Press Play: OutRight International

In Press Play, we sit down and talk with leaders from educational, cultural and social justice groups working both here in NYC and around the globe. In this edition, we spoke with Daina Ruduša, Senior Communications Manager at OutRight International. OutRight works to research, document, defend, and advance human rights for LGBTIQ people at the international, regional and national levels, and you can watch their videos on nyxt.nyc/outright-action.

NYXT: Tell us about how you got involved with OutRight International.

Daina Ruduša: I joined OutRight in February 2019. I had been working at ILGA-Europe, the foremost LGBTIQ organization in Europe working for the human rights of LGBTIQ people across Europe and Central Asia. I wanted to step out of the European bubble to work internationally – so applied to work at OutRight, and was absolutely thrilled to be offered the opportunity to join the team in New York.

NYXT: How did OutRight International come to exist?  What societal problems is OutRight trying to solve?

Daina Ruduša: OutRight Action International was founded almost 30 years ago - in 1990 - to eradicate the persecution, inequality and violence lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ) people face around the world. In 68 countries same-sex relations are criminalized, and in the majority of the world LGBTIQ people face widespread discrimination in laws, employment, housing, healthcare and their daily lives purely for whom we love, how we look, or the gender we are. OutRight advances human rights and opportunities for LGBTIQ people around the world by developing partnerships at global, regional and national levels to build capacity, document human rights violations, advocate for inclusion and equality, and hold leaders accountable for protecting the rights and wellbeing of LGBTIQ people everywhere.

NYXT:  What have been the main changes throughout the history of the organization?

Daina Ruduša: When the LGBTIQ movement first started gaining ground, it was predominantly focused on discrimination based on sexual orientation and advancement of the rights of LGB people. As it has developed, we have embraced the diversity within our movement. Today gender identity is much more front and center. We focus much more on our intersecting identities, LGBTIQ people of color, from different nationalities, cultures and religions, recognizing our differences and our commonalities. In recent years the movement for recognition of non-binary people has grown, as has the visibility of intersex people. So from the LBT acronym we have grown into LGBTIQ+.

NYXT: OutRight International often puts together research and major reports. Could you tell us more about your most recent report?

In August we released a groundbreaking report about so-called conversion therapy practices attempting to change, suppress, or divert one’s sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. The practices are also called reorientation therapy, reparative therapy, reintegrative therapy, gay cure therapy, or, more recently, support for unwanted same-sex attraction or transgender identities. Regardless of what name is attributed, or the form the practices take, they are widely recognized to be based on junk science, and they cause deep and lasting trauma in those upon whom these practices are inflicted. Several countries around the world (such as the USA, Canada, Australia, several countries in Europe and Latin America) have passed, or are considering passing, pans against these harmful practices, but very little to nothing was known about the prevalence, the drivers, the forms, or the effects of such practices in other parts of the world.

Drawing on data from survey results with almost 500 respondents from 80 countries, and in-depth interviews with experts and survivors from more than a dozen countries, our report overwhelmingly shows that so-called conversion therapy efforts occur across the world and are predominantly promoted and perpetrated by people acting in the name of religion or pseudo-healthcare, often instigated by family pressure.

This is a really important report, because persistence of “conversion therapy” is directly related to societal beliefs about LGBTIQ people and the degree to which our lives are accepted and embraced within families, faiths, and societies at large. The practices hinge on the belief that cis-gender heterosexuality is the norm, while gender identities beyond the assigned binary and/or same-sex attraction are disorders which can and should be changed, if necessary, by brutal force. So the report is reflective of just how much of a battle we still have ahead until LGBTIQ people are accepted around the world.

NYXT:  What are the main difficulties that OutRight International (or the LGBTQ community in general) has had in the last two years?

Daina Ruduša: LGBTIQ people are among the most marginalized and misunderstood groups in societies around the world. Misinformation and misconceptions are ripe, leading to fear and hatred. Changing hearts and minds is never an easy task, but it is one which has become increasingly more difficult in recent years as fundamentalism has been on the rise across the world, using fear-mongering and scape-goating of groups such as LGBTIQ people, migrants, women or others, in the pursuit of their agenda. The mounting misinformation about LGBTIQ people, the growing strength of fundamentalist forces across civil society and state lines, presents an unprecedented challenge for us.

NYXT:  Which are the most vulnerable countries/regions in terms of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity? 

Daina Ruduša: Same-sex relations are still criminalized in 68 countries, with the death penalty in place in a handful of those. It is shocking that in 2019 on over a third of the world we can still be sent to prison, or even killed, merely for loving whom we love. In 55 countries organizations which work for LGBTIQ equality can not obtain legal registration. “Conversion therapy” seeking to change, convert, divert or suppress our sexual orientation or gender identity takes place across the world – an outright ban exists only in four countries. Only three countries ban medically unnecessary sex-normalizing surgeries on intersex children. Shocking news about horrific treatment of LGBTIQ people emerge on a day to day basis. We have a way to go before LGBTIQ equality is achieved, and quite the battle to hold the line on progress already made.

NYXT: Can you share with some particular highlights from recent times?  What is the most recent good news for the LGBTQ community?

Daina Ruduša: Despite the challenges we face, notable wins are ever present. More and more states or countries are considering bans of so-called conversion therapy, such as the UK and Germany, Chile and New Zealand. Earlier this year Botswana and Bhutan decriminalized same-sex relations, Brazil’s courts voted to criminalize homophobia and transphobia, Taiwan introduced same-sex marriage. The list goes on.

The LGBTIQ movement has achieved incredible progress in a short amount of time, and I have no doubt that it will continue to make progress in years to come!