Part 1: UN HRC SOGI Side Event, March 2014

"Intersectionality and Impunity: Locating Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in the Human Rights Discourse"
19 March 2014, UN Human Rights Council, Geneva
Side event by JSA Consulting, ICARH, ILGA, ISHR, Malaysia SOGI Coalition and the Sexual Rights Initiative. 

There have been recent homophobic laws promulgated in Nigeria, Uganda and Russia, and worrying developments in India and other places. These are often viewed simply as "LGBT" issues. However, they are actually part of a wider trend of denying human rights to those not conforming to hetero-normativity and norms related to sexuality and gender. With a culture of impunity, LGBTI persons and many others are vulnerable to human rights violations.

Furthering the human rights of LGBTI persons has experienced defiance from opponents, sometimes due to the misperception that this is "exceptionalism" or a new class of rights. Successfully dealing with SOGI issues therefore lies in a better and broader human rights discourse, rightly situated in understanding intersectionalities and engaging in strategic partnership against impunity globally.

Panelists include human rights activists from India, Nigeria, Malaysia, UN OHCHR and Switzerland.