35th European Conference of the International , , Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association 17th ILGA- conference Zagreb, 24 October – 26 October 2013

Organised in association with Zagreb organising committee ILGA-Europe Conference 2013

ELECTIONS AT THE CONFERENCE

This document consists of the following information:

1. Presentation of the candidates to ILGA-Europe Board 2. Presentation of the candidate for the host venue for the 2015 ILGA-Europe conference

1. Candidates to ILGA-Europe Board

Below is the list of candidates for the ILGA-Europe Board. Their nominations and election statements are attached at the end of this document. The election procedures are explained in the separate document ‘Guide to elections’ included in this mailing.

Name Organisation Country Identifying as Louise Ashworth UNISON UK F Paulo Corte-Real ILGA- Portugal M Micah RFSL N Grzywnowicz Yuri Guiana Associazione Radicale Certi Italy M Diritti Sanja Juras Lesbian Group Kontra Croatia F Jasna Magic Informational Centre Legebitra Slovenia F Maria Sundin RFSL Sweden N

ELECTIONS AT THE CONFERENCE – THIRD MAILING (Zagreb)

There are 3 (three) candidates identifying as female, 2 (two) identifying as male and 2 (two) neither identifying as female nor male.

5 board members (3 women and 2 men) were elected in 2012 for a two-year period, which means that there are 5 vacant places.

As the board must have at least 4 but not more than 6 identifying as female, and at least 4 but not more than 6 identifying as male, 1 – 3 female and 2 – 4 male can be elected at the conference.

As there only are 2 male candidates, a call for further nominations for male candidates will take place at the conference, re. Standing Order 12.8.

2. Presentation of the candidate for the host venue for the 2015 conference

One proposal was received from: OLKE, Athens, Greece as candidate for hosting the 2015 ILGA-Europe Conference. Their presentation titled ‘Candidate for host organisation’ is included with this mailing.

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Candidates for election to ILGA-Europe Board and their Election Statements

Louise Ashworth

Member organisation of the candidate : UNISON, UK

Organisations nominating the candidate:

1. Lesbian Section SKUC-LL, Slovenia 2. Malta Gay Rights Movement, Malta 3. Casa Rosa vzw, Belgium 4. COC Netherlands 5. COC Haaglanden, Netherlands 6. Commission LGBT d'EELV, France 7. ArciLesbica Nazionale 8. UNISON national LGBT committee 9. Informational Centre Legebitra 10. LGBT Danmark 11. Associação ILGA PORTUGAL

Candidate identifies as: Female

Skills and talents of the nominee:

A member of UNISON’s National LGBT Committee and former co-chair for 6 years, I sit on the International and Campaigns and Policy Development sub-committees which lead the work programmes and provide guidance to the mainstream union agenda on LGBT priorities, nationally and internationally. Roles include developing policy, running campaigns, representing the union at events and working with trade unions globally. At an international level, this has involved capacity building, working with community organisations and trade unions in organising for equality and encouraging trade unions to adopt LGBT equality and rights as priority. As a member of UNISON’s National Disabled Members Committee, I provide guidance on issues affecting LGBT disabled people. As the former International Officer for LGBT Labour and of the Rainbow Rose committee, I have experience of lobbying political parties nationally and at European level. I have worked with sister organisations in setting up LGBT sections. I have a good knowledge of governance of non-governmental organisations, previously being a director of violence against women’s organisation and refuge, a homelessness befriending charity and local LGBT centre. I am an advisor to the police force on equality and diversity focusing on LGBT, young and disabled people. I currently work with young people for a UK-wide children’s charity, some of whom are LGBT, experiencing homophobia, biphobia and transphobia. I am a trainer on housing, social welfare, equality and diversity and human rights which has assisted with developing my skills in providing accessible information to a variety of audiences.

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Possible contribution to the ILGA-Europe board:

• Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of issues affecting LGBTI people through networking, study, professional, trade union and voluntary work • Verbal and written communication skills addressing a variety of audiences • Knowledge and experience of governance and constitutional issues, including roles of board and staff • Experience of working with members and member organisations • Leadership skills gained through my paid, trade union and voluntary work • Working knowledge of discrimination, human rights and employment law, national and European • Commitment • Good team player • Experience of working with organisations across Europe including projects in Eastern Europe, organising and capacity building in Central and Southern Europe • Campaigning and lobbying politicians and political parties on LGBTI rights • Extensive knowledge and experience of issues facing under-represented LGBTI people: able to effectively contribute to the diversity work programme • Knowledge of ILGA-Europe • Extensive knowledge of how service sectors impact on LGBTI people from my work in higher education, local government, legal and community and voluntary sectors • Experience of working with trade unions, global labour organisations such as Public Services International, Education International, European Public Services Union and European Trade Union Confederation.

