Episode 10: Expanding Human Rights: LGBT Inclusion and The Struggle to Eliminate Racism

US Human Rights Network Podcast

As we transition from March to April, this episode focuses on two topics related to internationally observed days in March; International Women’s Day and The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Women’s Rights often rely on a conventional definition of gender. As women’s herstory months draws to an end this week, Pauline Park joins us to discuss gender binaries and expanding the discussion of women’s rights and human rights to include Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered people. Pauline is a transgendered woman of Asian birth who has had extensive involvement with the LGBT community in New York and nationally. She is the co-founded of the New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy, (NYAGRA) which is the first statewide transgender advocacy organization in New York. She has written widely on LGBT issues and has conducted transgender sensitivity training sessions for a wide range of social service providers and community-based organization. March 21st is annually observed as The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The Sharpeville massacre occurred on this day in 1960, when police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid “pass laws” in Sharpeville, South Africa. The United Nations General Assembly proclaiming the day in 1966 and called on the international community to redouble its efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination. This year from April 20-24, the international community will gather in Geneva to assess the progress towards eliminating racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerances. Ejim Dike (DEEKAY), Director of the Human Rights Project at The Urban Justice Center, speaks with Ajamu about the upcoming conference. Ejim has worked on social policy issues for over ten years and in the domestic human rights arena for the past seven years. Her human rights work focuses on addressing poverty and discrimination using a human rights framework.