Brody's Notes... All Out: Building The Global Movement For LGBT Equality

By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) DEC 9 | A new campaigning organisation dedicated to building a movement to accelerate full equality for LGBT people was announced yesterday in New York City by spokesperson Wesley Adams.
Founded by a core team of experienced movement makers, and supported by an international advisory board of renowned civil rights organisers, online and offline campaigners, issue experts, policy makers and analysts, and human rights activists from around the world. In 2011 All Out will kick off a number of timely global campaigns-including one focused on the troubling support of U.S. evangelicals for homophobic policies and politicians in Africa and elsewhere.
Against an uptick in homophobia and violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people around the world- All Out will run creative campaigns to change culture-and policy-so that LGBT people everywhere can lead lives of dignity and share fully in community life.
Former Clinton Administration presidential advisor Richard Socarides, who is now serving in a capacity of an advisory board member to All out said:

"As we saw in Uganda, our ability to take fast collective action globally can save lives. That's what All Out is all about."

All Out is launching with the support of several of major international foundations, among them the Arcus Foundation, the largest supporter of international LGBT work in the world. The organisation will build a team of international, multilingual campaigners to develop and execute viral campaigns aimed at growing a large-scale global constituency of millions that can be regularly engaged to support LGBT issues.

"History is already moving in the direction of greater equality, but it is up to each of us to push that change faster and farther," says Jeremy Heimans, co-founder of All Out.

In 76 countries around the world being LGBT is a crime. In 10 of those, it is legal grounds for life imprisonment-or execution. Additionally in many countries where living openly gay is not considered a crime, assault and murder against LGBT people is on the rise, and LGBT rights are viewed as "special rights" rather than basic human rights.
In the face of these tremendous challenges, All Out presents a new platform for the international movement of LGBT people to speak in one powerful voice-even when its members speak different languages. Using the most sophisticated online tools and best practises for online campaigning, All Out is poised to draw new attention and energy to key efforts around the world.
All Out went live with a short video made In collaboration with activists in over ten cities on five continents-from Buenos Aires to Tokyo, Kathmandu to Beirut and beyond-that seeks to express both the challenges, and common aspirations, shared by a broad and diverse LGBT community around the world.
The video was edited and produced in partnership with Found Object Films, and is translated in multiple languages: