On this very special episode, we mark Human Rights Day by speaking with Jessica Stern, the fierce & fabulous Executive Director of OutRight Action International. Founded in 1990 as the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), OutRight is one of the world's oldest & most important organizations working to advance LGBTI human rights. Collaborating with grassroots activists, researchers, elected officials, the United Nations, and many more partners across the globe, Jessica & OutRight are truly indispensable to the work of creating truly LGBTI-inclusive societies.
Episode 001: Blingistan (Urooj Arshad)
My guest for this first episode is Urooj Arshad, a fierce & fabulous queer Pakistani-American activist working for reproductive justice and against Islamophobia & homophobia. From Karachi to Illinois to Washington, D.C., Urooj's journey speaks powerfully to how we navigate our many identities in a complex & contradictory world.
Urooj's essay, "Finding Blingistan: My Journey Home to the LGBT Community in Pakistan," can be found here. Metro Weekly's interview with Urooj, "Queer, Muslim, an Immigrant, and Female," is online here.
