What:

Panel/workshop: International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission’s Asia Pacific Program Coordinator, and research project partners from Asia will highlight challenges, strategies, and unexpected takeaways from a three-year project documenting violence against lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in Asia.

Who:

• Grace Poore, Regional Program Coordinator for Asia and Pacific Islands, International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission
• Jay Kuru-Utumpala, Programme Officer - Gender & Sexuality, Women and Media Collective (Sri Lanka)
• Azusa Yamashita, Co-Director and Editor, Gay Japan News (Japan)
• Thilaga, LGBTIQ Community Organizer (Malaysia)

When:

Tuesday, 5 March 2013 from 2:30 to 4:30pm

Where:

Armenian Convention Center, Guild Hall. 630 Second Ave at 35th Street, NYC

Why:

This year’s theme, ‘Elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls’ of the Commission on the Status of Women, has a particular resonation for lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LBT) communities. LBT people are often subjected to violence on many levels, at home, in society, and from police or other state actors.

Panelists in this event are participating in a three-year project documenting the violence that lesbians, bisexual women and transgender (LBT) people have experienced in five Asian countries. Grace Poore is coordinating this regional action research project, which has involved training in-country partners to conduct human rights documentation and data analysis, and editorial assistance with reporting. Partners are currently developing reports to will be released in 2013.

Speakers are available for interview upon request.