Phil Thomas and Riley Campbell
Session summary
In a world where doomscrolling is the norm and the bad news facing our communities dominates the headlines, it is worth remembering the successes LGBTQ+ organisations and communities have around the world and what lies behind this. Whether it's community pressures in Australia's regions leading to conversion therapy bans to Ireland adopting comprehensive hate-crime legislation to consistent successful legal challenges to drag bans in various US states, there are lessons that campaigners, activists and organisations can learn in challenging bigotry and restrictive political and legislative efforts across the globe. This session will provide a number of fast-paced case studies, from the global north and south, that cover engagement at the political, legislative and civil society level and give attendees both practical knowledge to apply to their own practice and also provide a sense of optimism that our communities have the ability to successfully fight back to defend and advance our rights.
1:00 μ.μ.
24 Οκτωβρίου 2025
Biography
Phil Thomas became a Trustee of ReportOUT in November 2022 with responsibility for the Research portfolio. He is passionate about geopolitics and LGBTQI+ histories around the globe and has undertaken research for ReportOUT on a diverse range of countries including Mongolia, Afghanistan and Ukraine. Phil holds a Masters in International Relations from University of Cambridge (UK), MBA from Duke University (USA) and a BA in Modern Languages from the University of Durham (UK) alongside professional marketing and project management qualifications.
Riley Campbell (USA) An experienced Human Rights Researcher at ReportOUT, Riley (she/her) holds a bachelor's in social sciences and graduated Cum Laude with a master's in international development studies from the University of Amsterdam. She's lived in Germany, the Netherlands, Brazil, the US, and the UK, and focuses on LGBTQ+ and women's rights. Her research projects have spanned topics including homelessness in the US, Brazilian migrant women’s views on gender equality, and LGBTQ+ rights in Ethiopia, Pakistan, and Egypt. She currently works with a UK charity to enhance education access for low-income students.
