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From October 22 to 25, 2025, I attended the annual ILGA-Europe Conference in Vilnius, Lithuania. ILGA-Europe is the regional group of ILGA World (the International LGBTI Association) representing European and Central Asian organizations. The ILGA-Europe Conference brought together more than 400 LGBTIQ+ human rights defenders from across Europe and Central Asia. I joined our European and Central Asian colleagues in Vilnius to talk about the ways in which we can continue to grow the LGBTIQ+ human rights movement together.

The Advocates grounds our LGBTIQ+ work in partnership with organizations and activists all over the world. When reporting on LGBTIQ+ human rights, we collaborate closely with human rights defenders, both those in the country we are reporting on and members of the diaspora. The conference was an opportunity to highlight our approach.

On Friday, October 24, I presented on a panel about international solidarity. I was joined by colleagues from Solidarité Internationale, Aidsfonds, and Unison to discuss the ways in which European and Central Asian human rights defenders can work with LGBTIQ+ human rights defenders outside of the region. I shared how The Advocates collaborates with our global network of partners when reporting on LGBTIQ+ human rights violations to UN human rights mechanisms, how we center the voices of our partners, and how our advocacy is driven by our partners. The panel was an excellent opportunity to challenge conference participants to rethink how and why they should pursue international solidarity.

This conference and the ILGA World Conference board chair Dan Supalla and I went to in November 2024 are critical to expanding our network of partners. Meeting human rights defenders and building relationships with them provides a foundation for future joint reporting and advocacy. These conferences are also an opportunity to reconnect with and deepen our relationships with existing partners. Together we can improve the lives of all LGBTIQ+ people!