Defenders' stories

Aych McArdle is a human rights defender from New Zealand working to promote and protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bi, transgender and intersex people. In June Aych was in Geneva to participate in ISHR's intensive human rights defenders advocacy and training program. Before Aych returned home we had a chance to chat about some of the challenges remaining for LGBTI people in New Zealand and how Aych plans to utlise the UN human rights system. 

Jacobus Witbooi is a human rights defender from Namibia working on the rights of lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual and intersex (LGBTI) people. He  just completed ISHR Human Rights Defender Advocacy Programme. We spoke with him about his work at the Pan Africa International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (PAI).

Tuisina Ymania Brown from the Samoa Fa’afafine Association represents and promotes the rights of indigenous lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people in Samoa. Ymania talks to ISHR about her involvement in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process, as well as the limitations imposed on the rights of LGBTI people in Samoa.

Kaona Saowakun talks to ISHR about his work advocating for, and the challenges faced by, trans-gender people. 

Khartini Slamah is a Malaysian transgender human rights defender working on HIV/AIDS and the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. She has more than 27 years’ experience in HIV/AIDS work at the national, regional and International levels, working closely with the transgender and sex worker communities. She currently works with ISEAN Hivos Program, PT Foundation as the TG program manager in Malaysia.

Thilaga Sulathireh initially joined the struggle for LGBTI rights in Malaysia in response to her own experience of discrimination and harassment on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. She now devotes herself to promoting and protecting the rights of others. 

Rolando Jiménez Perez is a Chilean human rights defender and President of Movilh (Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation), which he co-founded as soon as Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship in Chile ended.  

Huy Luong works for iSEE based in Ha Noi City, Vietnam. He is a gay rights activist and undertakes public awareness and education campaigns in Vietnam on LGBT issues. He is also engaging around Vietnam’s upcoming Universal Periodic Review, which will take place in January 2014.