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Last week in Geneva, the U.S. government made a landmark pronouncement supporting LGBT refugees and asylum seekers. I am proud to have represented ORAM personally at this historic event.

 

On the 63rd anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a roomful of international dignitaries and LGBT activists that "gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights."

 

Echoing ORAM's core concern, Secretary Clinton drove home that it is a violation of human rights "when people are murdered after public calls for violence toward gays, or when they are forced to flee their nations and seek asylum in other lands to save their lives."

 

The Secretary's riveting address was accompanied by a Presidential Memorandum urging support for organizations advancing LGBT human rights.

 

At ORAM, we are thrilled that the human rights we have been fighting so hard to defend are being recognized by the U.S. government. But there is much left to be done.

We know that like us, you feel inspired and energized to continue working on behalf of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex refugees. Now more than ever, your voice is needed. Please join us as we fight to put words to action.

 

Sincerely,

 

Neil Grungras, Esq.

Founder and Executive Director, ORAM

On the 63rd anniversary of the Human Rights Declaration, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a landmark address on human rights in which she called for an end to conditions forcing LGBTI people to flee their homelands.

The announcement, made in Geneva, was accompanied by a Presidential Memorandum, in which U.S. President Barack Obama urges increased funding to support organizations and initiatives fighting for equality for people persecuted for their sexual orientation and gender identity.

We are excited to be presenting ORAM's work as part of a workshop on resettling LGBTI refugees at the upcoming National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's Creating Change conference in Baltimore from January 25-29.

Visit the Creating Change website for more information on registration and connect with ORAM's Twitter feed and Facebook page for more information on the exact time of our workshop in January!

ORAM is looking for interns and volunteers to assist in our mission of protecting LGBTI refugees around the world. We are seeking good people to help us with the following:

• Legal Fellowship - San Francisco & D.C. 
• Legal Internship - San Francisco & D.C.  
• Translation & Research Internship - San Francisco. We are especially looking for volunteers and interns who speak Arabic, Farsi, and Spanish.

Meet our current interns, get a glimpse of what a legal fellow does, learn more about ORAM internships and share this link with your networks!