About
Outright International is a global LGBTIQ human rights organization headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1990 as the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), it works with partners around the globe to strengthen the capacity of the LGBTIQ human rights movement, document and amplify human rights violations against LGBTIQ people, and advocate for inclusion and equality.
Mission
Outright describes its work as "working together for better LGBTIQ lives." The organization is dedicated to eradicating the persecution, inequality, and violence that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer people face around the world.
What they do
- Human rights research: monitoring and documenting discriminatory and life-threatening conditions LGBTIQ people face, and producing groundbreaking research to spur action against human rights violations.
- Global programs: training partners and activists on tactics and strategy for LGBTIQ rights documentation and advocacy, and supporting activism through strategic advice, funding, networking, and crisis response.
- Advocacy: carrying the voices of activists to governments, institutions, and businesses, including engagement at the United Nations.
- Communications: sharing news, cultural media, and the advocacy of partners and experts through the lens of LGBTIQ people working on international human rights.
History
U.S. activist Julie Dorf founded the organization in 1990, with considerable involvement from other activists including Russian author and journalist Masha Gessen. Early work focused on Russia, where the organization campaigned to decriminalize same-sex relations. Milestones include successful advocacy for Amnesty International to add LGBT abuses to its mandate (1991), documentation supporting some of the first U.S. asylum claims based on sexual orientation (1993), and the launch of the Felipa de Souza Award (1994). In 2015, its 25th anniversary year, IGLHRC rebranded as OutRight Action International, and its then-Executive Director Jessica Stern became the first LGBTIQ advocate to address the U.N. Security Council. In 2018, India's Supreme Court cited a U.N. submission authored by the organization in its historic decision decriminalizing same-sex relations. The organization also hosts OutSummit, a flagship annual conference held in honor of Human Rights Day.
Financials
According to ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, for the fiscal year ending June 2025 Outright Action International (EIN 94-3139952) reported total revenue of $17,071,287, total expenses of $15,761,127, and net assets of $26,034,207. Executive Director Maria Sjodin received $310,996 in compensation plus $32,185 in other benefits. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose federal tax exemption was issued in February 1996.
Governance
Outright Action International is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization led by Executive Director Maria Sjodin, with offices at 228 E 45th Street, New York, NY.
