HOSTS
Eduarda Ferreira
LGBTI rights activist, CICS.NOVA, FCSH/UNL
Eduarda Ferreira is an activist for LGBTI rights and an active member of feminist organizations. She is a researcher of CICS.NOVA – Interdisciplinary Centre of Social Sciences, at FCSH/NOVA, Portugal. With a background in Educational Psychology, a master degree in e-Learning Management Systems and a PhD in Social and Cultural Geography, she has published and presented on LGBTI rights, lesbian geographies, digital technologies and gender. Her research interests are focused on participatory geospatial web, geographies of gender and equality policies.
Rui Maria Pêgo
Radio and TV Host, Actor
Rui Maria Pêgo is 29 years old and is a radio and tv host and an actor. With the SNOOZE programme, he entertains MegaHits listeners in the morning and is now a cast member of the musical “Avenida Q” (Portuguese version of the Broadway show “Avenue Q”). His career began at SIC Radical, when he first own the casting to host the programme Custo Circuito in 2009.
He has been at RTP (The Voice Kids and Intermédio), SIC (Curto Circuito, Summer Festivals, So You Think You Can Dance), and at the radios MeoMusic and Radar. He was the screenwriter and author of the tv show “Filho da Mãe”, at Canal Q.
In 2016, he won ILGA Portugal’s Rainbow Award and during the following year, was appointed Glocal Shaper Hub of Portugal.
RAPPORTEURS
Sandra Palma Saleiro
Researcher at CIES – Centro de Investigação e Estudos de Sociologia (Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology) at ISCTE-IUL and guest assistant lecturer at the School of Sociology and Public Policies at ISCTE-IUL
She has a PhD in Sociology from the ISCTE-IUL – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (University Institute of Lisbon) with a thesis on (trans)gender identities. She is a researcher at CIES – Centro de Investigação e Estudos de Sociologia (Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology) at ISCTE-IUL and guest assistant lecturer at the School of Sociology and Public Policies at ISCTE-IUL. She has been working on research projects about gender, gender equality and gender violence; transsexuality, transgender, gender diversity; evaluation of public policies and of programs and projects. She is currently developing, at CIES-IUL, the project “Gender Diversity, Citizenship and Healthcare”.
Paulo Côrte-Real
With a PhD in Economics from Harvard University, he is a Professor at the Nova School of Business and Economics.
As a feminist and an activist for LGBT rights and Human rights, he has held several positions in LGBT and Human Rights organizations in Portugal, and he has also served as Co-Chair of the ILGA-Europe Board. He currently coordinates the local programme “Campolide is Equality” and he is a member of “Coisas do Género”, a platform for reflection and intervention on gender and sexuality.
SPEAKERS
Ana Aresta
Vice President of ILGA Portugal
With an academic background in Heritage Management and Cultural Practices for Municipalities, Ana Aresta currently develops her professional activity around the areas of Communication and Political Sciences. Lesbian, feminist and a Human Rights activist – with a major focus on Gender Equality and LGBTI Rights –, she is member of ILGA Portugal’s Board since 2014 and Vice President of this NGO since November 2016.
Carla Madeira
President of the Misericórdia Parish Council
Carla Madeira, was born on April 20, 1975, holds a degree in Public Administration and Management and a Master’s degree in Administration and Public Policy. Elected as President of the Parish Council of Misericórdia and Deputy to the Lisbon Municipal Assembly, she is a member of the Municipal Board and the 1st, 2nd and 6th Permanent Committees. She is a member of the Council Political Committee of the Socialist Party.
Emy Ritt
Director of the Paris 2018 Gay Games 10
Emy has been with Paris 2018-Gay Games 10 since 2014 as Director of International Relations.
A participant of the Gay Games in Amsterdam, Sydney, Chicago, Cologne, and Cleveland, Emy won a silver medal in sailing at the 2006 Gay Games in Chicago. Emy was on the Federation of Gay Games Board from 2002 to 2014, its Co-President from 2007 to 2013, and is currently an FGG Honorary Life Member and Co-President Emeritus. In 2012, Emy worked as a project manager for the London Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Based in Europe for the last 30 years, Emy has lived in the U.S., London, Amsterdam, and in Paris as a proud French citizen. Currently, in addition to her work with Paris 2018-Gay Games 10, Emy is also active in the local Paris LGBT community and plays violin with the Paris-based Rainbow Symphony Orchestra.
