UN Free & Equal: LGBTQI+ Migrants

The United Nations Global Campaign Against Homophobia and Transphobia (UN Free & Equal) was launched in 2013 by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). It is an unprecedented global UN public information campaign aimed at promoting equal rights and fair treatment of LGBTI+ people.

In 2017, UN Free & Equal reached 2.4 billion social media feeds around the world and generated a stream of widely shared materials – including powerful videos, impactful graphics and plain-language fact sheets. Several campaign videos – including a popular Bollywood-themed clip “The Welcome” – rank among the most watched videos ever produced by the United Nations. National UN Free & Equal campaigns and events have been organized in almost 30 countries, with visible support from UN, political, community and religious leaders and from celebrities in all regions of the world.

IOM supported OHCHR to create a dedicated resource guide, case studies and visibility, communications and advocacy materials to raise awareness and support LGBTIQ+ migrants and mobile people. The platform is a great resource for key messages, materials and even recommendations for governments to empower migrants of diverse sexual and gender identities and expressions. A global campaign is also ongoing, and we invite you to get involved on social media using the #StandUp4Migrants.

Everyone will at some point in their life move from one place to another. Some people even cross international borders – to find work, get a better education, or reunite with their families. In many cases however, moving is not a choice, but the only way to escape violence, discrimination and marginalization. For many lesbian, gay, bi, trans, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) people, leaving their communities in search of a safer and more welcoming place to call home is the only way to find a job, get access to healthcare or find safety from poverty, family rejection, criminalization, threats and violence. For some, this means moving from a small town to the big city. For others it can require moving from one part of the world to another – surviving a dangerous journey and staggering odds in order to try to find a place where they can live openly as their true selves.

Every human being deserves the freedom to simply be themselves, without facing violence and discrimination. Together we can create a future free from prejudice, where everyone truly belongs – no matter who they are, whom they love or where they come from.