Motivation for running:

I am passionate and committed to LGBTI rights and to the work of ILGA-Europe. I think it is important that there is some continuity on the board to assist in passing on the knowledge, procedures and skills to ensure that the board remains effective in its governance of the organisation. I am excited about the new strategic plan and would like to be a part of delivering on ILGA-Europe’s future work, particularly around diversity and intersex. At present we are seeing attacks on LGBTI rights due to austerity measures and increasing hostility including propaganda laws, hate crimes, attacks on freedom of association and expression. I wish to support the staff, board and member organisations in continuing our work to claim our rights and challenge discrimination and violations. There is continuing work on governance issues that I would like to complete to ensure the smooth running of ILGA-Europe. With the European elections looming, I would like to contribute to ILGA-Europe’s work on obtaining commitments from candidates to stand up for LGBTI rights.

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Contribution to the ILGA- Europe board during previous board membership (if applicable):

I have been a vocal and active member of the board taking on work including constitutional and standing orders amendments, internal policies and contributing to the diversity work programme. I have been the lead on the governance sub-committee which deals with constitutional matters, developing guidance for the board and updating the constitution and organisational manual. I have been a member of the employment sub-committee which deals with developing policies and staffing matters. I have been a member of the conference working party which works with the staff in organising the conference. I have been a member of the diversity working party developing policies, procedures and practices to ensure that our organisation is reflective of diversity of all our LGBTI members and to make ILGA-Europe accessible and inclusive. I have represented ILGA-Europe at a number of events including a lobby of MEP’s to get them to pledge for LGBTI rights, lobbying political groups, attending the Equality Summit in Cyprus, liaising and networking with trade unions, speaking at events and attending Prides. I assisted in the running of discussion groups at our strategic plan consultation and have chaired workshops at our annual conference.

Other information

I am disabled and therefore have first hand experience of the intersectionality of being LGBTI and disabled and the discrimination that is faced by disabled LGBTI people. I am a parent and have experience, understanding and knowledge of raising children in an LGBTI household as well as the issues facing parents, children and young people who identify as LGBTI or have LGBTI families.

Paulo Côrte-Real

Member organisation of the candidate : ILGA Portugal – Intervenção Lésbica, Gay, Bissexual e Transgénero, Portugal

Organisations nominating the candidate:

1. Association Informational Centre Legebitra 2. LGBT Danmark 3. Associação ILGA PORTUGAL 4. Malta Gay Rights Movement, Malta

Candidate identifies as: Male

Skills and talents of the nominee:

In terms of professional background, I have a PhD in Economics from Harvard University and I am a Professor in . As soon as I returned from the US, I became an activist and I have been a member of the Board of ILGA Portugal since 2005 and President of the Board since 2008.

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Through the submission of many different projects, we have managed, over the course of the last five years, to go from an organization working exclusively with volunteers to an organization that still depends on volunteers but now also has six staff members. Among our many activities, we organize the main Pride event in Portugal and we also run the Lisbon LGBT Centre (with several services including a documentation centre, counselling and a helpline). On the advocacy front, we have been lobbying for the equal legal recognition of LGBT family relationships through actions that include several publications and conferences, and have achieved the approval of second-parent adoption in a particularly difficult political context. We also ran a five-year campaign for same-sex that resulted in its approval in 2010 – and this was a landmark in the fight for LGBT rights in Portugal. Our research and advocacy on issues in Portugal helped achieve legislation that came into force in 2011 and that has been widely praised across Europe. We have also been focusing on education and training for several sectors including the police, and justice and health professionals.

Possible contribution to the ILGA-Europe board:

From my experience with very diverse groups and individuals such as volunteers at ILGA-Portugal, the media, policymakers, or students and trainees, and also within ILGA-Europe, I believe I have good communication and empathy skills, which can be useful in many ways. I also have the ability to make a commitment and follow through on it, and I think my fundraising and managerial experience can help me make a relevant contribution to ILGA-Europe in the future.