Euan Platt
Executive Co-ordinator, IGLYO
Euan has been professionally involved in LGBTQI work for over ten years, both in Scotland and Europe. He is currently the Executive Co-ordinator of IGLYO – The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer & Intersex (LGBTQI) Youth & Student Organisation, which has over 90 member organisations in 40+ Council of Europe Countries. As a youth development organisation, IGLYO builds the confidence, skills and experience of LGBTQI young people to become leaders within the LGBTQI and human rights sectors.
Previously, Euan was the National Youth Work Manager at LGBT Youth Scotland, setting up youth services in new areas, developing and co-ordinating the LGBT National Youth Council, and managing the organisation’s online youth work. Throughout all his work, Euan has championed for LGBTQI inclusive education, anti-bullying initiatives and positive and comprehensive sex and relationships education.
Isabel Guerra
Councillor of the Cascais City Council
Has participated in several national and international education organisations. In this area she is a member of two international organisations: OMEP – World Organisation of Pre-School Education and Ibero-American Association of School and University Healthcare (in this as a founding partner).
She has developed work in the social field as a volunteer, having been the director of a national IPSS (Private Social Solidarity Institution).
She has participated in several national and international organisations in the human rights field.
She is qualified in holistic therapies and serves in the International Synergetic Association, also as a volunteer.
João Paulo Rebelo
Secretary of State of Youth and Sport
João Paulo Rebelo was born in Lourenço Marques, Moçambique, in 1974.
He is a business manager, with a degree from the Institute of Higher Financial Studies and a graduate in Management from the Higher Institute of Administration and Management.
He was elected Member of Parliament by the Viseu Electoral Circle for the XIII Legislature, being an effective member of the Commission of Economy, Innovation and Public Works.
Entrepreneur, also served as Deputy Director General in a recycling company and as a human resources and commercial director in a group of companies in Viseu.
He was a member of the Board of Movijovem, CIPRL between 2006 and 2011.
He collaborated in the Microsoft Innovative Leadership Training Program and participated in the IAPMEI’s Management, Training and Consulting Program for Business Management.
He was elected councilor to the City Council of Viseu in
Katrin Hugendubel
Advocacy Director, ILGA-Europe
Katrin is in charge of the overall coordination of the policy and advocacy work of ILGA-Europe. Katrin’s task include leading the advocacy work of ILGA-Europe towards the EU institutions, EU Presidencies, the Council of Europe and the OSCE and together with her team ensure the support for national level advocacy on LGBTI rights across Europe and Central Asia.
Katrin holds a master degree in Political Science. Since 2002, Katrin worked as political advisor to a member of the European Parliament, as well as with several NGO networks on EU level and in Uganda. The main focuses of her studies and work life have been antidiscrimination policies and feminist politics, as well as European social and labour market policies.
Luís Manuel Ribeiro Cabaço
General Deputy Director of Foreign Policy of the MFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
He was born on the 1st of March 1967, in Lisbon; degreed in Law from the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon; approved in the competition for admission to the attaché posts of the Embassy, opened on the 30th of August 1991; attaché of the Embassy at the State Secretary on the 13th of May 1992; Embassy secretary on the 28th of October 1993; at the Embassy in London on the 20th of November 1996; second secretary of the Embassy on the 2nd of March 1998; at the State Secretary on the 16th of July 2001; equivalent to Head of Division at the General Directorate for Multilateral Affairs in the OSCE Presidency from the 25th of July to the 31st of December 2002; First Secretary of the Embassy on the 13th of May 2002; Head of Division at the European Service Bureau, on the 20th of January 2003; Deputy to the Office of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, on the 22nd of July 2004; at the State Secretary on the 21st of March 2005, Head of Division at the Asia and Oceania Services Division on the 28th of April 2005; Embassy Counsellor on the 21st of June 2006; Director of Human Resources Services, as a replacement, on the 1st of December 2006; Director of the mentioned service, on the 1st of May 2007; at the Permanent Delegation at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (DELNATO) in Brussels on the 10th of October 2008; at the State Secretary on the 31st of July 2013; Director of Services for International Economic Organisations at the General Directorate for Foreign Policy on the 1st of August 2013; 2nd class Plenipotentiary Minister on the 28th of May 2015; General Deputy Director of the General Directorate of Foreign Policy on the 17th December 2015.
