For Immediate Release: April 29, 2003

For additional Information, contact:
Kalé Fajardo, +1-415-561-0633 (office), kale@iglhrc.org

SAN FRANCISCO - The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) will honor an outstanding sexual rights activist at its annual Felipa Awards ceremony in San Francisco on Thursday, May 29 and at a reception in New York on Monday, June 2. This year's awardee is Lohana Berkins of Argentina.

Ms. Berkins is a committed transgender activist from Argentina, who, in the face of government and police harassment and violence, as well as broad cultural biases, spearheaded brave and successful efforts to change Argentine civil rights law, educated the public, provided services and assistance to transgender communities, and emerged as a vocal and well respected spokesperson for transgender and human rights issues in South America, at the United Nations, and around the world.

Additionally, IGLHRC's new Executive Director, Paula Ettelbrick, will make her first public appearance at the San Francisco Felipa. Ms. Ettelbrick is a proven leader in LGBT rights advocacy, having held senior positions at Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, the National Gay and Lesbian Taskforce, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

"Lohana Berkins is the kind of courageous human rights activist who inspires the rest of us and that is what IGLHRC's annual Felipa awards attempt to spotlight," stated IGLHRC's incoming Executive Director Paula Ettelbrick. "Lohana's work in Argentina is having a ripple effect in other parts of South America. It is the goal of global human rights advocacy to change international norms so that the lives and rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender people, and other sexual minorities are respected, country by country, region by region. We are indebted to Lohana for leading us in this struggle."

The 2003 Felipa Award Ceremony will take place on Thursday, May 29, 2003, from 6:30-8:30 pm, in San Francisco at the Palm Room at the San Francisco Film Centre in the Presidio. The honorary co-chairs for this year's Felipa are Krishanti Dharmaraj, Executive Director of the Women's Institute for Leadership Development and Human Rights, and Terry Harris-Person, Executive Director of Community United Against Violence. Tita Aida of the Asian and Pacific Islander Wellness Center will emcee the San Francisco event. Ms. Berkins will also be recognized at a reception in New York on Monday, June 2, 2003, from 6-8 pm, at the New York LGBT Community Services Center.

Tickets to the San Francisco Felipa Ceremony or New York Felipa reception are $100 and may be obtained by contacting IGLHRC's San Francisco office (415/561-0633) or by e-mail (kale@iglhrc.org). Reservations are encouraged as space is limited, but tickets may still be available the day of the events. Ms. Berkins will also speak at free public events (TBA) in San Francisco and New York.

Please see IGLHRC's web site - www.iglhrc.org - for Ms. Berkins' biography and details related to the San Francisco and New York Felipa events.

The Felipa Award, named in honor of Felipa de Souza, a Brazilian lesbian tortured by the Portuguese Inquisition in 1591, honors an activist or organization that has made a significant contribution to the freedom of sexual and gender minorities (including LGBT and/or HIV-positive people peoples.)

IGLHRC's mission is to secure the full enjoyment of the human rights of all people and communities subject to discrimination or abuse on the basis of sexual orientation or expression, gender identity or expression, and/or HIV status. A US-based non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO), IGLHRC effects this mission through advocacy, documentation, coalition building, public education, and technical assistance.