Rising Through the Challenge: Institutional Strengthening and Best Practices in LGBT Organizations Working in the Global South

The Open Society Institute supported ARC International in its collaboration with Foreign Affairs Canada and numerous other partner organizations to ensure meaningful outcomes for LGBT communities from the International Conference on LGBT Human Rights in Montreal, Canada (July 2006) and the International AIDS Conference in Toronto, Canada (August 2006). Papers on the theme "Rising Through the Challenge: Institutional Strengthening and Best Practices in LGBT Organizations Working in the Global South" were prepared and presented at panel presentations during the two conferences.

The reports were prepared by three partner agencies: Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ), Group of Lesbian Feminist Activists (GALF), and Blue Diamond Society (BDS). Since 1990, GALZ has worked to serve the needs and interests of LGBTI persons in Zimbabwe and continues to push for social tolerance of sexual minorities and the repeal of homophobic legislation. Based in Peru, GALF is one of the oldest lesbian groups in Latin America, and has the merit of making it possible for lesbianism to come out of the closet and be incorporated into Latin American feminism. In Nepal, BDS reaches out to LGBT persons through community events and drop-in centers, which provide services including health promotion, counseling, and documentation of human rights abuses.

Read the report from Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe, "Triumphant Failures: Reflections on LGBT Organizing in Zimbabwe".

Read the report from the Blue Diamond Society.