WorldPride Washington, D.C. Human Rights Conference 2025

This session will outline the history of World AIDS Day, highlighting its role in raising awareness, commemorating lives lost, and combating HIV stigma. It will explore innovative strategies for modernizing community mobilization, focusing on how organizations can adapt to contemporary challenges using digital platforms, social media, and creative storytelling. Attendees will learn practical approaches to event planning, street campaigns, and workshops, with a focus on engaging diverse audiences—particularly youth, people of color, and underserved communities. The session will provide actionable tools to reinvigorate advocacy and ensure the ongoing relevance of World AIDS Day.

In this session, led by RFK Human Rights’ Human Rights Education Program Director, attendees will gain a high-level overview of effective advocacy and mobilization techniques. The workshop will provide actionable insights and strategies for creating tangible, positive change in communities, empowering participants to turn their passion for justice into impactful action. From grassroots organizing to strategic campaigns, this session will offer practical steps that attendees can take to advocate for human rights and drive lasting social transformation, both locally and globally.

This session highlights trans-led movements around the globe that are challenging power structures, shifting policy, and building radical futures. Panelists will share organizing strategies, coalition work, and lessons from the frontlines of global resistance—and why liberation must be led by those most impacted.

How local governments and grassroots clubs in the Netherlands are building inclusive sports environments.

What does creating safer and more inclusive sports environments take for individual clubs and across an entire region?
In this session, Henk Nijmeijer, Rainbow Ambassador for the Province of Drenthe (Netherlands), shares the story of The Safe Dressing Room, a Dutch program developed in close cooperation with local governments, grassroots sports clubs, and national partners.
You’ll learn how regional alliances can support cultural change in the amateur and community sports sector, and what this means for club boards, volunteers, and local coordinators. This workshop highlights the power of collaborative leadership, policy support, and shared responsibility across municipalities, sports federations, and community actors.
This session is especially relevant for club administrators, policymakers, and sports professionals working to create safer and more welcoming environments on and off the field. It is also for those interested in policy-based approaches, regional coordination, and building trust and structure across systems, especially in rural or local contexts.

Note on the title:
In the original Dutch program, we speak of “De Veilige Kleedkamer,” which translates to both “locker room” and “dressing room.” While the program may appear as “The Safe Locker Room” in some places, the official international name is The Safe Dressing Room, emphasizing the social and cultural space where safety, identity, and inclusion meet. This initiative is not just about a physical space but about the culture within it.

In many countries, intersex issues are seen largely as medical “disorders” that need to be corrected through medical interventions. There isn’t much of a focus on the human rights and bodily autonomy of the individual. Stigma and violations have created interconnected issues that continue to inform discourse on how to better support and advance intersex rights.

Thinking about the future of the Intersex movement from a global perspective is important because it requires us to examine intersex issues, context, strategies, and barriers to justice through different frameworks. As intersex activists, we examine these issues through a human rights framework that is rooted in lived experiences, with solidarity as a beacon of hope.

This session will allow for the intersex voices from most regions to be heard, and for allies to learn more about our cause and the opportunities to support from an informed perspective.

The session will explore the intersection of reproductive justice, community care, and the unique experiences of Black queer parents. As the founder of xHood, a thriving network for Black queer parents, participants will be guided through the realities of navigating parenthood within systems often designed to exclude or marginalize.

This session will highlight the transformative potential of centering Black queer parents in conversations about reproductive rights and justice. It will delve into the systemic barriers we face, from limited access to inclusive fertility treatments and parental rights protections, to the social stigmas around non-normative family structures. By addressing these challenges, how Black queer parents redefine family to include chosen families, community care networks, and collective resilience will all be addressed.

Attendees will leave with an understanding of how reproductive justice extends beyond access to healthcare, to include the right to create and nurture families in safe, supported, and affirming environments. Through storytelling, research, and actionable insights, this session will inspire advocacy and community-led solutions that uplift Black queer families as essential contributors to a more equitable world.

Whether an advocate, ally, or a member of the LGBTQ+ community, this session will provide tools and perspectives to deepen our commitment to justice and inclusion. Together, we can reimagine family as a source of liberation and power."