A. THE PARTNERS A.1. The Danish organization LGBT Denmark, the Danish National Organisation for Gay Men, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgender Persons1, was founded in 1948. The NGO works with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities and expressions (SOGIE) both locally, nationally, regionally and internationally, while also providing social networks for LGBT people in Denmark. LGBT Denmark’s vision is to see a world and a society with equal opportunities for all regardless of gender identity and sexual orientation and a world where this is implemented in human rights, which are endorsed and respected by all. Human rights are not static and continuously evolve in the form of international conventions as well as national laws. To accommodate this, LGBT Denmark calls on the Danish government and other actors to intervene on behalf of the LGBT community at home, as well as foreign governments or other international actors, such as the United Nations, to intervene on behalf of LGBT communities abroad and ensure political, economic, social, and cultural equality. Furthermore, LGBT Denmark engages in advocacy to support people who are marginalized and discriminated against on the basis of socially constructed markers. The perception of binary gender categories as well as cis-heteronormativity have been embraced by society although these forces deeply stigmatize people who do not conform. LGBT Denmark thus challenges these perceptions and lobbies for the acceptance of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression (SOGIE) as being as diverse as people who live it. This also includes the demand for equal opportunities in regards to all aspects of life, as well as basic security. Nationally, LGBT Denmark advocates amongst other things through counseling services directed at people identifying as LGBT+, their families, friends or other people interested in the subject. In Denmark, we provide information on laws and regulations, but also offer psychosocial support. The LGBT Library has a broad collection of books, fiction and non-fiction, which constitute a valuable information base. On the international political level, LGBT Denmark actively engages with ILGA (the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association), ILGA Europe and the UN. LGBT Denmark is a founding member of ILGA (1978) and ILGA-Europe (1996), has consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations, and is part of the Amsterdam Network, a network of around 20 national LGBT+ NGOs and funds from Europe and North America coordinating lobby efforts and concrete project interventions, sharing information and pushing for a more SOGIE-inclusive approach in international development, foreign policies and at UN level. Additionally, LGBT Denmark has extensive experience in designing, planning and carrying out international projects in collaboration with local partners. Since 2013 we have carried out projects based on the model of a) mapping needs, b) testing the applicability of our training method (LILO – Looking In, Looking Out) and c) rolling out the main components of the LILO methodology1 package. These interventions have all had the overall development goal of contributing to the reduction of all forms of discrimination and stigmatization of LGBT+ people through reducing minority stress, building self-efficacy and capacity building of both LGBT+ people and their networks and organizations. We initiated projects in Tanzania and Uganda in collaboration with Positive Vibes (PV), a Namibian/South Africa based organization specializing in training methods for LGBT+ people. Through these collaborations we have gained in-house expertise in the LILO training methodology with two of our staff certified to lead trainings and more staff in the process of learning the LILO methods. Currently, LGBT Denmark is collaborating with a Tunisian LGBTQ+ organization to carry out a project parallel to the project proposed in this application. LGBT Denmark is also part 1 For a detailed description of the LILO Identity workshop methodology see the attached appendix: ’LILO Identity Detailed Description’ 1 of the Foreign Ministry’s five-year Danish Arabic Partnership Program (2017-2021) focusing on addressing minority stress and strengthening LGBT+ communities in the MENA region. Through these projects, staff at LGBT Denmark has garnered extensive experience in initiating and coordinating projects with new partners as well as testing the applicability and working with the broader LILO methodology, which is part of LGBT Denmark’s Theory of Change. Relevant staff at LGBT Denmark Alice Minor will be the project coordinator from LGBT Denmark. Alice holds an MSc in Global Refugee Studies and BA in Politics. Alice first came to Denmark from the United States as a fellow with Humanity In Action, a human rights education program that explores how societies have succeeded and failed in supporting minority populations and includes a particular interest in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Alice has been active in LGBTIQA politics in Denmark as a community organizer and through journalistic pieces. She also works at DIGNITY: The Danish Institute Against Torture researching methodologies for quantitative data collection targeting LGBTI people. Susanne Branner Jespersen will be the project manager. Susanne holds a MA in Social Anthropology and a Master in Conflict Resolution and Mediation. She has 16 years of experience and has developed extensive skills in advocacy and campaigning, conflict resolution, program management, capacity building and organizational development. Susanne has been pivotal throughout building up LGBT Denmark’s international engagement since 2012 and is currently engaged in projects in Tanzania, Uganda and Tunisia. Her role in this project will be both on a strategic and practical level; participating in partnership building, carrying out quality control of the selected LILO trainers, training of trainers in LILO Identity and giving feedback to the final evaluation, as well as the narrative and financial reporting. Nicole Scharf holds an MA in African Studies. Her thesis is a contextualization and assessment of (homo)sexualities and homophobia in Uganda. She works as project coordinator in LGBT Denmark’s projects in Uganda and Tanzanian and is part the international team. She is certified as a master trainer in LILO Identity and will partake as a trainer in this intervention. Besides these three, a financial officer is in charge of accounts and bookkeeping. The other project coordinators on international projects in the MENA region and Rwanda act as sparring partners and support particularly to project coordination of new partnerships and projects. Staff working on national and international projects work side by side in the office and are able to offer fresh eyes and perspectives on the day to day quandaries one faces in project coordination. A.3. The local organization Association Okvir is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights, culture, and identities of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer, and Asexual (LGBTIQA) persons in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Okvir works from core principles of authenticity, solidarity and inclusivity. Okvir understands authenticity as recognizing that each person’s story and identity is their own to define and solidarity as a commitment to building connection with locally based activist movements also committed to countering oppression in BiH in light of the foreign NGO swarm after the wars in the Balkan region. To Okvir, inclusivity means acknowledging the limitations and privileges every person carries and aiming to make space for many levels of engagement with Okvir and in the LGBTIQA community in BiH generally. Association Okvir is rooted in an organization founded in 2002 called ‘Q’ which is no longer running. The same core group of organizers and supporters came together to create Okvir when they realized there was a need for a greater focus on organizational stability and ensuring the safety of LGBTQA people who want to connect. On a daily basis 6 paid staff members run Okvir, together making decisions about Okvir’s strategic priorities and working structures. Additionally, an 2 extended core of 70 members offers various skills as well as their networks to projects, and an advisory board supports Okvir’s strategic development. Okvir is connected to grass-roots organizers and groups in the provinces who generally do not have the resources to officially register as an organization. Understanding that organizing outside of Sarajevo is particularly challenging for LGBTIQA people, Okvir engages with these groups under the principle of ‘support without conditions’ of financial or other resource benefit to Okvir. Okvir quickly realized after beginning to work with support to LGBTIQA people that the histories of war and gender based violence in BiH significantly impact the potential for success in bringing about social change. Trauma connected to war and gender based violence cannot be ignored but rather must be integrated into Okvir’s work. Led by an alarming need to work on issues related to discrimination and violence based on gender/sexuality, and internalized stigma connected to gender and sexuality, Okvir organized a project called SOS Counseling and support trainings for LBTQ women in 2013 and 2014. Encouraged by the feedback received, Okvir initiated its own peer- to-peer counseling service for all LGBTIQA people that has been running since February