Round Table

Safe and Affirming Education for LGBTQIA+ Learners in Emergencies

Organized by

Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE)

24 June 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm (UTC)

Topic(s):

Gender

Gender Based Violence

English

The INEE Gender Working Group invites you to an interactive virtual roundtable on Safe and Affirming Education for LGBTQIA+ Learners in Emergencies.

Despite considerable progress in legal protection and inclusion, many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual and agender (LGBTQIA+) people continue to face significant barriers to life and learning. 59 countries have laws, rules, and regulations that outlaw forms of expression related to gender and sexuality. In at least 19 of them, these laws are specifically designed to apply to education: banning books and educational materials on sexual and gender diversity, prohibiting educators from discussing sexual and gender diversity, and banning comprehensive sexuality education in primary and secondary schools.

LGBTQIA+ learners also routinely face bullying and discrimination. Globally, 42% of LGBTQIA+ youth reported having been ‘ridiculed, teased, insulted or threatened at school.’ 37% reported feeling rarely or never safe at school. This persecution and fear of persecution, combined with the stress of displacement, can become toxic, and result in higher rates of absenteeism and school drop out, as well as lifelong learning impairments and physical and mental health issues.

In response to these challenges, INEE is holding an interactive virtual roundtable to bring together organizations and individuals working at the intersection of gender equity, LGBTQIA+ rights, and education in emergencies to:

Identify barriers to and entry points for LGBTQIA+ affirming EiE
Demonstrate how LGBTQIA+ children and youth can be supported in and through EiE, even in contexts where LGBTQIA+ rights are not acknowledged or supported
Develop a set of recommendations for a range of stakeholders to support LGBTQIA+ learners in EiE

This event will feature presentations from Equality for All Foundation and Break Margins Africa Amplify, who will share examples of good practice in supporting LGBTQIA+ learners in Jamaica and Kenya respectively.

This is an interactive event! Please come prepared to actively participate.

For safety reasons, this event will not be recorded. If you have any questions about the web event, please contact [email protected].