Motivated by being a victim of homophobic violence, at age 21 Gareth became involved with Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals, and Gays (JFLAG) at its inception in 1998. Since then he has served the organization in several capacities, most recently as Program Director and Co-Chair before becoming a refugee claimant in Canada.

 

Gareth has been fundamental in the design and implementation of HIV/AIDS prevention programmes for Jamaica’s vulnerable population as Program Director of Jamaica AIDS Support for

 

The recipient of the 2006 Human Rights Watch and Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network Award for his work in human rights and HIV, Gareth continues to believe strongly in the possibility of change in Jamaica and endeavours to remain part of this process.

 

A graduate of the University of the West Indies with a bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Gareth is currently pursuing his post graduate degree in Communication for Behaviour and Social Change.

For over a dozen years and on several continents, Scott Long has documented and advocated against human rights violations based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and HIV status. For five years he lobbied the United Nations on sexual rights issues; his work led to U.N. human rights mechanisms agreeing publicly for the first time to take up gay and lesbian concerns.

 

As program director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) for almost six years, he edited or co-authored reports on gay, lesbian, bisexual, and

 

Long holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University, and has taught at the University of Budapest, as well as holding a Fulbright lectureship at the University of Cluj-Napoca in Romania. He was a founding member of the Romanian gay and lesbian organization ACCEPT. His work spearheaded a European campaign and contributed strongly to Romania's eventual repeal of Article 200 in 2001. He began his career as a human rights activist, documenting and defending people imprisoned under Romania’s repressive sodomy law. He joined Human Rights Watch as a consultant in 2002 to develop a project on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights, and in March 2004 was hired as its director.

Imam Daayiee Abdullah is one of two openly gay Imams in the world. A resident of Washington D.C., he has written on such topics as "A Homosexual Positive Interpretation of the Lut Story in the Holy Quran"; "The Need for Homosexual Marriage in Islam"; and "Homosexual Caricatures in the Holy Quran, Arab and Islamic Literatures."

 

He is a member of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Religious Leadership Roundtable, an interfaith network of leaders from pro-LGBT faith,

 

He is a scholar of Arabic Language and Literatures, Middle Eastern and North African Studies in comparative legal system, and a specialist in Shari'ah Sciences/Quranic Interpretation.

Song Ge, a medical doctor from Beijing participated in China’s first ever salon for gay men. Held in 1992, “Men’s World” was a gathering for men who could not openly disclose their sexuality.
 

In 1992, Song Ge, a medical doctor from Bejing was involved in China’s first ever salon for gay men, “Men's World” with Dr. Wan Yan Hai. In 1994, he left China for his Ph.D. study in Europe. He was the announcer for the Manifesto of the 1996 Chinese Tongzhi (Tongzhi is

Dr. Aviva Goldberg is an Assistant Professor in Humanities in the Faculty
of Arts at York University. She lectures in Religious Studies, and more
specifically in on the comparative study of women and religion. As well,
Aviva is the 'spiritual leader' of an inclusive, liberal,egalitarian and
participatory synagogue called Congregation Shir Libeynu.