Julia Ehrt appointed Executive Director of ILGA World

The announcement was made by ILGA World’s Board.

Ehrt assumes the role as of November 2021, while outgoing Executive Director André du Plessis will remain with the organisation in a senior advisor capacity until the end of the year

Geneva, 3 November 2021 – Julia Ehrt has been appointed as the next Executive Director of ILGA World, the organisation’s Board has announced.

ILGA World is the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association — a worldwide federation of more than 1,700 organisations from over 160 countries and territories campaigning for LGBTI human rights. Founded in 1978 as a global voice for grassroots LGBTI populations, it works to advance the human rights of all people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and sex characteristics worldwide.

Ehrt assumed the role as of 1 November 2021, while outgoing Executive Director André du Plessis will remain with the organisation in a senior advisor capacity until the end of the year.

“We are exceptionally pleased to welcome Julia as our next Executive Director,” said ILGA World Co-Secretaries General Tuisina Ymania Brown and Luz Elena Aranda on behalf of the ILGA World Board. “From her ground-breaking work shifting the narratives around trans issues, to her unstoppable advocacy reaffirming how LGBTI and feminist movements are inextricably linked, she has demonstrated the perspective, passion, and skills to ensure that our work continues to be both relevant to LGBTI communities worldwide and sensitive to their needs. With her strategic leadership, ILGA World will undoubtedly continue to grow in its capacity to make an impact in achieving justice, equality and liberation for all — in our LGBTI communities and beyond.”

Born in Germany, and a pioneer in trans self-organising in Europe, Julia Ehrt has been with ILGA World since late 2018, serving as its Director of Programmes. During this time, the organisation has been among the driving forces of global advocacy campaigns, including the ones leading to the renewal of the mandate of the UN Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, and to having more than 2,000 individuals and human rights groups reaffirm shared feminist principles.

Prior to ILGA World, she was the Executive Director of Transgender Europe (TGEU) for seven years, and served as a member of the Steering Committee of the International Trans Fund (ITF). She is also a board member of the Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) and a signatory to the Yogyakarta Principles plus 10. She holds a PhD in Mathematics, and lives with her partner and child in Berlin and in Geneva.

“In over 40 years of its history,” Ehrt said, “ILGA World has been a crucial voice of the LGBTI movement: an instrument in the hands of marginalised communities to make their struggle visible — from the grassroots up to the United Nations and more international fora. Our work is more necessary than ever, and I will be honoured to work with our dedicated Board and to lead an outstanding staff team here in Geneva and around the world. Together we will continue to translate ILGA World’s strategic vision into positive impact and lasting change for the communities we serve.”

“In these deeply divided times, where even hard-won rights are constantly at risk, we must strengthen alliances with other movements and let our feminist values guide our work, if we want to dismantle the patriarchal systems of power which continue to oppress and exclude so many of us”.