Moderator: Cianán Russell Senior Policy Officer, ILGA Europe

Biography:

Cianán Russell is a Senior Policy Officer at ILGA-Europe based in Brussels, Belgium, working on policy and advocacy relating to trans, intersex, health, conversion practice, data collection, and the anti-gender movement in Europe and Central Asia. They started LGBTI activism in the US in 1996, and have previously worked with the Indiana Transgender Rights Advocacy Alliance (USA), the Asia Pacific Transgender Network, and Transgender Europe.

Cianán is involved in work related to the needs and care of trans and gender diverse people exposed to sexual violence, sexual assault, and rape. They are also a member of the GATE Trans Men and HIV Working Group, the European AIDS Treatment Group, the Core Team of the Decolonising Digital Rights Process, the Advisory Board of the Policy Leadership Institute, the Advisory Committee of the State of the Trans & Intersex Movements research (2023 edition), and are part of the Man.ish Cave Team (the Netherlands).

They have a Ph.D. in chemistry from Purdue University (2008) and served on the teaching faculty at Georgia Institute of Technology from 2008-2013.

Gabriella Calleja Senior Policy Adviser at SOGIESC department of the Council of Europe

Biography:

Gabi Calleja joined the Council of Europe’s SOGIESC Unit as a Senior Policy Advisor in March of 2023. Previous to that she served as the Head of the SOGIGESC Unit within the Human Rights Directorate in Malta, which she set up in June 2018. She served as the Chair of Malta’s LGBTIQ Consultative Council between 2015 and 2020 and was the Coordinator of the Malta LGBTIQ Rights Movement between 2007 and June 2018. She has been involved in advocacy work, legislation and policy development, strategic planning, training and capacity building, awareness raising and support to the LGBTIQ community since 2003. She served on the ILG-Europe executive board between 2010 and 2014. She read for a Masters in Youth & Community Studies with the University of Malta.

Simona Muršec President of Ljubljana Pride Association

Miltos Pavlou Socio-Legal Researcher and EU LGBTIQ+ Survey Manager, EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)

Biography:

Miltos Pavlou is socio-legal researcher of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights(FRA) and Manager of the EU LGBTIQ Survey. He has also managed in FRA the 2012 and 2019 LGBT(I) Surveys, the Fundamental Rights Forum 2021, the anti-Muslim hatred Database, the migrant integration comparative study Together on the EU and the Professionally Speaking qualitative researchon LGBTI equality.

Previously, he was heading the Institute for Rights, Equality and Diversity & the RED Network combating racism & xenophobia. He led major human rights research, such as the EU LGBTI Survey I & II and authored several publications & textbooks on equality, migration & integration, Roma inclusion, hate crime, extremism & non-discrimination. As Senior Ombudsman Investigator & Equality Body expert, he set up & performed institution-building in the Balkans & Central Asia.

Henrie Dennis Activist, Art Curator, Cultural Mediator, AfroRainbow Austria

Biography:

Henrie Dennis, a Nigerian lesbian activist, art curator, and cultural mediator, is the founder of Afro Rainbow Austria. Henrie wears multiple hats, contributing as a social worker at the street newspaper Augustin while pursuing a Ph.D. in Philosophy at the Academy of Fine Art. Her works centre on themes of queerness, migration, redistribution of resources, gender, anti-racism, and decolonization. A dedicated advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and representation, she leverages her platform to amplify marginalized voices and build bridges between diverse communities. Through the medium of art and dialogue, she challenges societal norms and promotes understanding and inclusivity.