuela)
Intersex Steering Committee representative – North America & Caribbean
Intersex Steering Committee representative – North America & Caribbean
Intersex Steering Committee representative – North America & Caribbean
One person appointed by the ILGANAC Board in January 2021 (Note: pending some final information)
Intersex Steering Committee representative – Oceania
they/them/Mx
Intersex Steering Committee representative – Oceania
they/them/Mx
Mani Bruce Mitchell
Representative of the Intersex Steering Committee for Oceania
Mani Bruce Mitchell (they/them/Mx) Identifies as a non-binary, queer, intersex person. Established ITANZ in 1997, after attending the world first intersex retreat in California in 1996. Mani has a background in education, media, emergency management, is a trained mental health professional. Was the first person in New Zealand to come out as an intersex person.
Mani was born in 1953, identified (inaccurately) as a hermaphrodite at birth and initially assigned male gender. Has had nonconsensual genital ‘feminizing’ surgeries. Is a survivor of child and adult sexual abuse. The work Mani has done around transforming their own trauma narrative has been foundational in their activism of the last three decades. Involved in PTSD awareness – with particular focus in the mental health issues for youth and marginalized rainbow members in our community.
Mani is a member of a national suicide bereavement committee. Has worked with multiple government agencies, departments including the NZ Human Rights Commission, to improve awareness and policies with particular regard to intersex issues. Is a member of the New Zealand Counsellors Association Regional ethics team.
Mani has attended all the international gatherings of intersex activists (there has been three) Helped run community retreats in New Zealand, Australia and America. Mani narrated the award winning intersex documentary intersexion which has been screened to acclaim around the world (is used by the UN) as a training resource. Was a founding member of the ILGA Oceania board. Credits an inherited, fathers, ‘silly sense of humor’ with their resilience and survival. Was awarded as a finalist a New Zealander of the Year award in 2016.
Organisation: ITANZ Intersex Trust Aotearoa New Zealand
Chair – Trans Steering Committee
she/her
Chair – Trans Steering Committee
she/her
Tashnuva Anan
Chair of Trans Steering Committee
Elected at ILGA World Conference, Long Beach, May 2022
Tashnuva Anan (she/her) is a young transgender human rights activist and theatre worker from Bangladesh. She became the first transgender news anchor in Bangladesh, shattering the glass barrier of gender discrimination and paving the way for other transgender individuals to pursue other mainstream occupations. She is the only Bangladeshi to hold a position on the ILGA World board.
As a graduate of public health, Tashnuva has spent many years advocating for the SRHR of SOGIESC people in South Asia, with the advancement of SOGIESC people’s human rights constituting the core of her advocacy work. She has worked with numerous human rights and SOGIESC organisations for more than ten years. Tashnuva currently serves as the executive director of Inclusive Bangladesh, a trans-led youth LGBTIQ+ organisation with activities in Bangladesh and the United Kingdom.
Trans Steering Committee representative – Africa
she/her
Trans Steering Committee representative – Africa
she/her
Barbra Wangare
Representative of the Trans Steering Committee for Africa
Barbra Wangar (she/her) is a queer African feminist social justice worker and activist from Kenya, East Africa.
She is the Executive Director of EATHAN – East Africa Trans Health & Advocacy Network; a network of intersex, trans* and gender non-conforming (ITGNC) individuals and organisations in East Africa. She has over 7 years of experience working on and with intersex, trans* and gender non-conforming individuals and organisations across the African continent and has been instrumental in the growth of the movement. Her passion towards improving the livelihoods of all ITGNC persons in the region is what drives her.
organisation: EATHAN (Kenya)
Trans Steering Committee representative – Asia
she/her
Trans Steering Committee representative – Asia
she/her
Wannapong (Nhuun) Yodmuang
Representative of the Trans Steering Committee for Asia
Elected at the ILGA Asia Conference, Seoul, August 2019
Wannapong (Nhuun) Yodmuang (she/her) received her law degree from Thammasat University. She used to work as the Human Rights Researcher at Manushya Foundation as well as the National Consultant for the United Nations Development Programme’s Being LGBTI in Asia where she conducted several research projects that aimed to assess the effectiveness of Thai laws and policies and its compliance with International Human Rights Standards. The research projects were related to particular issues such as legal gender recognition and employment discrimination against trans individuals.
She was also the Human Rights Case Management and Policy Advocacy Officer at the Rainbow Sky Association of Thailand, advocating for the rights of LGBTIQ community members by engaging with national legislation and UN Human Rights Monitoring Mechanisms.
