At a glance: Gender and sexuality activism, exile, LGBTI rights, cross-border alliances, digital advocacy, international human rights mechanisms, documentation and storytelling, self-care and wellbeing | For human rights defenders, LGBTI activists, feminist activists, civil society actors and activists living in exile
“Being in exile, as hard as it may be, does not imply the cessation of the struggle.”
“Gender and Sexuality Activism in Exile: A Toolkit for Human Rights Defenders and LGBTI Activists,” developed by HuMENA for Human Rights and Civic Engagement, is a practical and reflective resource for activists and human rights defenders working on gender and sexuality issues while living in exile. It explores how activists can understand their new environment, rebuild their relationship with activism after displacement, form new networks and alliances, and identify ways to continue their work across borders.
The toolkit begins by examining three concepts at the centre of this experience: activism, gender and sexuality, and exile. It considers activism as planned and sustained action aimed at challenging existing power structures and bringing about social, political, economic or other forms of change. It also introduces key concepts related to gender and sexuality and situates them within the realities of discrimination, repression and rights struggles in the Middle East and North Africa.
Exile is approached not simply as a change in geography, but as a profound shift in the conditions under which activism takes place. Activists may gain greater freedom to express themselves, access international mechanisms and connect with networks beyond their countries of origin. At the same time, they may face isolation, psychological trauma, language and cultural barriers, stigma and accusations of betrayal or disconnection from the communities they seek to support.
From there, the toolkit moves from concepts to the practical question of how to initiate or resume activism in exile. It encourages activists to explore their new political, legal and social context while also examining how exile has affected them personally, their identities, priorities and relationship with activism. It asks readers to consider whether they want to continue working individually, join an organization or collective, or combine different forms of activism according to their circumstances.
A central part of this process is building cross-border alliances. The toolkit presents alliances as a way to break isolation, exchange knowledge and experiences, access resources and support, amplify marginalized voices and strengthen protection for activists working from exile. It encourages activists to map potential allies across three spaces: their country of exile, their home country, and the regional and international sphere, while thinking about how these relationships can be built and sustained.
The toolkit also places self-care and wellbeing within the practice of activism itself. It recognizes that exile can involve loss, cultural alienation, fear, separation from traditional support networks, concern for people who remain at home and the pressure of continuing human rights work while adapting to a new environment. Rather than treating self-care as separate from activism, the toolkit connects activists’ ability to sustain their work and support others with their own psychological and physical wellbeing.
The final section identifies six pathways for gender and sexuality activism in exile: political organization; artistic and cultural production; digital advocacy campaigns; cross-border advocacy; engagement with international human rights protection mechanisms; and documentation, narrative and archive building. Together, these pathways demonstrate that exile can create different spaces through which activists continue organizing, influencing public debate, seeking accountability and preserving the experiences of communities whose voices are often marginalized.
The toolkit gives particular attention to the possibilities of transnational advocacy and international human rights mechanisms. Activists abroad can organize across borders to influence policies and practices at national, regional and international levels, while mechanisms such as UN Special Procedures can provide additional channels for raising human rights violations related to gender and sexuality.
It also treats documentation, storytelling and archive building as forms of activism and resistance. Recording testimonies, experiences of survival, organizing practices and activist strategies can challenge official narratives and prevent marginalized histories from disappearing. Through written testimonies, audio, film, podcasts, social media and other forms of documentation, activists in exile can reclaim their narratives and build bridges with communities in their home countries.
Throughout the toolkit, readers are invited to engage with reflection exercises and practical activities rather than simply read the material. These exercises encourage them to examine their motivations, map their environment and potential alliances, consider the form their activism should take, and develop routines that support their wellbeing. In this sense, completing the activities allows each reader to create a more personal version of the toolkit based on their own circumstances and experience of exile.
“Gender and Sexuality Activism in Exile” is intended primarily for human rights defenders, LGBTI activists and others working on gender and sexuality issues who have moved into exile and are seeking to begin or resume their activism. While its focus is specifically on gender and sexuality, many of its questions, exercises and approaches can also be useful to activists in exile working across other human rights causes.
