Rebecca Nyuei has been actively engaged in advocating for LGBTIQ+ rights since 2014, with a particular focus on addressing discrimination and human rights violations against transgender women in Indonesia. In September 2019, she became a co-founder of Jaringan Transgender Indonesia (JTID), a national level coordination platform for the transgender community.
Currently, Becca is a full-time staff member for Free To Be Program across Southeast Asia countries at Humanis Foundation (Affiliated with Hivos), an international development organization. Previously, she worked for Sanggar Swara, Jakarta-based young transgender women organization. During this period, she successfully managed various programs, for instance, Transchool, an alternative school for transgender women. Lastly, she is intensely interested in sustainable development, economic empowerment, macro-social interventions, and impact measurement.
Rima Athar is a collaborative leader, facilitator, and educator committed to advancing the rights of women, girls, and 2SLGBTIQ+ people globally. For over 15 years, she has worked with community-led teams from all regions of the world, to propel advocacy efforts on issues of sexual and bodily autonomy, gender-based violence, labour rights, business and human rights, and more. This includes with the transnational solidarity network Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML), the Association for Progressive Communications Women’s Rights Program (APC-WRP), and as the executive director of the Coalition for Sexual and Bodily Rights in Muslim Societies (CSBR).
More recently, Rima coordinated city-wide consultations that gathered over one thousand residents’ input to inform the City of Toronto’s forthcoming Gender Equity Strategy. She also facilitated the Toronto Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy Advisory Group’s community-based research on best practices for resident engagement in neighbourhood development.
Currently, Rima provides a range of support services to civic, social, and philanthropic organizations through her consulting practice. In her spare time, she enjoys going on adventures, hanging with her loved ones, swimming in the sea, and soaking up nature’s beauty.
In Vietnam, Chu Thanh Ha is the Founder and Executive Director of IT’S T TIME, a transgender-led organization working as a technical advisory agency for the Ministry of Health during the drafting of the Gender Affirmation Law and promoting for the legal gender recognition process since 2015. He has always been a transgender advocate and senior researcher who is passionate and has 10 years of professional experience in advocating for the voices, visibility, and effective participation of the transgender and gender-diverse community in Vietnam through policy advocacy, community mobilization, movement building, and public education. Some notable achievements include the legalization of legal gender recognition for transgender people through Article 37 of the Civil Code 2015 and the subsequent drafting of the Law on Gender Affirmation with the Ministry of Health. Ha also represents IT’S T TIME in various organizations and working group, such as C4TRANS (Coalition for Transgender Rights in Vietnam) and other international forums.
At the regional level (Asia-Pacific), he has conducted various regional studies and research to fill in the gap of knowledge regarding gender study and transgender rights. Ha has been engaging with APTN since 2016 and joined as Hate Crimes and Violence Monitoring Officer under the advocacy department in 2022. Ha is currently serving as Trans Representative of the ILGA Asia Executive Board Member for 2022-2024.
Joyce is passionate about human rights. She was a Peer Educator with Impact Research and development studies and KASH. Due to her neverending quest for knowledge and serving the community, she climbed ladders to be where she is today. Joyce worked with Keeping Alive Societies Hope (KASH) as a Field Officer. She was instrumental in the formation of KISWA which she was a Co-Founder. She also co-founded WEKESWA where she is the Program Coordinator and sits on the KEMRI-CGHR Community Advisory Board and is the current chairperson. She was also part of the 7th Regional Changing Faces, Changing Spaces Conference (CFCS VII) as a taskforce member. She is a member of AWID and ICW global. Joyce is also representing WEKESWA in the AVAC regional advocacy group. She has been appointed to the JOOTRH-Institutional Scientific Ethical Review Committee.
Joyce is passionate about HIV research treatment and prevention and a sex workers rights defender. She has a diploma in social work and project management and is a mother to three lovely kids, two boys and a girl. She loves dancing, cooking and listening to good music. Rights are rights, they never choose who to be with.
Sylvester is a Trans man. He serves as the Trans Rights Programme Officer at IRANTI, and before that he was the Deputy Director of Tranz Network Uganda. Sylvester has a great background in LGBTIQ+ advocacy. He is a researcher and has contributed to LGBTIQ+ focused research initiatives in Uganda and South Africa. He is a social justice activist with a master’s degree in Human Rights and Democratization. Sylvester is currently the secretary of the International Advisory Committee of the power of pride program, a consortium program between ILGA ASIA, COC Netherlands, and PAI that funds initiatives on LGBTIQ+ rights advancement across 22 countries of Asia and Africa. He has a deep background in LGBTIQ+ issues and has vest interest in amplifying the protection and promotion of LGBTIQ+ rights in the African region.
Kholoud Bidak is an African descent, BIPoC Queer feminist intersectional and political educator with focus on sensitivity, diversity, and intersectionality. Bidak has over 20 years of experience working with collectives and in the private sector in the African continent, Global South, and Europe. Bidak’s work areas include training and workshops, consultancy, mediation and supervision, leading organizational development processes, event organizing, wellbeing, and healing. Bidak is enthusiastic about sustaining the mental health of oneself and the collective along our daily life.
Sam is a Trans man raised on Feminist principles who is the Executive Director of Trans Research Education Advocacy and Training (TREAT), a Trans led organisation in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. He is currently serving as Chairperson of the Southern African Trans Forum and forms part of the current Interim Governing Body of the African Trans Network. He is a vibrant poet and musician who often employs artivism in his advocacy approaches.
Sam has been involved in consultancy, including hosting constructions for sex worker organising and most recently in modelling flexible decolonized funding. He believes strongly, in a work model that intersects economic justice and deems it essential to expand the agency of trans and gender diverse communities in order to attain a full and active citizenry. Sam is a strong believer in reviving the heart and soul of the movement and that love and empathy will continue to be unequaled forces in centering and growing movements around the globe.
Samantha is an operations professional who has 5+ years of experience in the non-profit industry. She began her professional career as an Americorps member focused on educational equity and has since held positions in frontline fundraising and fundraising operations. Her passion lies in making data accessible and efficient for her team and organization.
Samantha holds a business management degree from The University of Texas at San Antonio, with a minor in music.
Hlompho Mokoena, Program Officer, is a South African Black, genderqueer, non-binary intersex person. Hlompho is a feminist and human rights activists working on gender, gender identity, and sex characteristics as they intersect with race, class, the law, and technology. He brings over 10 years’ experience in community organizing, capacity strengthening for social justice, policy review and participatory grantmaking, with a specific focus on LGBTQI+ issues, public health, and digital rights. He is committed to strengthening the work of LGBTQ+ organisations in Africa. Hlompho has worked for organisations such as The Engine Room, The AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern and East Africa (ARASA) and Transgender and Intersex Africa (TIA). He has also served as an advisor in several participatory grantmaking boards such as the Intersex Human Rights Fund and Mama Cash’s Community Committee. When not working, Hlompho enjoys the outdoors and spending time with his partner and two kids.
Jovita joins the finance team with 12 years of experience in corporate accounts payable and finance. She previously worked in the advertising, production and wine industries. Jovita brings excitement for non-profit and advocacy work to Astraea.