Margarida Lima de Faria
President of AMPLOS
Sociologist. She embraced the LGBTI rights’ cause when she learned that one of her daughters was a lesbian. Alongside her husband, she founded AMPLOS, an association of LGBTI parents. Since 2009 she has been working with families of LGBTI people and is actively involved in the fight against discrimination and for the defence of the LGBT rights in the Portuguese legislation. The work of AMPLOS has been extended to the intervention in schools and in the community. She was also vice-president of the FDS – Familias por la Diversidad Sexual (Families for the Sexual Diversity Association), which brings together parents’ associations of 22 countries in Latin America, Spain and Portugal from 2013 to 2016. Currently she is general secretary of the European Network of Parents of LGBTI persons – ENP.
Maria Manuel Leitão Marques
Minister of the Presidency and of Administrative Modernisation
Maria Manuel Leitão Marques was born in, in Mozambique, in 1952. Deputy of the Assembly of Republic, she represents Viseu’s constituency (2015).
She graduated in Law and has a PhD in Economics.
She is Professor in Faculdade de Economia da Universidade de Coimbra (since 2003) and permanent researcher of its social studies center (since 1979).
She was Secretary of State for the Administrative Modernization both of the XVIII and XVII Government.
She is vice-president of Association Internationale de Droit Économique since 1993.
Between September 2013 and September/October 2014, she was member of the selection committee from the Bloomberg Philanthropies 2013-2014 Mayors Challenge’s competition.
She was member of High Level Group on Administrative Burdens (advisory group from the European Commission to reduce companies’ administrative burdens, specially the small and medium ones) (2013-14).
She was international consultant of Casa Civil da Presidência da República do Brasil during the «Exchange between European Union and Brazil» project and international consultant of the «Conducting an evaluation of services of the one stop shop» project in Mozambique.
She was Chairman of Observatório do Comércio do Ministério da Economia (1998-2002).
She coordinated several national and international investigation projects related to Economic Law, Competition Law, Sociology of Law and Public Administration. She also spoke in several conferences and published many papers in these areas.
She was non-executive director of Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos (2013-2015)
Maritza Rosabal Peña
Minister of Education, Family and Social Inclusion of Cape Verde
Cuban and Cape-Verdean Nationality. Degree in History from the University of Havana, Cuba.
Coordinated and directed several projects among which:Coordination of the Education Quality Field (Qualitative Research, Evaluation, School Management) – MEDRH/PROMEF/BM; Coordination of the NGO Training Field – MORABI; MORABI Executive Director of the NGO – MORABI Coordination of the Commission on Decentralization of Education of the Republic of Cape Verde; Direction of the Studies and Planning Office of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Cape Verde; Coordination of the Didactic Materials Production Unit of the Renovation and Extension Project of the Educational System (PREBA).
Melissa Sonnino
Facing Facts! Coordinator, CEJI
Originally from Rome, Italy, Melissa has extensive experience in managing EU projects. Since its inception in 2011, she has managed and developed the European project Facing Facts! – make hate crime visible. She is responsible for building and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders and partners, supporting the communications and fundraising strategies, and coordinating multiple activities and projects related to the CEJI’s work on hate crime and hate speech. She also has significant experience in developing and implementing training programmes, in-person and online, on issues related to hate crime and hate speech monitoring.
Nuno Pinto
President of ILGA Portugal
Nuno Pinto is an activist and volunteer of ILGA Portugal association since 2005, and member of the Board since 2011 – of which he is currently President. Holds a degree in political psychology and is a researcher in the field of social sciences. Nuno has a PhD from ISCTE – Lisbon University Institute, with a thesis on the situation of trans people in Portugal, and has worked in several national and international projects doing both research and intervention in LGBTI domains.
Patrick Gasser
Head of Football and Social Responsibility of Union of European Football Associations
Patrick Gasser heads UEFA’s Football and Social Responsibility (FSR) Unit, having joined UEFA in 1999. Before joining UEFA he worked for thirteen years at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), both in the field and in Geneva. He has worked in areas affected by conflict in Africa, Asia and Europe where he had a broad range of responsibilities that included directing relief and protection operations and managing media contacts. Along with football his sporting passions are skiing and tennis.
Patrycja Pogodzinska
Legal Expert of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency
Patrycja Pogodzinska (PhD) is a legal expert at the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights(FRA), working in the Equality Sector of the Equality and Citizens' Rights Department. Her areas of expertise with respect to the FRA’s work include: European human rights law, non-discrimination, LGBTI rights, citizens’ rights and freedom of movement, discrimination on the grounds of nationality.
Before joining FRA in 2016, she worked for several years as a lawyer at the European Court of
Human Rights, the Council of Europe Department of the European Social Charter and the CoE Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS), and later at the European Parliament in the Department of Legislative Acts. Earlier she had worked in Poland in a solicitor’s office and as a university lecturer.
She is a qualified lawyer and holds a PhD in international law; she is author of numerous publications in the area of international law and human rights, in particular on non-discrimination and LGBTI rights, and was a laureate of a scholarship at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg.
Paulo Carvalho da Silva
Vice-president of rede ex aequo
Paulo Carvalho da Silva holds a bachelor in International Relations and is an International Law master student, writing his dissertation on the relation between Corporate Social Responsibility policies and Human Rights, with a focus on inclusion and diversity management, from the University of Lisbon.
Paulo is currently doing his master’s project at GRACE (Group of Reflection and Support for Business Citizenship), collaborates with the Portuguese Charter for Diversity and he is vice-president of rede ex aequo – an LGBTI and allies youth association.
Before that, Paulo worked at a consulate in Valencia, a startup in Barcelona, an art gallery in Berlin and went on ERASMUS to the Czech Republic.
Ricardo Amaral Robles
Lisbon City Councillor for Education and Social Rights
Ricardo Amaral Robles (Almada, 1977) is the Councillor for Education and Social Rights at Lisbon City Council, elected by Bloco de Esquerda (Left Bloc). Previously he was the leader for Bloco de Esquerda in the Municipal Assembly of Lisbon (2013-2017). He has a degree in Civil Engineering at Instituto Superior Técnico (1995-2000), and a Master in Civil engineering (IST, 2007). He is also trained in sustainable development and became a qualified specialist in energy efficiency of buildings (2008). He is a senior member of the Portuguese Order of Engineers.
Richard Köhler
Senior Policy Officer; Deputy Executive Director
Richard Köhler oversees TGEUs policy and advocacy work at the European level. He regularly speaks at institutions of the European Union and the Council of Europe on a number of occasions, such as the historic meeting of Human Rights Commissioner’s trans expert meeting in 2008. He has been a sought expert on trans equality in Europe by policy makers and trans activists alike. Richard served as member in the interim board of EPATH – the European Professional Association for Transgender Health Care and of the German Equality Body’s independent expert committee on gender. Richard is co-author of the Best Practice Catalogue Human Rights and Gender Identity and the toolkit “Legal Gender Recognition in Europe.
He has been a trans activist within the European Transgender movement for more than a decade. As member of the steering committee of TGEU (2007-2010) he has continuously initiated change to develop the structure and policy of TGEU drawing from his wide experience in international project management and NGO consultancy. Richard has been vital to the organization of European Transgender Councils and trainings for the trans community.
Previously, he managed projects supporting minority groups in the former Soviet Union with ILGA-Europe and German Gesellschaft für International Zusammenarbeit – GiZ. He has a background in International Business Administration with specialization on NGOs in Russian-speaking countries. Richard speaks English, French, German and Russian and lives in Berlin.
Rosa Monteiro
Secretary of State for Citizenship and Equality
Rosa Monteiro was born in Coimbra in 1972. She graduated in Sociology from University of Coimbra’s Faculty of Economics, where she also got her Ph.D., in 2011. Her masters degree is from the Miguel Torga Institute.
