Recent years has seen increasing support for LGBT+ rights, both domestically and internationally. Since the establishment of the Yogyakarta Principles in 2006, LGBT+ rights have clearly gained momentum. However, progress has been uneven.

The status of LGBT+ rights remains controversial. They have often been undermined and overlooked. Following the 10-year anniversary of the Principles, many states are yet to incorporate LGBT+ rights into their laws and give effect to them in practice. The HRLC’s 18th Annual Student Human Rights Conference provides an excellent opportunity to explore the successes of LGBT+ rights whilst recognising the barriers and discussing future reforms.

The Conference will explore the advancements made in the application of human rights law for LGBT+ people. It will critically examine the progress that must be made to ensure that all people, no matter who they are, are ‘free and equal’. Keynote speakers will present their insights into LGBT+ rights from a variety of perspectives. Contributions will also be made by student panellists, and pertinent questions will be addressed. What legal obligations do states and international institutions, like the UN, have and should they be doing more? What are the root causes of LGBT+ discrimination? Does the future lie in the law or in changing social attitudes, or both? What role can civil society play?

We are pleased to be joined by:

• Professor Michael O’Flaherty, Director, EU Agency for Fundamental Rights
• Mr Arvind Narrain, Geneva Director, ARC International
• Professor Javaid Rehman, Professor of Law, Brunel University
• Ms Joanna Whiteman, Co-Director, Equal Rights Trust
• Professor Stephen Whittle, Professor of Equalities Law, Manchester Metropolitan University

As in previous years, attendees will be able to attend student panels and hear postgraduate students present their research on the conference topic.

This year we are also pleased to announce that we will be introducing a more interactive aspect to the conference. The afternoon will consist of two workshops where attendees will be able to put into practice what they have learnt from the day, network with fellow guests and learn about advocacy strategies from practitioners:

• Workshop 1 will focus on LGBT+ advocacy and lobbying strategies at national and international level – lead by Mr Paul Dillane, Executive Director of Kaleidoscope Trust
• Workshop 2 will focus on LGBT+ communication and awareness raising strategies – lead by Out in Education

Conference programme available via this link.

Registration for the Conference is now open and tickets can be purchased online. The Conference offers a range of different ticket packages for attendance and early bird discounts are available until 16 March 2017. Final registration for attendance is Friday 24 March.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact the Student Conference Committee on humanrightsconference@nottingham.ac.uk