ILGA origins: How the World Conference was born

This article is part of a series of blog posts that ILGA World will publishin the run-up to the 2022 ILGA World Conference. This article was written for ILGA World by Priscila Palomares & Sebastián Romero

So… I know! Reading, right? Who even does that anymore? How vintage.

Don’t worry, we’ll make it a quick one. We just want to tell you a little bit about this cool thing that happened almost half a century ago. What do you say we travel to the U.K. for a sec? Don’t panic, no masks will be required, it’s Covid-safe and we’ll do it with our…

Let’s go back to 1978. Coventry, United Kingdom.

Ah. The air feels lighter here, doesn’t it? Less polluted for sure. As you’ll quickly realize, things are different at this time. There are no cellphones, not to mention smartphones. There are no coffee shops at every corner. If you want to “Google” something, you’ll have to get an encyclopedia. People still read newspapers here. People still watch movies on VHS cassettes. The Berlin Wall is still up. The soundtrack of Grease plays non-stop on the radio. Taylor Swift has not been born yet.

But you know what else is happening?

At this very moment, activists from Australia and America to Italy and France, from the Netherlands and Denmark to Scotland, Ireland, and England are gathering to discuss a super important issue. What issue, you ask? The terrible human rights violations faced by our communities.

It is here, in August 1978, at a remote corner of the city of Coventry, that these representatives will get together and decide to form IGA, the International Gayadjective to describe people whose enduring physical, romantic, and/ or emotional
attractions are to people of the same gender. Men, women and non-binary people may use this
term to describe themselves. Association. It won’t be until 1986 that the L is added to the name. On this day, IGA would declare their two core aims:

• to maximise the effectiveness of gayadjective to describe people whose enduring physical, romantic, and/ or emotional
  attractions are to people of the same gender. Men, women and non-binary people may use this
  term to describe themselves. organisations by coordinating political action on an international level in pursuit of gayadjective to describe people whose enduring physical, romantic, and/ or emotional
  attractions are to people of the same gender. Men, women and non-binary people may use this
  term to describe themselves. rights, and in particular to apply concerted political pressure on governments and international institutions
• to set up an information centre to distribute information on gayadjective to describe people whose enduring physical, romantic, and/ or emotional
  attractions are to people of the same gender. Men, women and non-binary people may use this
  term to describe themselves. matters between organisations to promote a wider knowledge of oppression and identify areas where international political pressure could be applied. You can learn more about this here.

They will vow to guide other organizations and foundations. Help them. Pave the way. Create a community where views are shared, policies are questioned, and change is made.

So. We’re back in the safe space of the present. You can Uber Eat your lunch now. Euphoria’s season finale just went down. There’s a new Wordle word ready for you to guess. And almost half a century after its conception, ILGA is now a federation of 1,700 organisations from over 160 countries and territories campaigning for lesbianadjective/noun to describe a woman whose enduring physical, romantic, and/or emotional attraction is to other women. Women and non-binary people may use this term to describe themselves., gayadjective to describe people whose enduring physical, romantic, and/ or emotional
attractions are to people of the same gender. Men, women and non-binary people may use this
term to describe themselves., bisexualadjective used to describe a person who has the capacity to form enduring physical, romantic, and/ or emotional attractions to those of the same gender or to those of other genders., transadjective/umbrella term to describe a person whose gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth. and intersexan umbrella term for the spectrum of variations of sex characteristics that naturally occur within the human species. Intersex people are born with variations of sex characteristics (such as genitals, reproductive organs, hormonal and chromosomal patterns) that are more diverse than stereotypical definitions of male or female bodies. Up to 1.7% of the global population are born with such traits; yet, because their bodies are seen as different, intersex children and adults are often stigmatised and subject to harmful practices – including in medical settings - and discriminated against. human rights.

And let’s call it how it is, yeah? There has been a tremendous amount of change since that first meeting back in 1978. In many places, being part of our community is no longer criminalised. In some of these places you can even marry, you can adopt kids, you can have a transitionrefers to a series of steps people may take to live in the gender they identify with. A person’s transition can be social and/or medical. Steps may include: coming out to family, friends and colleagues; dressing and acting according to one’s gender; changing one’s name and/or sex/gender on legal documents; medical treatments - including hormone therapies and possibly one or more types of surgery. and proper medical attention without abusive preconditions, you can “come outbeing open about their diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or sex characteristics.” without fearing for your life. But…

Let’s not forget two things:

First, these advances were only possible as hundreds of activists around the world – including those who started the then-IGA, those who have contributed to make ILGA World what it is today, those who run its fierce member organisations, and countless more – have continued to push to advance equality worldwide.

And second, perhaps more importantly, let’s not forget that there’s still a lot of work that can be done.

Alas. Why are we telling you this? (Well, to begin with, cuz we like historical gossip. Who doesn’t?)

Because of this second thing: change is still needed, work is still needed. For the first time since the pandemic started, the association will be having its thirtieth world conference… and YOU are invited!

It is at these type of conferences, just as it happened all those years ago in that historic meeting, where the shape of the lives of millions of LGBTIQ people can be changed. During the first week of May (2 to 6) leaders and activists from all over the world will be gathering. And the theme this year, the focus, will be on none other than LGBTIQ youth. So, if you’re interested, either because you want to help today’s youth or because you’re a part of it, please join us!

Anyway. I told you it would be just a sec.

Thanks for stopping by and make sure to do so again soon.

The 2022 ILGA World Conference will take place from 2 to 6 May 2022 in Long Beach, LA, California, United States, hosted by the It Gets Better Project.

Registration is open until 21 March 2022 under the current fees, but late registration will also be possible until 18 April 2022 with increased fees. Make sure you register now to secure your place!