Originally published on the blog of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. On the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, I’ve been reflecting a great deal on the power and possibility of social change. The climactic moment on August 28, 1963 came when Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his quintessential “I Have a Dream” …
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A new report released last week by the Pew Research Center reveals alarming data about attitudes toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) communities around the world. Here are a few statistics that shine a spotlight on the countries in which AJWS works: In El Salvador, 35 percent of survey respondents believe the LGBTI …
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A few weeks ago, I attended the International Human Rights Funders Group (IHRFG) conference with several other AJWS colleagues. My first time at IHRFG, I decided 2 furiously abbr., #hashtag & @mention for 2 days str8 (AKA Live Tweet) the sessions I attended in an effort to document the fascinating conversations going on at #IHRFG2012NY. …
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During Pride Month, many countries around the world have been celebrating progress, equality and human rights gains for LGBT people. But in Sri Lanka, we are fighting to simply survive. Since 1886, LGBT people in Sri Lanka have suffered tremendous bigotry and oppression. The criminalization of same-sex relationships along with cultural and social stigmas means …
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Foreign Policy Magazine recently released its list of the Top 100 Global Thinkers of 2011. We were disappointed—though not so surprised—by the paucity of women on this list. So, we’ve added six extraordinary women who deserve recognition. Leymah Gbowee, Liberia. You’ve probably heard a lot about Leymah Gbowee, in the news and on our blog. …
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