Outright International

About Outright International

Outright International works together for better LGBTIQ lives. We envision a world where LGBTIQ people everywhere can enjoy full human rights and fundamental freedoms, exercise self-determination, form strong communities, and thrive personally and economically. We fight for the rights of LGBTIQ people everywhere - at global, regional, and local levels - especially in areas where we experience the most resistance and persecution.

Outright is the longest-operating U.S.-based international LGBTIQ human rights organization and has existed for more than three decades. We were the first U.S.-based LGBTIQ organization to hold consultative status within the United Nations Economic and Social Council, meaning we get to participate and speak to the United Nations directly. We are a co-founder and act as administrative Secretariat of the UN LGBTI Core Group: a coalition of 44 United Nations Member States dedicated to advancing equality and ensuring the human rights of LGBTIQ people within that system and around the world.

Outright is also a Founding Member of the Partnership for Global LGBTI Equality – or PGLE - a World Economic Forum Lighthouse Project consisting of a coalition of businesses committed to leveraging their individual and collective advocacy to accelerate LGBTI equality and inclusion globally.

At Outright, four core pillars drive our work with, and on behalf of, LGBTIQ people, our communities, and our allies globally:

● We amplify. We all need to listen to LGBTIQ activists on the front lines. From Ukrainian activists helping their communities during the war to Caribbean activists fighting to overturn colonial-era laws banning same-sex relations, Outright amplifies their voices so they can be heard.

● We advocate. We support and advance a global movement that drives change and powers meaningful progress across governments, institutions, businesses, and individuals.

● We support. In the last three years alone, Outright has made over 7 million dollars in grants supporting organizations in over 113 countries. We also provide strategic advice, training, networking, and connections to strengthen and grow a powerful global LGBTIQ movement.

●We celebrate. While our work is hard, there is also much to celebrate. Legal wins in Singapore, St. Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, and St. Kitts and Nevis are examples of progress. We also celebrate the growth and expansion of our movement, such as in Malawi, where Pride gatherings are just emerging for the first time.

And how we do our work is just as important as what we do. Outright’s theory of change consists of 4 interlocking strategies.

● Research: We develop a global evidence base by collecting and disseminating research that we leverage to advocate for change. Our data drives our strategic decisions and priorities and strongly informs our two other program areas: support and advocacy.

●Support: Our second theory of change is support through movement resourcing. The presence of LGBTIQ organizations and activists is the most significant factor that produces cultural, social, and legal change for LGBTIQ people. As such, Outright resources the movement through training, technical assistance, and grant-making. Rather than parachute into a region and do the work ourselves, we enable local organizations to advocate in a sensitive and appropriate way to the local climate.

●Advocacy: The third pillar of Outright’s theory of change is advocacy. For LGBTIQ people in the countries where same-sex relations are criminalized or the eight countries where homosexuality is punishable by death, international pressure is essential to curb human rights violations and ensure they have somewhere to go for redress. Where legal change is not possible, there is also space for Outright to work to make protocols and programs inclusive by leveraging our presence as advocates at the United Nations.

● Education, Awareness, and Engagement: Through our reports, communications, and events, Outright reaches, educates, and engages people globally with critical information to build a movement of individuals willing to join us in our quest for equality and justice for LGBTIQ people everywhere. Annually, on average, we issue 8-12 original reports that fill critical data gaps about LGBTIQ people and their rights, educate the public through webinars, and reach tens of millions more through earned media. Each December, we hold OutSummit, our global conference of multisectoral stakeholders committed to advancing equality for LGBTIQ people everywhere.

Outright Corporate Partnerships:

In carrying out our mission, Outright engages with a wide array of corporate partners from diverse industries to advance our work, opening up companies to an ever-growing population of LGBT stakeholders and improving our global communities every step along the way. Outright understands the inherent value of creating strategic partnerships with like-minded companies. Collaboration strengthens Outright and our partners, providing unique opportunities to link social impact with positive outcomes for business.

Outright’s corporate partners are leaders in diverse industries and demonstrate their commitment to LGBTIQ people around the world in a variety of ways: through advocacy, philanthropic program support, employee volunteering, creation of distinctive brand-appropriate content, development of signature initiatives, and brand elevation through market penetration and activations at marquee events.

Outright’s value is in our ability to connect our partners to different levels of power – national, bilateral, sub-regional, regional, and global – to push an agenda for change in the most challenging places in the world. Outright teams up with companies in various ways, and our value proposition includes advisory services, including network building, access to data and research, education and training opportunities, employee engagement and volunteering, and brand visibility through community immersion.

Through our corporate partnerships, Outright seeks to:

● Elevate the visibility of our mission and work

●Educate the public about opportunities and challenges globally in achieving LGBTIQ inclusion;

● Raise awareness about how institutions and individuals can collaborate with Outright in the flight for global LGBTIQ equality;

● Develop and implement strategic solutions to specific challenges

● Leverage, elevate, and deploy corporate leadership, expertise, networks, products, and services to benefit the LGBTIQ community at international, regional, and local levels.

By collaborating with Outright, benefits to our corporate partners can include:

● Gaining access to data, knowledge, and networks to inform strategy and business decisions.

● Gaining an advantage over competitors by leading on best practices.

● Improving risk management concerning the material risk of doing business in hostile environments.

● Protecting the image and reputation of your company against the perception of insufficient action.

● Propelling innovation by exploring solutions, including collectively with other businesses, positioning your company to capitalize on emerging opportunities.

● Advancing financial performance – related to the above, a more significant commitment to inclusion delivers a clear ROI, while, in the longer term, combating discrimination opens markets.

● Generating customer loyalty, as consumers care and want to do business with companies that demonstrably share their values.

● Enhancing employee advocacy and talent recruitment, because employees prioritize companies committed to leaving no one behind, and that empowers them to make a social impact.

Ultimately, Outright’s partnerships with companies speak to our corporate partners’ interests in developing shared value solutions to acute economic and social justice challenges, investing in mission-aligned initiatives, brand and marketing, talent recruitment, and employee satisfaction/retention through engagement and volunteering.