The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission announced this week that it has formally changed its name to OutRight Action International.
The announcement came at a gala celebrating the organization’s 25th anniversary.
“We chose a new name that speaks to the heart of our mission,” Executive Director Jessica Stern said in a September 28 news release. “We have been ‘out’ for rights for 25 years, and at a time when civil society and LGBTI rights are under attack in many parts of the world, we believe our new name speaks to our commitment to LGBTIQ activism and resilience internationally.”
The gala was hosted by gay playwright Moises Kaufman and honored Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe, which is also celebrating its 25th anniversary.
OutRight speaks to the organization’s mission and vision in a simpler way along with its new tagline, “Human Rights for LGBTIQ People Everywhere,” Stern said.
OutRight was founded as IGLHRC by LGBT global human rights activist Julie Dorf in San Francisco in 1990. Dorf ran the organization for a decade before handing the reigns over to Surina Khan.
The organization has had strong leadership during its quarter century, including the late Paula L. Ettelbrick, who was a longtime civil rights activist, attorney, and law professor. Ettelbrick ran the organization from 2003 until 2009. Cary Alan Johnson took over in 2009. Johnson handed off the care of the organization due to medical reasons to Stern in 2011.
Stern was officially made head of OutRight in 2012. Dorf is now the senior adviser for the Council for Global Equality based in Washington, D.C. Khan is now the chief executive officer of the Women’s Foundation of California after a stint at the Ford Foundation.
During its 25 years, OutRight’s leaders have made great gains for LGBT rights on the global stage. In August, Stern addressed world leaders at the United Nations Security Council at the first-ever LGBT meeting. In 2010, OutRight became the first LGBT organization to gain special consultative status at the U.N. The organization has also lobbied the U.N. and heads of state on behalf of LGBT rights and published a number of hard-hitting shadow reports on various countries’ LGBT human rights records.
At the gala, OutRight ambassador bisexual actor Alan Cumming spoke to guests via a video message calling the organization’s new name “beautiful,” according to the release.
Activists echoed Cumming’s approval, including Dorf, who said the decision was “wonderful.” She said the new name “builds on its strengths and determination for two and a half decades.”
“For an LGBTIQ activist organization, the boundaries are always evolving as we push to eliminate discrimination and improve the lives of people who experience injustice,” Dorf said in the release.
“This is exactly what we want,” Kenita Placide, co-chair of St. Lucia’s United and Strong, said in the release. OutRight has provided the necessary training and resources at the emerging organization’s Caribbean Women’s Conference tailored to the activists’ needs to “cover a lot of ground quickly.”
Natasha Jimenez, executive director for Mulabi, Latin-American Space for Sexualities and Rights, also praised the change.
“Advancement toward respect for the human rights of trans and intersex people only comes with hard work, dedication, and solidarity,” said Jimenez. “This is the kind of support we consistently get from IGLHRC [OutRight] in good times and bad.”
To learn more, visit www.OutRightInternational.org.
Got international LGBT news tips? Call or send them to Heather Cassell at WhatsApp: 415-517-7239, or Skype: heather.cassell, or oitwnews@gmail.com.
One thought on “IGLHRC becomes OutRight”