Organisation: Asia Pacific Transgender Network (Thailand)
Trans Steering Committee representative – Europe and Central Asia
Trans Steering Committee representative – Europe and Central Asia
Olena Semenova
Representative of the Trans Steering Committee for Europe and Central Asia
Olena Semenova is a Ukrainian born LGBTQI human rights activist and a Doctor of Medicine. (S)he has over 20 years of experience in the fields of human rights activism, STI prevention and health services for LGBTQ, and advocacy for LGBTQI freedoms.
Olena is a founding member of several LGBTQ nonprofits, festivals, events, and initiatives in different regions of Ukraine. Since 2015 Olena has been a Co-Chair, of the oldest Ukrainian LGBT organization, the LGBT Association “LIGA” that has, for the past 23 years, been working for equal rights for LGBT people in Ukraine.
Promoting human rights for LGBTQI people in Ukraine and globally, Olena became a part of the international initiative MunichKyivQueer Contact Group and a founding member of KyivPride Canada. Today (s)he is a board member of TGEU, and also represents the international community sitting on the Advisory Board of the Canadian nonprofit Dignity Network, and at the Equal Rights Coalition civil society network.
organisation: LGBT association LIGA (Ukraine)
Trans Steering Committee representative – LAC
he/they
Trans Steering Committee representative – LAC
he/they
Franco Fuica
Representative of the Trans Steering Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean
Franco Fuica (he/they) is a trans activist with a degree in Education. He began his activism in 2005 when he became the first trans leader of his university’s Student Federation and created CUDSO (Coordinadora Universitaria de la Diversidad Sexual de Osorno). He is part of the Coalition of LGBTTI organizations of the OAS, the ERC (Equality Right Coalition), the Board of ILGALAC, the ITF (international Trans Fund) grant panel, and he is the co-founder of ULTrans (Unión Latinoamericana de Trans Masculinidades). He is currently the legal representative of OTD Chile – Organizing Trans Diversidades Chile, his grassroots community.
organisation: Organizing Trans Diversidades (Chile)
(photo by Alejandra Fuenzalida)
Trans Steering Committee representative – North America & Caribbean
she/her/elle
Trans Steering Committee representative – North America & Caribbean
she/her/elle
Susan Gapka
Representative of the Trans Steering Committee for North America & Caribbean
Susan Gapka (she/her/elle) is a founding member and chair of the Toronto Trans Coalition Project which emerged from the advocacy work of the Trans Lobby Group in Ontario Canada. Susan helped lead the Ontario campaign to fund transition related surgeries, helped change the Vital Statistics Act so trans people’s legal documents more accurately reflect their lived identity, and drafted and successfully campaigned to adopt legislation to amend the Ontario Human Rights Code and Canadian Human Rights Act to include ‘gender identity’ and ‘gender expression’. These three pillars – access to health care, human rights protection, and legal identification – have laid to foundation for trans and nonbinary legal and social inclusion in Toronto, Ontario, and Canadian society.
organisation: Canadian Union of Public Employees – CUPE/LGBT group (Canada)
Trans Steering Committee representative – Oceania
Trans Steering Committee representative – Oceania
Ratu Eroni Ledua Dina
Representative of the Women’s Committee for Oceania
“A Fiji where we are free to be whatever we Dream to be” is the Vision Eroni Dina has for the Fiji Islands and is the cornerstone of Eroni’s work for a better Fiji for ALL. Eroni who hails from the Island of Kadavu with maternal links to Lau and Tonga, finds inspiration in carrying on the legacy of her mother who died of Breast Cancer who till her last breath remained instrumental in Eroni’s Career. She is a Quality Analyst and Trainer by profession managing a Learning and Development team as Training & Quality Manager with Fiji’s largest Global BPO – Mindpearl.
Music, LGBTIQ rights and indigeneity is a Passion that Eroni is well known for in various local forums. She is a Registered Recording Artist/Songwriter and for 12 years she was a Music Director and Head of the Arts and Culture Department with the Pasifika Voices Choir, a program by OCACPS – University of the South Pacific which was also renowned for recording Disney’s Moana along with other local stage productions. At OCACPS – USP she was also a Vocal/Performance Coach and tutor, a Freelance Performer and Production Vocalist. Apart from this, Eroni Dina is an Anti-Bullying Ambassador under the Anti-Bullying movement here in Fiji, a Member of MEN-Fiji as Peer-Educator and LGBTIQ Youth Activist before transcending to be Human Resources Director AND Vice Chair for Rainbow Pride Foundation’s Board of Directors, a company limited by guarantee from inception to date. She’s also a former Executive Member of the National Youth Council of the Fiji Islands for 6 years, and sits on the Board of HOPE-Fiji a talent scouting and management agency also from it’s inception to date. No stranger to events, Eroni has also co-coordinated Adi Senikau in 2011, Entertainment director for Miss World Fiji 2012 etc.
