Maria Sjödin New OutRight Appointment

By Charlotte Robinson, September 13, 2021

OutRight Action International Board of Directors welcome Deputy Executive Officer Maria Sjödin as the org’s new acting Executive Director as longtime Executive Director Jessica Stern joins the Biden Administration as U.S. Special Envoy to Advance the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons at the State Department. Maria has over 20 years of experience advocating for LGBTQ equality serving as Executive Director of RSFL, Sweden’s largest LGBTIQ organization from 2005 to 2014. While in this position Maria established RFSL's international program & played a key role in ensuring that the human rights of LGBTQ people become ingrained in the Swedish government's agenda for development and foreign affairs. Maria also advocated for marriage equality & the abolishment of forced sterilization of trans people as a requirement for legal gender recognition outlawed in 2013. Jenny Pizer, Senior Counsel at Lambda Legal & OutRight Board Co-Chair stated, “Maria is the perfect person to steer OutRight during this time of transition. As Deputy Executive Director, Maria co-created many of OutRight’s greatest successes, while also leading the organization’s development & communications work through a period of extraordinary revenue growth & media visibility. We are extremely fortunate to have in Maria a world-renowned LGBTIQ human rights expert, a skillful manager & a deeply trusted face of the organization as our Acting Executive Director.” For over 30 years OutRight has served as a global LGBTQ rights organization with staff around the world. Its COVID LGBTIQ Emergency Fund has now released $3.2 million in grants to 310 LGBTIQ organizations on the frontlines in 102 countries around the world. Its annual conference OutSummit will take place virtually December 8th to 10th. For More Info…

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