Moreover, I believe that my lobbying experience and my knowledge on LGBT issues can also inform ILGA-Europe’s work, in matters such as family recognition or .

Motivation for running:

Having previously attended ILGA-Europe Conferences and EU-Network meetings since 2005, I already admired many of ILGA-Europe’s achievements. But for the last two years, as a Board Member, I have had the chance of understanding the breadth and scope of ILGA-Europe’s work, and of getting to know the many people who are committed to working collectively to go beyond the merely ambitious, and to actually venture towards the limits of the possible. But I also realize the many challenges that ILGA-Europe faces as an organization, and have also become increasingly aware of the many obstacles to equality for LGBTI people in Europe. I am now even more deeply committed to ILGA-Europe and I feel that my current experience can help me to contribute in a more structured and informed manner to ILGA-Europe’s work.

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Contribution to the ILGA- Europe board during previous board membership (if applicable):

For the past two years, as Co-Secretary of the Board, and as a member of the Governance and Finance subcommittees (and of the Fundraising Working Group), I have had the chance to gain a much deeper understanding of ILGA-Europe as an organization. Through the participation in Board Meetings and Conferences, and through the involvement in processes such as strategic planning (as a member of the Working Group) or the revision of the Constitution, I have also achieved a better grasp of the diversity and strength of ILGA-Europe’s membership. I have also had the chance to make specific contributions on policy and communication issues, and participated with members of the staff in a recent meeting with the Commissioner for Health in order to share ILGA-Europe’s key demands and advocate for additional commitments in this field.

Other information

None provided.

Micah Grzywnowicz

Member organisation of the candidate : RFLS, Sweden

Organisations nominating the candidate:

RFSL Ungdom RFSL – The Swedish federation for Lesbian, gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights

Candidate identifies as: Trans*

Skills and talents of the nominee:

I have been working as a trans* activist on research, advocacy, and capacity-building at various international and national LGBTQ organizations in Europe in the past eight years. Since 2007 I have held several leadership positions in these: I served as the President in ANSO (Association of Nordic and Pol- Balt LGBTQ Student Organizations) for three years and as the Treasurer in SFQ (Swedish Federation of LGBTQ Student Organizations) for one year. I was also a Board Member and Project Manager in both of these organizations. I had a unique opportunity to work at the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe assisting in publication of the report Discrimination on Grounds of and Gender Identity in Europe in 2011. I have served as a member of the Advisory Council on Youth of the Council of Europe since 2012, whose task is to formulate opinions and proposals on questions that concern youth and are dealt with by the Council of Europe. In December 2012 I made a submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture for his thematic report on ‘Torture in Health Care Settings’, as a result of which the forced sterilization of trans* persons was recognized as cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment by a UN body for the first time. In March 2013 I was a speaker at the expert panel discussion Towards Preventing

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Torture and Ill-treatment in Health Care Settings at the UN headquarters in Geneva, where I presented about the potential impact of this report on trans* persons worldwide.

Possible contribution to the ILGA-Europe board:

My strategies are based on intersectionality, queer theory, identity activism, norm critical approaches and human rights. I am a task-oriented person whose work is always precise, thorough and aiming for perfection. I have the ability to work independently, take over great responsibilities and work under time pressure. I look forward to and enjoy professional challenges. I always strive for clear and open communication. I can contribute with my knowledge of the Council of Europe, expertise in trans* issues, non- formal education trainings, and experience in advocacy and capacity building, as well as my past experiences of working in culturally diverse settings. I am interested in bringing different perspectives and strategies to LGBTQI activism, esp. those deriving from disability/accessibility movements and other countries and regions (e.g. Canada and its First Nations peoples).

Motivation for running:

I would like to contribute to ILGA-Europe’s work and its commitment to advancement of the rights of LGBTI persons. I am passionate about research and monitoring of discrimination and my previous experiences with international institutions and organizations would be useful. I believe that involvement in the board is a wonderful opportunity to learn and take my activist-self to another level. At the same time I believe my expertise in LGBTQ issues in general and in those that affect trans* and queer persons in particular, will be a valuable contribution to the organization and could greatly enrich its work. I would be happy to be a part of ILGA-Europe’s team and play a role in carrying out its mission.

