Two members of Congress joined the executive and global advisory boards at the launch of Alturi, a new global LGBT organization, on the steps of Capitol Hill last month.
“In a time when countries like Russia outlaw an individual from being themselves, and promote fear and disinformation, we are at a crossroads at how to lead globally,” Representative Loretta Sanchez (D-Los Angeles), who is an ally and a member of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus, said in a September 30 news release from the organization. “Organizations like Alturi and their partners are moving us forward.”
Sanchez is running against state Attorney General Kamala Harris for the Senate seat being vacated next year by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-California).
Angeline Jackson, an Alturi board member and co-founder and executive director of Quality of Citizenship Jamaica, said the new group “promises to play a key role in the worldwide movement for LGBTI human rights for decades to come.”
Co-founder and board member Steve Roth told the Bay Area Reporter in a phone interview following the announcement that Alturi’s goal is to “amplify” organizations’ work around the world by creating a “one-stop shop” and develop a “funding channel.”
“We are thrilled that people are starting to pay attention to LGBT issues beyond our borders,” said Roth.
Alturi bills itself as a collaborative effort between business, foundations, government, and non-governmental organizations. Its website allows for quick connection with groups in other countries, as well as online petitions and direct action.
Roth cited the uproar over Russia’s anti-LGBT propaganda law and human rights violations in general and hosting the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Outraged LGBT activists responded by a short-lived boycott of Russian vodka. Roth called it a “good gesture,” but it wasn’t “effective in creating change.”
“With Alturi we have a place where people can go to at any time when an issue pops up,” he said.
Top-tier leaders
The new organization is a powerhouse of top-tier LGBT advocates and leaders in business and government.
The group unveiled Alturi’s new website during the news conference, which, in addition to Sanchez included gay Congressmen David Cicilline (D-Rhode Island) and Mark Pocan (D-Wisconsin), along with the founders, 12 board members, and nine global advisory board members, according to the news release.
Cicilline introduced the Global Respect Act in 2014 to protect the basic human rights of the international LGBTI community and deny visas to LGBT discriminators from entering the U.S. It has not yet had a vote.
Founding and advisory board members include: Jack Harrison-Quintana, Grindr for Equality; Fabrice Houdart, World Bank; J. Bob Alotta, Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice; Graeme Reid, Human Rights Watch; and Bob Witeck, Witeck Communications Inc.
Roth wouldn’t reveal how much seed money the organization received from the Kevin J. Mossier Foundation, which was started by the RSVP Vacations founder to support LGBT advocacy globally.
Alturi is a fiscally sponsored project of Bolder Giving. It is based in Los Angeles.
Leaders of the new organization plan on empowering everyday LGBT people with understanding global queer issues and making taking action easily through its website, said Roth.
Alturi is a play on gay World War II codebreaker Alan Turing’s name, said Roth.
The website brings together an amalgamation of curated and original world LGBT news, community leaders and organizations doing the work on the ground in countries around the world; and funders, according to the release.
It will also have analysis of the pressing issues of the global LGBT movement.
LGBT Americans will be able to get involved through calls to action, such as a petition platform; volunteer; and make donations directly to organizations around the world through Alturi’s donation platform.
The organization will also bring travel leaders into the mix in the coming months to create travel content with a human rights angle or actions, such as delivering a petition and working with leaders in Belize, where LGBT travelers are legally banned from entering the country, Roth said, offering an example.
During the coming months, the board will build relationships with trusted partners in media outlets, non-governmental organizations, philanthropic foundations, government, and business to add to the website, he said.
Organizations from around the world that are approved by the nine-member global advisory board will receive 100 percent of the donations.
“It’s critical that we continue to build momentum around efforts to guarantee respect for basic human rights of all people around the world, including members of the LGBTI community,” said Cicilline in the release.
Pocan agreed adding, “I’m proud to see LGBT activists and organizations, like Alturi, now turn their energy to the struggles of the global LGBT community.”
Organizations interested in being considered as a partner can contact info@alturi.org. For more information, visit www.alturi.org.
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