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Matthew Solomon

OutRight Action International

New York, NY

In the final month of my internship, I was given many opportunities to examine closely the ways in which this organization grapples with the issue of being a Western based-NGO that seeks to solve LGBTIQ inequality globally. One interesting element of this dynamic is the organizational hierarchy and how this affects the prioritization of work. It was clear that, in the wake of the Executive Director’s departure, all eyes were on who would replace this role. The organization has yet to make a formal announcement, but it will be interesting to see if they prioritize diversifying their highest office of leadership. In addition to this, I had the opportunity to work with their Africa Program Officer in order to better understand the work that they do on the continent. The officer provided an overview of the astounding work that she, along with local civil society organizations across the continent, do in order to build local understandings and conceptions of so-called conversion therapy, so that they can target and end the practices. This work is all done with an emphasis on allowing the local civil society organizations to lead the efforts, the officer herself is a human rights activist in Kenya who works as an advocate at the High Court.

I also had the opportunity to write a series of blog posts for the organization (in addition to other pieces written). My most recent article was an overview of the legacies that colonialism has left for the progress of LGBTIQ human rights across all former colonies. This piece took a very long time to develop, as editors needed to ensure that the piece was not too “accusations” of former colonizers, which illuminated the tensions that arise between working with former colonizers and for the underrepresented. Nevertheless, I was able to keep most of my original content in, even if I had to censor my tone, which honestly provided good professional development on my part. I am currently developing a collaborative blog post about disability and sexuality at the United Nations with Women Enabled International, and an informative article on gender identities. These are still in development as I am continuing my internship until the end of August. I wanted to have these done by the time I posted this blog, but also wanted to make sure that I gave everyone my final updates! 

 

Matt Solomon /
OutRight Action International /
NYC /

As my work at OutRight reaches the end of its penultimate month, the lived experience of an NGO operating in NGO-land has become much more clear. Much of the attention given to our department in the past months has been because of the amount of money OutRight has taken in from donors because of our Pride campaign. Our framing, outreach, staff work output, is all geared towards whatever will maximize the most donor dollars. This has left me feeling conflicted for a number of reasons.

The most obvious is the danger that so-called “donor darlings” have on humanitarian aid and assistance. Too many organizations are so constrained by their donor support and relationships that they are inactive on some issues. One of the most pertinent issues this relates to is the Israeli apartheid regime. To take a stance on the human rights issues in Palestine would be to alienate potential donors. Interestingly enough, in all conversations about pinkwashing, Israel does not get mentioned, even though they are the largest proponent of the practice.

Adversely, if there ever was an NGO that could ethically benefit from donors, it would be OutRight. The reason why is that a large portion of their resources is redirected back to local civil society organizations. This is why I decided to work with them in the first place. They actively raise the capacity and agency of local LGBTIQ organizations, rather than assuming that they know what is best for the global Queer order. However, this doesn’t make them perfect. There is the obvious question of selection bias, the conditions that are placed on aid, and the legitimacy that executives get instead of local civil society partners. I am not in a position to have the internal information necessary to actually comment on any of these elements, I can only offer conjecture. 

Since my last blog, our executive director was selected by President Biden to become the State Department’s special envoy to advance the rights of LGBTIQ persons. Undoubtedly, she is more than qualified for the role. Yet, it still begs the question of why an organization that centers its message around international voices outside of the U.S. gives so much power and influence to a U.S. citizen.

Matthew Solomon /
OutRight Action International /
New York, NY /

The mission behind OutRight is to serve as a hub for Queer civil society organizations around the world so that they can share resources, knowledge, and receive valuable donor funding. To this end, the organization is one of a kind in the sense that it places as much agency as possible in the hands of the local civil society organizations that it works with.

OutRight has fulfilled this function for the past thirty years and has been monumental for including an inclusive understanding of Queer issues such as the organization of Queer activists at the original Beijing Platform for Action. Their work stands in direct contrast to the tactics of the Vatican and other supporters of the Anti-Gender Movement, which has evolved to combat Queer issues at the Gender Equality Forum (the modern re-conceptualization of the BPfA). 

But what could be improved about how they communicate the work they do? A common occurrence in the realm of human rights work is the moral thought experiment of the “lesser evil.” Through this way of thinking, we convince ourselves that we do not need to adhere to all aspects of morality if we are at least doing some “good” in our work.

From what I can see so far, OutRight does not have an aversion to pondering the problems behind the work they do (from what I can tell). In the op-eds, articles, press releases, blog posts, and press briefings I have drafted, I was never told to exclude the most essential terms and concepts for this particular work. That is, that OutRight is not an expert on all Queer issues everywhere, that agency and platforms need to be given to local civil society organizations, that Western nations continue colonial platforms with the politicization of Queerness, and that redistribution of resources is the most important way to achieve equity for any population.

It is important to note that my work concerns itself primarily with message building. I am not an expert on the inner machinations of the organization. The bark may be more ethical than the bite, to put it one way. However, from what I can tell, OutRight’s rhetoric is decolonial and their work is intersectional.

Matthew Solomon /
OutRight Action International/
New York, NY /

My name is Matthew Solomon and I am an MA candidate at Gallatin pursuing a concentration in Queer human rights discourse. My studies consist of examining the efficacy of communications strategies when advocating for Queer rights on the global stage, along with the adverse impact that neocolonial rhetoric has on Queer liberation. The root of my research examines the tendency for Western NGOs and nations to frame Queer human rights in a way that reinforces colonial and racist stereotypes, and examines as well nations that do not conform to the neoliberal conception of Queer liberation regarding law, marriage equality, military inclusion, and the like.

This is why I am overjoyed at the opportunity to work as a communications intern with OutRight Action International, the only LGBTIQ NGO with permanent consultant status at the UN. In this capacity, I will assist the communications team with drafting press releases, social media posts, blog posts, opinion pieces, and other such documents. I will gain valuable insight as to how the organization considers language, rhetoric, and the impact that their framing has on the international environment when Queer rights are discussed.

I have been able to start early as they prepare for their Pride with a Purpose campaign. This campaign is an effort to acknowledge the activist roots of Pride, moving past corporate-sponsored parades and towards corporate-sponsored good. This seems like an oxymoron, and maybe it is. However, while normal Pride takes corporate money from organizations that are quite queerphobic, OutRight has a position in their development office designed to explicitly vet the organizations that they take money from. The rest of their funding comes from small-dollar donations.

My first task was to collect a series of stories from recipients of their COVID-19 emergency relief fund and create a narrative statement that captures the impacts of the grant on their lives. I was instructed to draft this narrative with sensitivity to their lived experiences, to ensure that they retain their agency and autonomy, while at the same time showcasing the importance of the fund (presumably to attract more donations). While the idea of keeping donors in mind may seem off-putting for the work of human rights, reading the stories and learning how the fund really saved some people when their government skipped them over while distributing resources, I was able to find the importance and necessity of the work.