Contribution to the ILGA- Europe board during previous board membership (if applicable):

Not applicable

Other information

I am currently studying at Master Program in Human Rights at the Central European University in Budapest.

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Yuri Guaiana

Member organisation of the candidate : Associazione Radicale Certi Diritti, Italy

Organisations nominating the candidate:

1. Di'Gay Project – DGP, Italy 2. Famiglie Arcobaleno, Italy 3. Cavaria vzw, Belgium 4. Commission LGBT d'EELV, France 5. LAMBDA 6. Fondazione Fuori! 7. Arcigay - Associazione LGBT italiana 8. Arcigay "Il Cassero" – Bologna 9. FELGTB. Federación Estatal de Lesbianas, Gays, Transexuales y Bisexuales 10. Arcigay Arcilesbica Omphalos 11. Centro d’Iniziativa Gay – Comitato Provinciale ARCIGAY di Milano

Candidate identifies as: Male

Skills and talents of the nominee:

As secretary of the associazione Radicale Certi Diritti and Vice President of Borough council 2 I managed to get the city councils of Milan, Venice and Turin to suspend the twinning agreement with Saint Petersburg until the awful law against the so called "homosexual propaganda" is cancelled. This summer I persuaded many Italian LGBTI organization to join Certi Diritti in a national fundraising for helping the Russian LGBTI movement fighting back. In April 2013 I organized with Pink Embassy a study trip in Albania to share best practices and where I had a chance to learn a lot about Albania and the Balkans too, having had the extraordinary opportunity to attend the Regional Conference: “LGBT Rights in the Western Balkans – Achievements and Challenges”. In Italy Certi Diritti launched a strategic litigation campaign for marriage equality which led to a constitutional court ruling that asked the Parliament to recognize the rights of same- sex couples. The campaign is going ahead and we managed to win another battle and see the right of obtaining a long-term residence permit for the same-sex non- EU partner married abroad with an Italian recognized. We also launched a strategic litigation campaign to grant transsexual people the right to change their name and sex on their ID without having to undergo surgical sterilization. Lawyer Tito Flagella had a couple favorable rulings in Rome, while Alexander Schuster had one in Bolzano and we filed another case in Milan.

Possible contribution to the ILGA-Europe board: I can definitely bring my experience as secretary of Certi Diritti that gave me a great experience in team working, in developing and monitoring organisational policies, in representing my organisation in public, in enhancing my organisation's public image, in communicating within diverse environments, in strategic litigations, in managing my organisation finances and coordinating fund raising campaigns, in advocacy and lobbying.

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I can also bring the knowledge acquired as reserve member of the ILGA-Europe Executive Board. I can also bring the experience, knowledge and contacts acquired in the organisation - in partnership with GISHR, the Global Initiative for Sexuality and Human Rights of Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights - and the attendance of a one- day seminar on human rights with LGBTI activists coming from Africa, Asia and South America.

Finally I can certainly bring a huge amount of passion, full availability and flexibility, my will to obtain experience in advocacy, lobbying and all the other areas mentioned, and a great dedication to ILGA-Europe, which I’ve learned to appreciate so much.

Motivation for running:

I am running for the Executive Board because LGBTI rights have always been my main concern. When I was 20, I founded a local LGBTI organisation in my own town affiliated to Arcigay. In 1999, I was appointed by Arcigay as organiser of the first national rally for civil unions in Italy which took place in my home town. After that I entered the National Council of Arcigay where I strongly supported marriage equality. I contributed to many LGBTI news magazines and websites, such as Pride magazine and Gay.it. Then I joined Certi Diritti, the organisation of which I’m national secretary now. Moreover, I have always been inclined to think outside national borders: I took many exams in International law and relationships, and in European and international history. I also lived in Sydney, Australia, for over a year making my first experiences in an LGBTI movement outside Italy. I voluntary worked as Administration Assistant for the radio OutFm, for “Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras” in the position of Events Assistant and for ACON a community service group. Therefore, I think ILGA-Europe would be the perfect dimension for me.

