This report is a product of a broader initiative entitled ‘Being LGBT in Asia: A Participatory Review and Analysis of the Legal and Social Environment for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Persons and Civil Society.’
Launched on International Human Rights Day, 10 December 2012, ‘Being LGBT in Asia’ is a first-of-its-kind Asiawide learning effort undertaken with Asian grassroots LGBT organizations and community leaders alongside UNDP and USAID. With a focus on eight participating countries – Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Mongolia, Nepal, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam – the effort examines LGBT lived experiences from a development and rights perspective. ‘Being LGBT in Asia’ has a number of objectives. It encourages networking between LGBT people across the region, building a knowledge baseline and developing an understanding of the capacity of LGBT organizations to engage
in policy dialogue and community mobilization. Through this work, ‘Being LGBT in Asia’ promotes understanding of the inherent human rights of LGBT people and the stigma and discrimination they face. It also outlines practical
steps toward LGBT-inclusive development work for UNDP and the UN system, USAID and the US Government and other development partners through this report and other social and multimedia products. Finally, this initiative
documents and highlights the views generated by LGBT participants at national community dialogues, linking stakeholders who are working to enhance LGBT human rights across Asia.