The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association – also known as ILGA – kicked off its week-long global conference in Long Beach on Monday, May 2, bringing together LGBTQ leaders and activists to discuss global advocacy efforts.

the It’s better Project, a non-profit organization that aims to empower lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer youth through media outreach and educational resources, is hosting the 2022 ILGA World Conference. of the 30th ILGA conference – and the first in two years. The biennial has been postponed to 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Hundreds of leaders and other attendees converged on The Westin Long Beach on Monday to begin the conference, which will include several identity-based group sessions and planning meetings to format ILGA’s focus areas.

Since its creation in 1978, ILGA has built a global network of more than 1,700 LGBTQ organizations from more than 160 countries, according to its website. He is also a certified consultant to the United Nations.

Jessica Stern, the second person appointed to the position of United States Special Envoy to Advance the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ People – and first weird woman – said during the opening session of the conference that while much progress has been made in protecting people on the LGBTQ spectrum, there is still work to be done.

Stern cited recent US legislation — specifically Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, which bans any mention of sexuality or gender expression from kindergarten through third grade — as a reminder of this. .

“I am outraged every day by the levels of violence and violence faced by LGBTQIA+ people everywhere,” Stern said. “I think we need to use all the tools at our disposal and invent new resources for change.”

Stern also referenced four attacks on LGBTQ-identifying people in Senegal which took place in May 2021 following a rally calling for the classification of homosexuality as a serious crime. Each attack was filmed and posted online – and with each incident, police arrested the victims, Stern said.

“I think about these cases all the time. I think what it means when you can’t rely on the rule of law,” Stern said. “But we know that Senegal is not unique – state and non-state actors target LGBTQ+ people in every country in the world.”

In the United States, for example, transgender people are four times more likely than cisgender people – those whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth – to be victims of violent crime, according to a report from the Williams Institute of the UCLA School of Law.

Stern, along with several other speakers – including ILGA Executive Director Julia Ehrt, It Gets Better Project Executive Director Brian Wenke and Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia – highlighted the importance of global collaboration to ensure the protection of members of the LGBTQ community.

“We need civil society advocates like everyone here in this room today – and specialists in government who are willing to meet you halfway,” Stern said. “Because when we work together, governments are better and LGBTQIA+ people are safer.”

The ILGA conference will run until Friday 6 May.