Some of Eroni’s most memorable performances have always been around performing with people who have inspired Eroni and for causes that carry empowering messages. Eroni has performed alongside Paulini Curuenavuli, Vanessa Quai & Suzy Vulaca. Eroni’s most treasured performance was performing one of her favourite songs ‘Walk on Walk Strong’ at the Mana Choral Festival in 2012 alongside the sister of Tae Kami and in presence of the Kami Family during which she had just lost her Father to a Stroke.
Eroni’s message to young people is that “In Life offer everything until you have nothing else to give, only then you are ready to transcend to your next gifting” , a legacy she tries to leave behind while travelling/touring around the region.
organisation: Link (Fiji)
Chair of Women’s Steering Committee
she/her
Chair of Women’s Steering Committee
she/her
Angelica Polmonari
Chair of Women’s Steering Committee
Elected at the ILGA World Conference, Long Beach, May 2022
Angelica Polmonari (she/her) is a jurist and a lesbian transfeminist and LGBTQIA+ rights activist at the local, national and international levels within the major Italian LGBTI+ non-for-profit organisation Arcigay.
Within Arcigay, Angelica has assumed several leadership roles and has been organising local, national and international conferences, workshops, focus groups and training sessions on transfeminism, LGBTQIA+ and all women’s rights, and SOGIESC issues.
Being a human rights expert, Angelica worked as the personal assistant of the former Italian Minister for Integration and MEP of African descent, Ms. Cécile Kashetu Kyenge, at the European Parliament, and has been collaborating as project manager and SDGs expert with an Italian national NGO named IBO Italia. Throughout the last decade, Angelica has been advocating for LBTQIA+ women’s agency and visibility in society and politics by fostering their full participation in public life and decision-making.
Organisation: Arcigay (Italy)
Women’s Steering Committee representative – Africa
she/her
Women’s Steering Committee representative – Africa
she/her
Sandra Kwikiriza
Women’s Steering Committee representative – Africa
Sandra Kwikiriza (she/her) has over 5 years of experience in human rights advocacy and activism, specifically focusing on LGBTQ and women’s rights. Sandra recently founded an organisation called Her Internet, that promotes and supports digital literacy for marginalised women, as well fight various internet inequalities that they experience so often. She sits on the Pan Africa ILGA Board 2018/20 as the Treasurer. She is a digital security trainer and also holds certificates in Campaign training, Media and Documentation and leadership certificates directly related to her activism for LGBTQ rights. Sandra is also a feminist and has attended the African Women Leaders’ Institute. She is driven by all the injustice she has personally experienced and witnessed and hopes to see a society where there’s no discrimination of any kind on the basis of one’s sexual orientation and gender identity/expression.
Organisation: Fem Alliance Uganda (Uganda)
Women’s Steering Committee representative – Asia
she/her
Women’s Steering Committee representative – Asia
she/her
Brenda Rodriguez Alegre
Women’s Steering Committee representative – Asia
Elected at the ILGA Asia conference, Seoul, August 2019
Brenda Rodriguez Alegre (she/her) is one of the Board Members of STRAP – The society of Transsexual Women of the Philippines, the first and longest existing trans group there. She has been among the Trans Secretariat representatives of ILGA. She holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology and teaches at the University of Hong Kong. She also serves as a coordinator for the Transgender Resource Center.
Organisation: STRAP – Society of Transsexual Women Philippines (Philippines)
Women’s Steering Committee representative – LAC
Women’s Steering Committee representative – LAC
Teresa Fernandez
Women’s Steering Committee representative – Latin America and Caribbean
elected at the ILGALAC regional conference, Bogotà, November 2019
biography coming soon!
organisation: Red de Mujeres Lesbianas y Bisexuales (Cuba)
Women’s Steering Committee representative – North America & Caribbean
she/her
Women’s Steering Committee representative – North America & Caribbean
she/her
Winnie Luk
Representative of the Women’s Steering Committee for North America & Caribbean
Winnie Luk (she/her) is Rainbow Railroad’s Managing Director, providing support to LGBTQ individuals seeking a safe haven from state-sponsored violence. Previously, she was the Director of Operations and Events for Inside Out, the annual Toronto and Ottawa LGBT Film Festival. She was with Inside Out for 16 fabulous years. Prior to that, Winnie worked with the City of Toronto for eight years. She is also a shareholder of the Glad Day Bookshop, the world’s oldest LGBTQ bookstore.