She is a Researcher at University of Coimbra’s Social Studies Center in the field of Labour, Inequalities and Social Policies, an recognized expert in Gender Equality and Women’s Studies, and a teacher at Miguel Torga Institute.
Between 2012 and 2015 she was also Vice-President of the Portuguese Association of Women’s.
Santiago M’banda Lima
Ação Pela Identidade Codirector and President of the Board
Santiago M’banda Lima is Angolan Portuguese, born in Viseu. He is an antiracist and intersex rights ARTivist, being the first intersex person coming out with their status in Portugal, during a public speech in the Portuguese Parliament, in May 2015. He is the cofounder, codirector and president of the board of the NGO Ação Pela Identidade, where they explore a media focused strategy (new and traditional media), and also advocacy and consultancy, including the new bill on self-determination and protection of sex characteristics. He is a professional dancer, writer and artist who considers himself as a creator.
Sarah Townsend
General Secretary of European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation
Currently serving as General Secretary for the European Gay and Lesbian Sports Federation, Sarah has been active in advocating for lesbian rights for over 20 years in France with the lesbian-feminist organisation CEL in Marseille, represents the Fédération Sportive Gaie et Lesbienne as International delegate and has been on the board of the European Gay and Lesbian Sports Federation since 2016.
Sören Landmann
Equal Opportunities Commissioner for People of Diverse Sexual and Gender Identities (LGBTI Commissioner) of the City of Mannheim (Germany)
Sören Landmann is LGBTI Commissioner of the City of Mannheim. This position was created in 2015 as the first of its kind in the German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg. His work is aiming to improve equal opportunities for people of diverse sexual and gender identities both inside the city administration and the urban society. Since 2015, Sören Landmann is representing the City of Mannheim in the Rainbow Cities Network.
Sören Landmann studied Psychology in the City of Trier. Besides his job he is also Chair of the Board of the German LGBTI charity “Campaign against Homophobia”.
Susie Green
CEO of Mermaids, UK Charity for gender non-conforming and transgender children, young people and their families.
For the past 20 years Susie has been advocating on behalf her transgender child, and on behalf of other UK parents and their children.
From October 1999 Susie was an active member of Mermaids, the UK charity for transgender children and teens and their families. In that time Mermaids has interacted with and provided peer support to parents of gender questioning, gender non-conforming and transgender children, young people themselves, and professionals involved in their care.
In January 2016 Susie became CEO of Mermaids, and through Susie’s drive and commitment, Mermaids has grown, providing information, advice and emotional support to thousands of individuals.
Teresa Fragoso
President of the Portuguese Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality
Teresa Fragoso has been president of the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality (CIG) since August 2016, following a previous tenure in the same position in 2011–2012.
Ms Fragoso’s previous roles include working as a political adviser to the Portuguese Secretary of State for Citizenship and Gender Equality (2015–2016) as well as to the Portuguese Secretary of State of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, with responsibility for gender equality and international relations (2005–2008). She has also worked as a gender and development specialist with UNWOMEN in East Timor (2009–2010).
Ms Fragoso has an MSc in “Gender and the Media” from the London School of Economics. She is currently completing a PhD in public policy at ISCTE – Lisbon University Institute on the subject of parental leave and fathers’ rights across the EU.
Tiago Brandão Rodrigues
Minister of Education
Tiago Brandão Rodrigues was born in Braga, in 1977. He was elected to Parliament in 2015 for Viana do Castelo constituency.
Graduate in Biochemistry in Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia of Universidade de Coimbra in 2000, he was researcher in Dallas University and in Biomedics Investigation Institute, in Madrid. He has a PhD in Biochemistry from Universidade de Coimbra, and his thesis won António Xavier Prize, in 2008. From 2010, he was researcher in Cancer Research UK, of Cambridge University, being also associated to Corpus Christi College. His researche was sponsored by European Commission, through the Marie Curie Program and the European Molecular Biology Organization.