Contribution to the ILGA- Europe board during previous board membership (if applicable):

Last year I was elected reserve member of the ILGA-Europe Executive Board. As a reserve member one doesn't get to participate in the meetings, nonetheless you have a chance to fully grasp the mechanism of IE. I consider it a good training for becoming a full member ready to immediately bear all the responsibilities attached to the role without having to waist time in understanding how the system works. Despite the limits attached to the role of reserve member Yuri managed to closely work with IE on the topic of surrogacy, for the annual review (as national point of reference) and on IE strategic plan for the next 5 years. The biggest contribution to IE, though, was the signature of the Minister of Equal Opportunity, on behalf of Italy, under a document asking the to start working on a road map for the rights of LGBTI people and the organization, in November 2012, of a two-day IE seminar in Rome for MPs from Italy, indeed, Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Estonia, Latvia and Poland.

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Other information

I have a long academic experience as a historian on the Institutions and Society of Contemporary Europe with a particular expertise on both history of European Integration and the history of the LGBTI movement in Italy. In fact, after my degree in Political Sciences/International Studies, I took a PhD in Contemporary History and then I worked at University for 4 years. I think the history of the LGBTI movement is a crucial element in building a community and it should be given a higher value. I edited a book on the civil affirmation campaign, the campaign that surrounded the strategic litigations that caused the Constitutional Court ruling that asks the Parliament to grant same-sex couples the same rights as married couples. I am also the editor of a weekly press review on LGBTI issues for a national radio network and a blogger for the Huffington Post. Finally, I am Vice President of Borough Council 2 of Milan. I was elected in 2011 with the Lista Bonino-Pannella that joined the centre-left coalition.

Sanja Juras

Member organisation of the candidate : Lesbian Group Kontra, Croatia

Organisations nominating the candidate:

1. Lesbian Section SKUC-LL, Slovenia 2. Sarajevo open Center, Bosnia and Herzegovina 3. Alliance Against Discrimination of LGBT 4. Iskorak 5. NGO Juventas 6. Lesbian group Kontra

Candidate identifies as: Female

Skills and talents of the nominee:

I have been the coordinator of the Lesbian Group Kontra for the past 10 years.

I am one of the founders and the coordinator of the Legal Team of Iskorak and Kontra that provides direct legal help to victims of hate crimes and advocates for LGBT human rights (since 2003).

I am one of five coordinators of the Women’s Network of Croatia – feminist political network, member of the European Women's Lobby (since 2007).

I advocated for and created numerous bills and amendments to laws and policies in regards to LGBT rights, adopted by the Croatian Parliament. The results of the adoption of these amendments were (among other things) introduction of first legal protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation (2003, 2004), gender expression (2006) and gender identity (2008) into the Croatian legal system, adoption of

ELECTIONS AT THE CONFERENCE – THIRD MAILING 11 the Same-sex Civil Unions Act (2003) and the implementation of the definition of hate crimes into the Croatian Criminal Code (2006).

Cases of the Legal Team that followed the adoption of these laws became precedents in regards to the protection of rights of LGBT people in Croatia.

I have been guest lecturer at the Police Academy on the subject of hate crimes against LGBT persons. I have been lecturer at the Centre for Women’Studies in Zagreb.

I have been project coordinator of projects that the Kontra and the Union of Autonomous Trade Unions implemented in partnership aimed at better implementation of anti-discrimination policies in the labour market.

I co-organised LGBT pride marches in Zagreb (2002-2005) and Split (2011-2013), and International Women’s Day marches (2005 – 2013).

Possible contribution to the ILGA-Europe board:

I have excellent advocacy skills and the experience at national and international level, demonstrated by leading successful advocacy projects implemented in partnership with the ILGA Europe. Through my work with IE I have already established good contacts with representatives of international institutions (EP, EC, CoE, OSCE).

I am experienced in writing reports, public statements, creating legal and sociological analysis, proposals of new laws and policies and amendments. I have very good knowledge of international human rights mechanisms.

My skills include public presentation and working with media; I have been public representative for my organisation for past 12 years; organising public events, delivering speeches at demonstrations, press conferences, panels, round table discussions, etc.

I have extensive experience in strategic planning and defining strategies and political priorities, and strategic litigation.

I have good coordination and organisational skills.

I initiated street actions, new programmes and activities (public campaigns, Pride events in Zagreb and Split, lesbian festival, social activities, guerrilla actions, street rallies etc.).

I am experienced trainer at national and international level (trade unions, state officials, NGOs, including cooperation with OSCE in Croatia and Montenegro).

I have good knowledge of the situation in the region of Western Balkans regarding LGBT and women’s rights.

