The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) is a leading international organization dedicated to human rights advocacy on behalf of people who experience discrimination or abuse on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or expression....
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The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) is a leading international organization dedicated to human rights advocacy on behalf of people who experience discrimination or abuse on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. Learn more about our work by clicking on the links below.
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Guided by our values of integrity, equality, respect and diversity, the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) works to improve the lives of those who experience discrimination and abuse because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and to achieve our...
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Guided by our values of integrity, equality, respect and diversity, the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) works to improve the lives of those who experience discrimination and abuse because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and to achieve our vision of a world with human rights for everyone, everywhere.

We believe that realizing our vision requires the development of strong human rights movements globally, which is why building advocacy partnerships is at the heart of what we do. As partners, we work hand-in-hand with local activists to strengthen their capacity to confront human rights violations at home. We also connect our partners to the broader human rights arena—including the United Nations system and NGOs at the regional and global level. Together with our partners, we create visibility for human rights violations by monitoring and documenting abuses and responding to human rights emergencies. We stand firm with those who seek to change discriminatory laws and policies affecting our communities.

Our work is critically needed; more than 80 countries still criminalize consensual same-sex intimacy. And every day in countries around the world, from Brazil to Botswana, Bulgaria to Bangladesh, those who challenge sexual or gender norms are arrested, forced into psychiatric "treatment" or marriage, denied basic job protections, health care, and parental rights, brutally attacked, tortured, and even murdered.

Our partnerships with local activists are effective because of our regional structure, spanning several continents. We have program staff based in Africa, Latin America and Asia, while our main office is located in New York City, steps from the United Nations.

We bring a fluid understanding of identity to our work. We support people who experience violations to their rights on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. This means that we work with those self-identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex (LGBTI) and with those whose identities do not fit the LGBTI paradigm, such as those who call themselves tongzhi or hijra.

We work for the day when people with diverse sexualities can flourish. We work for the day when all human beings are valued, and treated with dignity and respect. We work for the day when justice becomes a reality, everywhere.
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IGLHRC has many exciting opportunities for youth. IGLHRC has recently launched a campaign to engage youth through activism. For more information on ways that you can help with IGLHRC please contact Colleen Kane at ckane@iglhrc.org or by phone at 212-430-6054