In May 2007, the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) hosted a conference in Johannesburg with the aim of establishing an organisation affiliated with them on the African continent — a Pan Africa ILGA (PAI). PAI is a federation of organisations in Africa working to improve human rights based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression (SOGIE). PAI holds annual regional conferences in different locations in Africa. Its third regional conference, the biggest African LGBTIQ+ conference at the time, was held in Botswana in June 2018. PAI is organiser and host of the Regional LGBTQIA+ Conference, bringing together activists from all over Africa and internationally.
Background
The African caucus had to determine the ILGA-Africa constitution and one of the decisions was to establish the Pan Africa ILGA (PAI) board, the number of board members, and their regional representation, as well as the representation of identities relating to sexuality diversity. In terms of regional representation, the caucus emphasised that because the continent is huge and diverse in cultures, experiences, and issues, giving attention to diversity was one way to ensure regional representation. At first, there was a motion that there should be 10 board members, 2 each from North, South, East, West, and Central African regions. In relation to the representation of sexuality identities, the caucus decided that each region should be represented by board members equally divided between gays and lesbians, which was the mandate of parent organisation, ILGA World.
At this point, a handful of activists pushed back on the exclusion of trans and intersex representation and advocated for the inclusion of one more board member who could be from any region, but who is as trans and/or intersex. This motivation influenced the PAI Board to agree to this inclusion, thereby broadening the scope of PAI to include diversity of gender identity, gender expression, and sexual characteristics. ILGA World agreed and amended their policy. In 2007 when the board was formed, there was no well-identified trans or intersex activist who could fill this board position. The activists and board members insisted that there had to be trans and/or intersex representation on the inaugural board, so they advocated for Liesl Theron, co-founder of Gender DynamiX, to fill this board position. While Liesl is cisgender, the activists felt that her work in trans advocacy would serve as trans representation on the board. Liesl agreed with the provision that she would be a placeholder board member for up to one year while the board sought a trans and/or intersex activist to take over from her.
Liesl resigned a year after her nomination, as agreed, and was succeeded in the mid-term by PAI’s first trans board member in 2008. The inclusion of an additional board position to ensure trans or intersex representation was a milestone achievement for African trans and intersex activists, the trans and intersex movements in Africa, and the African LGBTIQ+ movements as a whole.
رؤية
A Pan African movement that promotes and respects bodily integrity and equal protection of human rights regardless of culture, religion and faith, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics.
مهمة
To unify and strengthen LGBTI organising in Africa in order to challenge state legislation that impedes SOGIE-related work.
اتصل
موقع ويب
بريد إلكتروني: admin@panafricailga.org
+27 11 339 1139
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