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Motivation for running:

I would like to use my knowledge and experience to contribute to ILGA Europe’s work in building stronger LGBT movement and advocating for better protections at the international level.

Since 2002 I have been involved in IE projects, activities and conferences. Participating in the work of the Board in past two years was a new way for me to contribute to the work of ILGA Europe.

I am very passionate about LGBT activism and with my experience and skills I believe I contribute to the work of the Board bring a new perspective.

I come from Western Balkans. I have known work of the ILGA Europe on many levels and from different angles – IE as a network, as a funder, as a trainer, as an advocacy partner, and now from inside as a Board member. I see the ILGA Europe as an extremely important advocacy organisation for LGBT rights at international level and participating in the work of the Board is one of the ways I can contribute to that.

I strongly believe in the networking. With joint efforts we can make changes and create better society free of discrimination on any ground.

Contribution to the ILGA- Europe board during previous board membership (if applicable):

I have been a member of the ILGA Europe Executive Board for the past two years and I would be very happy to continue this work in the following period.

As a Board member I attended most meetings and taken part in different activities organised by the ILGA Europe. I presented on the status of human rights of LGBT persons in Western Balkans and in general at different events and in front of international institutions (European Parliament, OSCE) as the representative of the ILGA Europe. I attended and spoke at Pride events at risk (first Chisinau Pride, Budapest Pride) to show support of the ILGA Europe for these events.

I took part in the work of the employment and finance sub-committees and in the diversity, fundraising and conference working groups. In conference working group I contributed both as a board member, but also as a member of the local host organisation.

Other information

None provided

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Jasna Magi ć

Member organisation of the candidate : Organisation: Informational Centre Legebitra, Slovenia

Organisations nominating the candidate:

1. Casa Rosa vzw, Belgium 2. GALE, Global Alliance for LGBT Education 3. COC Netherlands 4. RozeLinks 5. BeLonG To Youth Services, Ireland 6. UNISON national LGBT committee 7. Informational Centre Legebitra 8. Campaign Against Homophobia 9. LGBT Danmark 10. Associação ILGA PORTUGAL 11. Malta Gay Rights Movement, Malta 12. Students’ Cultural Center SKUC, Ljubljana

Candidate identifies as: Female

Skills and talents of the nominee:

I have been active in the LGBT field since 1998 − internationally and locally. From 2003 to 2005 I was a board member of IGLYO contributing considerably to re-building the organization’s membership and partnership network. On behalf of the organization I was frequently involved in preparatory teams of international youth events, working closely with various activists, educators and youth workers coming from diverse contexts from Europe and beyond. Other work with IGLYO included strategic planning, maintaining continuity and growth of organization’s membership and partnership network, and representation of the organization within its membership and with partners and funders.

From 2007 −2013 I was employed with Informational center Legebitra, an organization based in Ljubljana, Slovenia, which I also co-founded and co-managed. While I remain a board member of the organization, as staff I was actively developing and executing various small and large-scale projects; among other I developed and set up support service for victims of homophobic violence in Slovenia which includes active involvement of counselors, therapists and police. Within my work in the fields of education and I designed and executed research, issued publications and articles, and set up partnerships with key actors (e.g.: teachers, police, ministries, etc.) from the field. As staff I represented Legebitra at various domestic and international events and communicated on different levels with politicians, the public and press.

One of the most important achievements with Legebitra was maintaining sustainability and continuity of the organization (fundraising, networking) and managing human resources.

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Possible contribution to the ILGA-Europe board:

• Continuous and immediate commitment to attend to the organization’s priorities and needs. • Underlying interest in ILGA-E’s work and priority areas, with the aim to support the staff and membership in addressing these in the most efficient manner • Commitment to being present at board meetings, conferences and other relevant events. • Various experiences in interaction with ILGA-E membership and strong awareness of the importance of continuity and sustainability of ILGA-E membership. • Strong experience in organizational management including development of key organizational documents, policies and strategic plans. • Sound knowledge of the organization and relationship(s) between the board and staff. • Resourceful, flexible and multitasking character, used to working under pressure and within various environments and teams. • Experience in representing local/international organizations with partners, funders, public and the media. • A widespread network of individual and organizational contacts from Slovenia and throughout Europe ...

…and a strong interest and wish to have the opportunity to do so within ILGA-E board.

