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News release

Concordia University and The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation to host international seminar on LGBTQ rights

Global thinkers to consider the future of the human rights movement

Montreal, October 2, 2014 – The movement for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people (LGBTQ) worldwide will be the subject of a two-day international seminar at Concordia University October 6 and 7. Organized by the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation in collaboration with Le Centre Jacques Cartier, Imagining the Future of LGBTQ Human Rights will bring together scholars and activists from Europe, Africa, the United States and Canada.

International seminar: 
Imagining the Future of LGBTQ Human Rights
When: October 6 and 7
Where: Henry F. Hall Building, rooms H-763, 765, 767
Concordia University
1455 de Maisonneuve Boul. West.

Russia’s stance leading up to the Olympic Games in Sochi was a high-profile example of how the lives of LGBTQ people are still criminalized in many countries. But recent victories have also been celebrated, notably the introduction of same-sex marriage legislation in several countries.

“Around the world, current events continue to make clear that equal rights for LGBTQ people aren’t yet a global reality,” says Concordia’s president Alan Shepard, who will address the gathering. “This seminar will allow for an informed examination of how far we’ve come but also of the work needed to guarantee these basic human rights the world over.”

Morris Rosenberg, president and chief executive officer of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation will also participate in a discussion on the internationalization of LGBTQ human rights. “The recognition of LGBTQ rights is often led by nongovernmental organizations and states can learn a lot from these international initiatives. This unique seminar will set the tone for a better understanding of LGBTQ communities around the world.”

Keynote speakers include Joke Swiebel, former member of the European Parliament and chair of its Intergroup for Gay and Lesbian Rights.

The seminar’s scientific committee includes Robert Leckey, Trudeau scholar and professor of Law at McGill University, and Geneviève Rail, principal of Concordia University’s Simone de Beauvoir Institute.

The seminar’s interdisciplinary discussions will focus on:

  • Colonial Legacies and Global LGBTQ Human Rights
  • The Criminalization of LGBTQ Communities
  • LGBTQ Youth Activists: The New Frontier
  • After Marriage: LGBTQ Rights in Western Democracies
  • Trans Realities and Human Rights Activism
  • Intersectional Approaches to LGBTQ Activism
  • LGBTQ Refugees and Foreign Policy

View the program here.

This seminar is part of this year’s program of Entretiens du Centre Jacques Cartier, an annual series of academic talks bringing together researchers from France and Canada.

Members of the public are welcome to attend.

To register for the seminar, please visit http://tinyurl.com/mhuv5s5.


Source

Fiona Downey
Fiona Downey
Public Affairs
514-848-2424, ext. 2518
Fiona.Downey@concordia.ca
@fiodow

Media Contacts

Pierre-Philippe Lortie
Director of Communications
Fondation Pierre Elliott Trudeau
514-938-0001 ext. 229
pplortie@fondationtrudeau.ca
@F_Trudeau_F



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