ILGA World Conference: Mpho Tutu van Furth Among Keynote Speakers

As Cape Town prepares to host the ILGA World Conference, one of the largest global gatherings of LGBTI changemakers, the first keynote speakers have been announced.

ILGA World revealed that Reverend and activist Mpho Tutu van Furth, United Nations Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Graeme Reid, and Brazil’s National Secretary for LGBTQIA+ Rights Symmy Larrat will be featured as keynote speakers.

Tutu van Furth, the daughter of the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Reid both have South African roots. In 2016, Tutu van Furth made headlines when the South African Anglican Church revoked her license as a priest after she married her wife, Professor Marceline van Furth.

Reid, a South African scholar on gender, sexuality, LGBT issues, and HIV/AIDS, was in 2023 appointed as UN Independent Expert on Protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Larrat is a transgender woman, feminist, and one of the most prominent LGBTQIA+ leaders in Latin America. She is the first National Secretary for LGBTQIA+ Rights in the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship of Brazil.

Other notable speakers include Dr Alvaro Bermejo, Director-General of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), UK Black Pride CEO Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, CREA Executive Director Geeta Misra, and Afghan LGBT Organization (ALO) Director Artemis Akbary. More speakers will be announced in the coming days.

Returning to Africa After 25 Years

The 31st ILGA World Conference, hosted by local human rights organisations Iranti and Gender DynamiX, will take place in Cape Town from 11 to 15 November 2024.

This marks the first time in 25 years that the conference returns to Africa, uniting LGBTI human rights defenders, policymakers, researchers, journalists, and allies from over 100 countries to address the ongoing global pushback against LGBTIQ+ rights.

“We are thrilled that our membership has chosen to bring our conference back to Africa,” said ILGA World co-Secretaries General Luz Elena Aranda and Tuisina Ymania Brown. “LGBTI activists across Africa and the world are facing an unprecedented backlash, driven by both global trends and region-specific challenges”.

They asserted that the conference “will serve as a crucial moment for LGBTI human rights defenders worldwide to unite and forge strong, meaningful solidarities—not only within the LGBTI community, but also alongside feminist, sexual and reproductive health, climate justice, and other critical movements.”

Liberty Matthyse and Lentsu Nchabeleng, the respective Executive Directors of Gender DynamiX and Iranti, added: “We are excited to host our global movement as it returns to Africa after such a long time. At a time when we see dangerous anti-rights discourse and narratives diluting into our regions from the Global North, hosting our global family will be a wonderful statement of unity and solidarity across borders.”

A constellation of other events will happen during and around the ILGA World Conference — including the inaugural International Pride Awards, a joint project by ILGA World and UNDP, and a strategic summit for intersectional and inclusive democracies.

Over 800 participants are expected to attend the conference, with registration open until 11 October 2024. More information can be found at https://worldconference.ilga.org.