Sunderland set to host first ever International LGBTQIA+ Community Conference
The Safer To Be Me Symposium is being led by human rights charity ReportOUT, and Sunderland Uni, this summer
The first ever international LGBTQIA+ conference is coming to Wearside this summer - hosted by the human rights charity Report OUT, and Sunderland Uni, on the 22nd of June.
The Safer To Be Me Symposium was launched in response to the Governments planned "Safe to be me" conference - which was cancelled after LGBT+ groups pulled out over the Government stance on transgender conversion therapy.
It will create a safe space, where participants can explore and discuss some of the issues facing LGBTQIA plus human rights around the world, as well as encouraging more action, and the ways people can be proactive and make a powerful impact.
Dr Drew Dalton, the chair of North East based ReportOUT, and Sunderland University lecturer tells us;
“This partnership between ReportOUT volunteers, staff at the University and students, has been incredibly important to pull together.
“This Symposium is sorely needed at a time when the global rights of sexual and gender minorities are on a precipice.
“Whilst we see countries dropping like dominoes in terms of decriminalising same sex activity and the voices of our community being louder than ever, we are also seeing a well-organised global fightback with punitive laws being enacted such as Uganda, growing transphobia in Europe, and camps for LGBTQI+ people in Chechnya.”
Dr Dalton, who also recently secured a publisher for a book he is writing on global LGBTQI human rights, added:
“This conference will fill a void left behind after the cancellation of the UK Government’s proposed ‘Safe to Be Me’ conference last year, which we have called #SaferToBeME. LGBT+ charities and other groups pulled out over the Government's stance on conversion therapy.
“For our Symposium, we will bring together academics, activists, civil society leaders and organisations to develop a Research and Knowledge Exchange group which will live long after the Symposium itself, to work together to find solutions to the human rights abuses and development needs of sexual and gender minorities.
"It is time for #SaferToBeMe to ring out loud. We hope you will save the date.”
The date - the 22nd of June 2023 - will see a range of free events taking place on the University's City Campus - as well as being streamed globally online.
More than 100 delegates are expected to attend, and the whole event will be streamed live around the globe, with interactive input from 500 activists based in countries where their everyday existence is threatened.
The keynote speaker is Mark Gevisser who is one of South Africa’s foremost writers, his books include: Lost and Found in Johannesburg: A Memoir (2014) and The Pink Line: The World’s Queer Frontiers (2020). His journalism has appeared in many publications, including The Guardian, The New York Times, Granta, and the New York Review of Books.
Also attending will be representatives from the country’s leading LGBTQIA+ charities, including Stonewall, as well as academics, activists, and civil society leaders.
Dr Dalton explained it is important places like Sunderland host events like this;
"Generally what we've seen is these types of big conferences have happened in London, and other places around the world,
"If we're talking, for example, about Levelling Up or bringing new opportunities to the North East - then this conference is an example of that."
You can find out more about ReportOUT and the work they do, as well as information on the #SaferToBeMe Conference online.