He is member of several international scientific societies and author of many articles published in specialized magazines, such as Nature Medicine, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Cancer Research. With his article about one pioneer technique to evaluate the effectiveness of cancer treatments published in Nature Medicine magazine, he won the British Prize of International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, in 2013.
He was guest speaker in many international conferences and lecturer in several pre and post-graduation formations. He is member of the editorial board of scientific magazines and reviewer of articles, as well as evaluator of reputed international scientific funding agencies. He was member of the direction of Portuguese Association of Researchers and Students in the UK, where he developed work in communication of science. He was Olympic attaché to the Portuguese delegation to the Olympic Games in London, in 2012.
Tine Claus
Tine Claus started her professional career in 2006 as a researcher and lector at the Faculty of Law and Political Sciences of the University of Liège. During three years, she combined this academic assignment with the position of legal and policy adviser of the Federal Police, where she worked for 10 years. As a generalist official at the Police, her areas of expertise extended to different areas of law such as the legal framework on human rights of persons in custody and immigration law.
In 2016, she has started as the head of the new federal administration for Equal Opportunities. During the setting-up of her team, she has taken up the challenge to organise the 5th IDAHOT Forum in collaboration with four different cabinets and three other administrations. Meanwhile, her administration ensures the secretariat of the Evaluation Commission of the federal anti-discrimination law and works on the amendment of these laws, has become the National Point of Contact Hatecrime for ODIHR and has developed with her cabinet the Interfederal action plan against discrimination and violence towards LGBTI persons.
Tom Erlend Skaug
Deputy minister, Ministry of Children and Equality, government of Norway. Took office in January 2018.
Previous positions:
2014-2018: Deputy head of secretariat and political director, Conservative Party parliamentary group.
2013-2014: Head of secretariat, Gjensidigestiftelsen.
2010-2013: Deputy head of secretariat, Royal Court of Norway
2009-2010: Communication Partner, Nordea Bank ASA
2006-2009: Senior communications advisor, JKL Group
2000-2006: Political advisor, Conservative Party of Norway
Master of law, University of Oslo, 2002
Valon Dasharami
General Secretary of Minister of Human and Minority Rights of Montenegro
Born on January 2, 1991 in Bar. He finished Elementary and High school in Ulcinj, after which he studied at the Faculty of Law in the University of Donja Gorica.
He completed specialist studies in the judicial direction. He completed his traineeship at the Law office Vukmanovi? Radovan. He was a member of the Municipal Election Commission in Ulcinj, to which he resigned for appointment as a member of the State Election Commission.
Valon Dasharami was also appointed a member of the Commission for the drafting of a draft version of the Statute of the Municipality of Ulcinj.
Yves Aerts
Executive director of Çavaria (Flemish LGBT+ umbrella organisation)
Yves Aerts is the executive director of çavaria (since 2007), the LGBT+ umbrella organization in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, with more than 125 member organisations. Çavaria inspires, stimulates and supports associations and individuals who stand up for a broad view on sexual orientation, gender expression and gender identity. The organisation strives for the well-being and fights for the rights of homosexuals, lesbians, bisexuals and trans* people in all aspects of everyday life. Çavaria also co-organises the Belgian Pride.
Yves is instrumental in lobbying for LGBT+ causes in Flemish and Belgian politics. Before he became coordinator of çavaria he was a voluntary board member and president of Het Roze Huis (The Pink House) in Flanders’ biggest city Antwerp. Het Roze Huis is the LGBT+ umbrella organization for the province of Antwerp. Yves was active in several LGBT+ youth organisations before moving on to Het Roze Huis.
Next to his job at Çavaria, Yves is also a board member at the Belgian Institute for the Equality of Women and Men, at the Interfederal Centre for Equal Opportunities and at the Federal Migration Centre.
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
Fado Bicha
Fado Bicha is Lila Fadista on vocals and João Caçador on the guitar.
It is Fado up to the very brim and is queer because it is filled with subversion and tearing. We oppose to the terms and the structures that oppress our expression as artists with a non-normative identity. We give voice to a personal experimentation with layers of activism and representativeness of a community still barely visible. We love Fado and it is part of our creative expression. But Fado did not include an important part of our identity: to be LGBT, to be queer. Until now.