Winnie graduated from the University of Toronto with a double major in Semiotics and Communications and Women Studies, and a minor in Cinema Studies. With over 20 years of progressive project and events management experience, she has developed a keen eye for cutting edge and innovative ideas. Along with Winnie’s love of advocacy work and film, music is another passion: Winnie moonlights as a talented local DJ with a specialized interest in electro dance music.
organisation: Rainbow Railroad (Canada)
Women’s Steering Committee representative – Oceania
she/her
Women’s Steering Committee representative – Oceania
she/her
Maria Nailevu
Representative of the Women’s Committee for Oceania
Maria Nailevu was the former Management Collective Member to Diverse Voices and Action (DIVA) for Equality, grassroots and diverse feminist collective in Fiji working with at risk and marginalised women, including Lesbians, Bisexual, Transmasculine and gender non-confirming people (LBTI) women.
She is a grassroots activist and social organiser in Fiji and the Pacific. Maria comes with more than 10 years of business management and gender and climate justice activism.
Her work includes supporting the Pacific Urgent Action hub for Climate Justice, Pacific Islands Climate Action Networks (PICAN) and WGC/COP23 related climate change and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) work, focal point to EU subproject on Access to Justice and Sexual Gender Based Violence emergent work.
Maria was the Program Chair for the 2018 Pacific Human Rights Conference held in Fiji.
She also have experience in the area of SRHR and was part of the first LBTI research in addition to community facilitation and online advocacy.
Her work with community and women-led organization allows her to work closely with urban poor, rural and remote communities, social mobilizing and linking to key global intergovernmental spaces including the global Conference of Parties (COP) climate change negotiation process.
In 2019, Maria was the Pacific representative to the first Global LBQ Conference held in Cape Town, South Africa.
At present, she is engaged in the area of social and development justice and promoting community empowerment within the area of Extractive and Mining.
Maria has a Diploma in Business Management, a Cert IV in Youth Work and a Post Graduate Cert in Gender Studies.
organisation: Link (Country)
Chair of Youth Steering Committee
he/him
Chair of Youth Steering Committee
he/him
Martin Karadzhov
Chair of the Youth Steering Commitee
Elected at the ILGA World Conference, Wellington, March 2019
Martin has been involved in the field of SRHR, LGBTI rights and HIV prevention since he was 13 years old. He started as a peer educator in Bulgaria and later became a youth coordinator of a domestic violence charity, where he worked with young people from diverse backgrounds – Roma youth, youth with disabilities, carers and juvenile offenders. He has also been a member of International youth networks such as YouAct and YPEER. Since then, he has been actively involved with youth advocacy at the European and international level and has worked for several youth NGOs in different countries.
He currently works for METRO charity, where he leads an LGBTQI youth service and trains professionals on inclusion. He also works for Consortium, the national umbrella and membership organisation for the UK LGBT+ charitable and voluntary sector, where he supports over 110 LGBTI+ groups and organisation and leads on a mapping project in London.
Organisation: Metro Centre Ltd and LGBT Consortium (UK)
ph.: Ben Buckland for ILGA World
Youth Steering Committee representative – Africa
she/her
Youth Steering Committee representative – Africa
she/her
Sheba Akpokli
Representative of the Youth Steering Committee for Africa
Sheba Akpokli (she/her) is from Togo. She is Secretary of the Board of IDNOWA Network (interfaith Diversity Network of West Africa) and co-Chair of the Global Rainbow Catholics African Caucus.
As a lawyer, she works as Legal Assistant for a Togolese LGBTI organization called Afrique arc-en-ciel. She is also a volunteer with a Togolese LBQ organization and has experience in research and documentation in West Africa. She has more than 5 years of experience in LGBTQI activism at national and international level.
A feminist, she is passionate about music and art.
organisation: Interfaith Diversity Network of West Africa
Youth Steering Committee representative – Asia
Youth Steering Committee representative – Asia
Tashi Tsheten
Youth Steering Committee representative – Asia
elected at the ILGA Asia conference, Seoul, August 2019
Biography available soon!
organisation: Youth Voices Count (Bhutan / Viet Nam)
Representative of the Youth Steering Committee for Europe and Central Asia
Representative of the Youth Steering Committee for Europe and Central Asia
Anbid Zaman
Representative of the Youth Steering Committee for Europe and Central Asia
Bio coming up!
organisation: Aktionsbündnis gegen Homophobie e.V. (Germany)
Youth Steering Committee representative – LAC
Youth Steering Committee representative – LAC
Miguel Pinto
Representative of the Youth Steering Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean
elected at the ILGALAC conference, Bogotà, November 2019
Bio coming up!
organisation: Colectivo León Zuleta (Colombia)
Youth Steering Committee representative – North America & Caribbean
Youth Steering Committee representative – North America & Caribbean
Em Wills
Representative of the Youth Steering Committee for North America & Caribbean
Bio coming up!
organisation: Pink Triangle Committee (Canada)
Youth Steering Committee representative – Oceania
Youth Steering Committee representative – Oceania
Youth Steering Committee representative – Oceania
vacant position
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