The Council is made up of 30 prominent U.S.-based organizations, each standing separately at the intersection of human rights and LGBTI equality in the United States and overseas. This unique collaboration joins the respective expertise and positioning of LGBTI and non-LGBTI human rights advocates; domestic and foreign policy specialists; religious voices; and gender and sexual rights and health specialists. Together we have become a recognized foreign policy organization in Washington and an anchor organization for the LGBTI movement.
The cross-sectoral nature of our coalition structure is a critical asset. Each organizational member of the Council has unique insights and a targeted constituency – both domestically and globally – to bring to our shared advocacy efforts. Each member also has its own advocacy style, allowing the Council to tap into multiple overlapping campaigns and strategies. The Council’s “big tent” approach reflects and respects the diversity of its membership and cobbles these different advocacy approaches into a unique “insider/outsider” strategy. The Council adheres to a set of Guiding Principles that guide our organizations’ overall engagement.
To further our reach and impact, the Council also intersects with other coalitions working on refugee support, developmental assistance, democratic inclusion, and HIV/AIDS and global health policy. These coalitions include the Amsterdam Network, the Global AIDS Policy Partnership, the Sexual Rights and Health Roundtable, the civil society component of the Equal Rights Coalition, and numerous coordinating listservs.
