Last week, HRC welcomed Victor Madrigal-Borloz, the United Nations’ Independent Expert on sexual orientation and gender identity, to Washington, D.C. for a discussion about the state of LGBTQ rights and the challenges LGBTQ people face around the world.

Co-hosted by HRC, the Council for Global Equality and the Better World Campaign, the event convened Washington DC-based human rights advocates, policy makers, diplomats and LGBTQ leaders to discuss human rights concerns impacting the LGBTQ community around the world.

HRC Director of Global Partnerships Jean Freedberg delivered the event’s opening remarks, highlighting HRC’s efforts to strengthen the international LGBTQ movement through its programs. She stressed the need for global support of the upcoming renewal of the Independent Expert’s mandate to ensure the continuation of its critical mission.

Madrigal-Borloz discussed his leadership role at the UN, where he is charged with raising awareness of violence and discrimination against LGBTQ people. He called on the international community to “demand decriminalization of same-sex relations worldwide by 2030.”

Madrigal-Borloz outlined critical issues affecting l LGBTQ people worldwide, and the importance of visibility in addressing LGBTQ discrimination and violence. He also emphasized the need for “assessing crises through the lens of intersectionality, respecting local strategy and the multiplicity of factors that operate in relationship to a particular State.” Read more via HRC