ILGA-Europe Annual Conference

What does it take to keep believing that change is possible when the political ground is shifting beneath our feet?

Friday’s plenary session at the ILGA-Europe Annual Conference brought together three perspectives on that question, from building a campaign that people want to be part of, to defending human rights in increasingly difficult political spaces.

Claire McGowran, who led the social media campaign for Catherine Connolly’s winning presidential campaign in Ireland, spoke about the art people made, the small businesses that created campaign merchandise, and the children who dressed up as Connolly for Halloween. The campaign became something people could make their own. As Claire put it: “Everyone felt part of our campaign.”

That sense of participation matters. So does being honest about the ground we’re standing on. Graeme Reid, the UN Independent Expert on sexual orientation and gender identity, spoke about the rollback of rights and the growing resistance to gender equality, and about the importance of not losing sight of the possibilities that remain, even when formal spaces become harder to navigate. ie.sogi

Yanna Parnin, Head of the SOGIESC Unit at the Council of Europe, offered a reminder worth holding onto: “Being realistic about it doesn’t mean we have to enter a resignation phase where we don’t believe in what’s next.