Together with the British Embassy and U.S. Embassy, we are hosting a webinar to raise awareness of the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT). This year’s theme is “Together: Resisting, Supporting, Healing”.
We are proud to present our panel of speakers to discuss why the strongest, safest and most prosperous societies are those in which all citizens can live freely, without fear of violence or discrimination, and where the LGBTQI+ community can play a full and active part in society. This is ever more important as we continue to respond to and recover from the global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic which has detrimentally affected LGBT+ people, further constraining their human rights, and elevating the risk of violence and discrimination. The UK and US are committed to the principle of non-discrimination on any grounds, including on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Our speakers:
Summer Xia (moderator)
Director, British Council in Azerbaijan
Summer started his career at the British Council in 2004 when he joined the Education Marketing team in China. Since then he has worked in a variety of roles in the British Council global network including its headquarters in London. He has been Director of Operations in Indonesia and Deputy Director in Thailand. Before taking up his role as Country Director of the British Council in Azerbaijan, he was based in Singapore as the Regional Change Transition Lead for East Asia, implementing global change programmes across 14 markets in the region.
Briony Hanson
Director of Film, British Council
Briony is British Council’s Director of Film, responsible for creating international opportunities for UK film. Previously she directed training organisation The Script Factory, headed Tyneside Cinema and the BFI Programme Unit and co-programmed London’s LGBT+ Film Festival. She is also a frequent film critic for BBC Radio 4’s Front Row, The Film Programme and Saturday Review shows and a regular onstage interview host for BAFTA and others.
Lala Mahmudova
LGBTQI+ rights activist
Lala (she/her/hers) is a Fulbright 2015-17 scholar, and got her MA degree in Women's Studies and Gender Studies from Loyola University Chicago. She worked as a domestic violence advocate in a Chicago-based Women's Organization and published research papers around women's and gender issues. She is actively working on projects that help to advance women's and LGBTQI+ people's rights and wellbeing in Azerbaijan by collaborating with different female and LGBTQIA+ collectives.
Vahid Aliyev
LGBTQI+ rights activist