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“Lesbians* of the World” at the United Nations: A Call to Unity, Courage, and Collective Imagination
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March 9, 2026
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At a Glance:
What: "Lesbians* of the World" public demonstration
When: March 13, 2026
Where: Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza, near the UN, NYC
Organized by: Outright International and partners.
Ahead of CSW70 in March 2026, Outright International is mobilizing a public demonstration in support of LGBTIQ people’s human rights outside the United Nations. The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal United Nations body promoting women’s and girls' rights, documenting the reality of their lives throughout the world, and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. CSW has long been a critical multilateral space where governments, activists, and civil society shape global norms on women’s human rights. Yet today, that space is under coordinated pressure from interest groups whose engagement at the UN and in other multilateral spaces aims to limit, not expand, equality and rights. These groups seek to fracture feminist movements, undermine bodily autonomy, narrow the universality of human rights, and revoke protections that keep lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ) people at least marginally safe from violence. At a time of deepening backlash against gender equality and LGBTIQ people’s human rights, Outright International’s engagement at the Commission on the Status of Women is more urgent than ever.
Lesbian, Bisexual, and Queer Women* at the Fulcrum
Lesbian, bisexual, and queer (LBQ) people’s activism has always been a bridge between feminist and queer movements. Historically, lesbian organizing has insisted that sexuality is inseparable from gender justice, arguing that resisting patriarchal control means defending the freedom to love, desire, and form relationships beyond heterosexual and gender-normative expectations. At CSW, this bridge-building role is particularly vital.
LBQ activists have insisted on visibility and inclusion in women's rights spaces for over three decades. In 1995, lesbian activists, including from Outright - International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) back then - created, alongside the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, the “Lesbian Tent”, a hub for lesbian activism, education, and discussion. The tent was a landmark moment for LBQ visibility in international women's rights spaces, and a political declaration that lesbian existence is central, not marginal, to feminist struggle. Its legacy echoes in today’s mobilization. Queer feminist activists asserted then, as they do today, that feminist movements are strongest when they are inclusive of sexual and gender diversity.
At the Commission on the Status of Women and beyond, governments and civil society groups that oppose trans people’s rights have been particularly insistent on defining “women” in ways that erase our diversity. LBQ organizers have consistently challenged these narrow definitions, advocating for an expansive, intersectional feminism grounded in lived realities. Today, inclusive LBQ activism remains essential to:
- Bridging women’s and LGBTIQ movements
- Resisting exclusionary narratives
- Defending trans, intersex, and nonbinary communities
A Public Demonstration Outside the UN
On March 13, 2026, at Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza near the United Nations, Outright International and partners will convene a public demonstration under the call: “Lesbians* of the World Demand: ALL GENDERS! ALL BODIES! ALL RIGHTS!”
This demonstration reaffirms the legacy of the countless public struggles for women’s and LGBTIQ equality across time and place: The Women’s Sunday march in London in 1908; the Abeokuta Women's Revolt in Nigeria in the 1940s; the Women’s Anti-Pass March in Pretoria in 1956; the Stonewall Uprising in New York in 1969; Pink Dot in Singapore in 2009; the “Woman, Life, Freedom" protests in Iran in 2022; Budapest Pride in 2025.We rise in continuity with those who came before us — and in resistance to those who attempt to erase us. We stand firm in the knowledge that this attempt will never be successful. There is no world without women and LGBTIQ people. There never has been. We have always been here, and we will always be.
Why “Lesbians of the World”?
The demonstration's framing of “Lesbians* of the World” is deliberate. It honors the historic and political leadership of lesbian organizing within feminist spaces, while also signaling a global, intersectional call to action. The invitation to our demonstration comes from Lesbians* of the world to all women and LGBTIQ movements: to stand united, visible, and uncompromising in defense of universal human rights.
This framing does several things at once.
First, it is an invitation, not a boundary. The asterisk in “Lesbians*” reflects an expansive understanding that includes bisexual, queer, trans, and intersex women, as well as nonbinary activists committed to feminist principles. The call is lesbian-led, inclusive, and grounded in shared affirmations.
Second, it builds continuity with global histories of resistance. Lesbian activists have been at the forefront of transformative movements. Our demonstration situates itself within that lineage, recognizing that today’s mobilization is part of a much longer struggle for liberation.Third, it reclaims visibility. In moments of backlash, lesbian and queer women are often rendered invisible—either subsumed under broader LGBTIQ categories or erased from women’s rights spaces. By centering “Lesbians* of the World,” we assert presence and political agency.
Beyond the Commission on the Status of Women
LGBTIQ advocacy within multilateral institutions. Through this strategy, we reclaim multilateral space, honor feminist and queer legacies, and build cross-regional solidarity networks.
We hold the line — not only in defense, but in vision of a world where all genders, all bodies, and all rights are recognized, protected, and celebrated.“Lesbians of the World” is a call to unity, courage, and collective imagination.
At Outright, we use LBQ as an inclusive term that refers to lesbian, bisexual, and queer women, including cisgender, transgender, and intersex women, as well as non-binary and gender-diverse people who identify with or have affinity to LBQ experiences and communities.
We recognize that language is constantly evolving and that no single term can capture the full richness and diversity of people’s identities and lived experiences. We are also aware that people around the world use different languages and concepts to define themselves as communities, and that translations are often imperfect.
LBQ is used not as a term to delineate boundaries, but rather as a tool to establish common ground — connecting the experiences of women and of queer people, and reflecting forms of organizing, community, and solidarity that exist at the intersections of gender and sexuality.
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