Motivation for running:

I perceive ILGA-Europe as a crucial actor and an advocate of human rights of LGBT persons, with huge responsibilities and challenges brought by different political and social environments. But most importantly, I see the organization is deeply committed to its membership and their needs and priorities and it is this relationship that I value and admire the most. As a recurring participant to the ILGA-Europe annual conferences and other events since 2005 I have come to know the diversity of issues and priorities the staff and board are addressing within their work and I took a lot from ILGA-Europe as an individual and also as a representative of an organization.

I believe I am now in a position where I can also give back. I strongly believe my knowledge, skills and experience would be relevant to ILGA Europe’s work, especially now, when the fight for LGBT rights is becoming a pertinent global civil rights movement, facing new challenges more and more overtly connected to economical and political agendas of the EU countries. I can to contribute to the process that will be building stronger LGBT movement and advocacy strategies in Europe and I deeply wish to do so.

Contribution to the ILGA- Europe board during previous board membership (if applicable):

N/A

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Other information

Working closely with some of ILGA-Europe’s staff and board members at a joint conference in Ljubljana on LGBT families (2008), being trained by the organization in the field of monitoring and documenting homophobic hate crime, being part of organization’s EPC (Election Preparation Committee) in 2008/2009, but mostly working as a consultant researching the needs and priorities of ILGA-E membership in the field of addressing homophobia and transphobia in education from October 2012 and January 2013, I believe got an in-depth understanding of the organization and its constituency. I strongly relate to and support ILGA-Europe priorities and key areas of work and am in a position to approach them competently and with great consideration.

Maria Sundin

Member organisation of the candidate : RFSL the Swedish Federation for LGBT Rights, TGEU – Transgender Europe

Organisations nominating the candidate:

1. Trans-Fuzja Foundation 2. Transgender Europe 3. RFSL – The Swedish federation for Lesbian, gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights

Candidate identifies as: Do not identify as either male nor female, trans*

Skills and talents of the nominee:

Member of the Executive Board of TGEU 2010-2013 in the Capacity of Secretary and Co-chair and since February 2013 Member of Steering Committee, Member of the Board of RFSL 2010- onwards and chiefly responsible for the work to reform Sweden’s Legal Gender Recognition Law by removing the sterilization requirement and the reform of Sweden’s antiquated trans* health care. The Global Forum for MSM and HIV member of the Transgender Reference Group since 2010 advocating trans* inclusion in global HIV/AIDS prevention, GATE Expert Ground on ICD-10 reform since 2011, World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), member of the Membership Committee since 2009, the Robert Carr Social Networks Fund member of the Programme Advisory Panel. My main focal areas are LGBTQ health issues in general and trans* specific health care in general, issues concerning older LGBTQ people and their human rights.

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Possible contribution to the ILGA-Europe board:

If I’m elected I hope to contribute to areas concerning health issues for the LGBTQI population in general and to the access to trans* specific health care across Europe and to the often forgotten needs concerning trans* sexual health, especially in the areas of HIV/STI. Furthermore I do hope to be able to contribute to a strengthening of ILGA- Europe’s work towards the visibility and needs of older LGBTQI people across Europe as well as the visibility and needs of LGBTQI people living with disabilities.

Motivation for running:

My motivation for running is the profound understanding that the LGBTQI family must work together if we will be able to move forward in field of Human Rights knowing that alone each letter in the LGBTQI will not amount to much while in understanding and co- operation we can create profound change. The story of the development of Transgender Europe as the world’s largest regional trans* network and our cooperation in this process with ILGA-Europe is one inspiration in this case. On a national level the fact that the Swedish trans* and LGB activists in solidarity managed remove forced sterilization in order to change legal gender marker and now are moving forward in bring the Government of Sweden to court, demanding compensation for the victims of this human rights violation is a clear proof that this is the way forward. After spending a great deal of activism in various trans* organisations globally I do want to work with our entire family to continue to create change.

Contribution to the ILGA- Europe board during previous board membership (if applicable):

Not applicable

Other information

I’m an older trans* who do not identify as neither male nor female and as a person living with a disability. I am firmly convinced that the LGBTQI world and ILGA Europe would be a poorer place if people like myself choose not to be visible and active.

We do need to be part of the decision making process not just benefiting from progress hopefully being made.

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