Human Rights Watch Hosts Special Reception with Boris Dittrich

Human Rights Watch Hosts Special Reception with Boris Dittrich

Please join us for an inspiring conversation with Boris Dittrich, an international leader in the LGBT rights movement. Boris will speak about the LGBT movement globally, drawing attention HRW’s efforts towards the de-criminalization and non-discrimination of LGBT people, particularly in Africa.

Prior to Boris’ involvement with Human Rights Watch, he was an active member of the Dutch parliament, where he initiated same sex marriage and adoption bills through which the Netherlands became the first country in the world to legalize civil marriage for gays and lesbians.

When: June 15, 5:30-7pm

Where: Bingham McCutchen, 3 Embarcadero Center, 28th Floor, San Francisco

RSVP to Carissa.Lopez@hrw.org by June 13, 2011.

If you have any questions, please contact Human Rights Watch at 415-362-3250.
Boris Dittrich co-organized the launch of a landmark document, the Yogyakarta Principles, principles on the application of international human rights law in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity, at the UN in New York. He also co-organized two side events at the UN Headquarters on sexual orientation and gender identity which resulted in the joint statement of 66 countries (now 67 including the United States) to combat discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity respectively a statement by the Holy See to decriminalize homosexual conduct and to respect the human rights of homosexual men. He visited countries in Latin America, Africa, Asia and Europe where he discussed LGBT rights with governments, members of parliament and civil society and where he gave many interviews on LGBT rights. Before coming to Human Rights Watch in 2007, Boris was a member of the Dutch national parliament for more than 12 years. He initiated the same sex marriage and adoption bills through which the Netherlands became the first country in the world to open its civil marriage for gays and lesbians. Before being elected as MP Boris was a judge at the regional court of Alkmaar and prior to that a lawyer in Amsterdam. He is author of two books in Dutch in which he focuses on LGBT rights. He studied at Leiden University in the Netherlands.