BeLonG To Hosting Major International Conference of LGBTQ Young People for the First Time Since 1994

BeLonG To hosting major international conference of LGBTQ young people for the first time since 1994

Wednesday, 29 October 2014 

BeLonG To Youth Services the national organisation for lesbian, gay, bisexual & trans young people in Ireland is hosting the 30th General Assembly of the International lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer youth and student organisation (IGLYO) this November. 

The General Assembly of the International LGBTQ Youth & Student Organisation (IGLYO) will bring together delegates representing 52 countries in the Council of Europe region to debate the key issues affecting LGBT young people across the continent. The pace of change in Ireland since we last hosted the IGLYO General Assembly has moved at lightning speed. The presence of the 1994 conference was strongly criticised and condemned by public representatives. 

Speaking today Patrick Dempsey, Co-Chair of IGLYO said “IGLYO is delighted to be in Dublin to mark 30 years since the founding of our organisation. In the 20 years since IGLYO was last in Ireland, remarkable progress has been made in the inclusion and visibility of LGBTQ youth and students. We hope our member organisations and activists will be inspired by the rapid progress in Ireland, and that it will encourage the great and difficult work they do in hostile environments for LGBTQ youth and students.” 

The General Assembly will bring together activists who’ve worked under IGLYO’s banner for the last 30 years as well as the current leaders of LGBT youth movements and organisations to debate the progress we’ve witnessed over the last 30 years and plan for the next 30. 

“We’re delighted to be hosting the IGLYO General Assembly and 30th birthday celebrations this November in Dublin. BeLonG To’s International work in supporting our brother and sister organisations around the globe has been growing and it is pivotal now more than ever that we redouble our efforts to support the work of other LGBTQ organisations.” – David Carroll, Exec. Director of BeLonG To