It has been a tradition of ASC to celebrate wins, however small or large they may be. We take stock of the hard work, resilience, and commitment we put into our advocacy in pushing forward the agenda of equitable inclusion to ensure that everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristic (SOGIESC) will be given the opportunity to reach for their dreams to live a life with dignity.

As we reflect on our journey at ASC, it’s essential to recognize both the challenges we face and the opportunities that lie ahead in our commitment to sustainability in the region. We face head on the challenges of the ever-limiting space for LGBTIQ rights and how environmental, socio- political, and economic constraints have further compounded issues of exclusion and vulnerability.

These challenges only further our hunger for equality and inclusion as we maximize opportunities to put forward our equality agenda in the coming months. Strategic partnership will always be a priority as we believe that we can only be as strong as our partners are. We will continue collaborations with the government, other civil society organizations, and the private sector because together we can amplify our impact and leverage resources more effectively. The need for education and awareness has never been more important in this day and age where misinformation has not only maintained animosity and exclusion but further fueled hatred and indifference. ASC will continue leading educational initiatives, capacitating individuals and organizations to participate in sustainable practices and amplify our mission.

Gone are the times of striving to be the best. It has been replaced by the need to work together to reach for the best situation for all people.

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With great humility and excitement, I am thankful for the opportunity to contribute to the 2022 ASC Annual Report, sharing my heartfelt perspective as the ASC Chair.

2011 was the year the ASEAN SOGIESC Caucus (ASC) was formally established. But the spark started in 2008.

2008 was the year when, together with a motley crew of crazy LGBTIQ activists, participated in the ASEAN Civil Society Conference (ACSC)/ASEAN Peoples Forum (APF) held in Jakarta, Indonesia. We just had one goal – to have sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) language included in the final list of recommendations for the conference. We jubilantly prevailed and since then, this has been the norm in all ASEAN civil society declarations. Of course, the rainbow flag was flying everywhere in the venue as we claim the ACSC/APF as a safe space to do our LGBTIQ rights advocacy.

We aimed bigger while we continued working together remotely since we all work in different Southeast Asian countries. This was to have the rights of all people, regardless of SOGIESC, be included in the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD). Knowing how some ASEAN member-states have been aggressively opposing our initiative, we know the big possibility of failing. In 2012 the AHRD was adopted without SOGIESC. This further ignited the spark that turned into a flame.

That flame, I am proud to say, has continued burning ever so brightly as we continue that same goal we had back in 2008.

In the ASC 2022 report, you will read how we successfully continue our focused work on the projects we have embarked on. It has been a journey filled with warmth and inspiration as we, the ASEAN SOGIE Caucus, collectively continue to dedicate ourselves to creating a more inclusive Southeast Asia. Our path has been illuminated by the hope we’ve kindled, the lives we’ve touched, and the lasting change we’ve ignited.

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ASEAN SOGIE Caucus is extremely pleased to share our 2021 Annual Report. The report provides a summaries of the ASC's collective actions undertook in 2021 to advance the promotion of the protection of the human rights of LGBTQIA+ persons in Southeast Asia. It includes our program in addressing COVID-19 challenges, the celebration of queer activism and the appreciation of queer solidarity movement.

The COVID-19 Pandemic still impacted 2021 as it did the previous year. While some countries have relaxed mobility restrictions, still, the experiences of LGBTIQ persons in the region is almost the same as the year before. Most of ASC’s works were still conducted online, and our partners have, in a way, adjusted to this ‘New Normal’. It is evident that the response that ASC started the year before is far from over.

Collaboration and support in between civil society and organisation has showed that we can build back better from the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is important for ASC to enjoin local communities to take their rightful spaces in the regional space. Queering ASEAN remains to be a continuous, albeit arduous process that ASC believes is essential for a truly empowered and truly participative LGBTQIA+ engagement.

There is always hope.

Together, we are moving forward, no matter what.

We are thankful for the people who have made invaluable contribution. We thank our members organisations, networks, donors, partners and to all of LGBTQIA+ communities who fight along together for justice and human rights.

In Solidarity.

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2020 is perhaps the most challenging year for people worldwide and COVID-19 has brought about extreme changes across the globe, amplifying the challenges that LGBTIQ persons faced in ASEAN. It has forced many of us to adapt and adopt new strategies to survive the isolation and discrimination that is unique and specific to our communities. Instead of bowing down to the immense problems created by the pandemic, many LGBTIQ groups with the support from the ASEAN SOGIE Caucus, reacted quickly to address the ordeals faced. After all, surviving in defiance against all odds has always been the core strength of our queer communities and as Southeast Asians who have often had to face institutionalized discrimination from authoritarian governments in the region.

This year’s report demonstrates the ASEAN SOGIE Caucus’ impact from the local to the regional and how a centralized network supporting Southeast Asian LGBTIQ groups doing important work is so essential in propelling the movement forward. In many of our programs, we strived for quality and depth over quantity and being uncritical. The aspirations and actions peppered throughout the report set in motion will be a corner stone for the human rights of LGBTIQ persons in the region and influence generations to come.

However, LGBTIQ rights remains underfunded and uneven in Southeast Asia on so many levels; where many funders often do not understand the diversity of the region and pay scant attention to it. In spite of these issues, we will continue to disrupt the status quo and continue to queer what Asian LGBTIQ activism looks like in the region.

At the ASEAN SOGIE Caucus, we are very proud of what we have achieved over the year despite the upheavals of political and pandemic uncertainties. Together with our partners and LGBTIQ communities, we look forward to building a post pandemic future that is dynamic, resilient and feminist.

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Looking back, I am overwhelmed with pride for how far we have come. In May 2011, LGBT focused NGOs invited us to gather in Jakarta for the ASEAN Civil Society Conference/ASEAN People’s Forum, and a group of ragtag activists responded to the call. We did not receive a formal invitation from the conference organizers, nor were we cushioned by a palette of financers who believed in LGBT rights. We were poor but rich in spirit. Little did we know that this was just the beginning of our fight to bring LGBT rights to the forefront in ASEAN.

There were times when the journey was painful and heart breaking. I have witnessed how civil society groups and governments discriminated against and excluded us. We learned very early on that many viewed the support for LGBT rights as ‘costly’ in highly conservative region filled with authoritarian tendencies. Erasing our humanity was a matter of expediency. And yet, this has never deterred us.

In the 8 years since we started, the ASEAN SOGIE Caucus has confronted these challenges with poise and grit. With its hardworking secretariat, the organization has gone above and beyond to turn the dream of freedom for LGBT persons in ASEAN into a reality. Together with grassroots LGBT activists across the region, we have attained incredible achievements and visibility. Our loose network of LGBT activists has grown into a powerful advocacy body that can no longer be ignored.

In this 2019 annual report, the ASEAN SOGIE Caucus showcases the amazing work it has achieved; from its relentless engagement with ASEAN human rights mechanisms; mainstreaming LGBT intersectionality into the ASEAN civil society communities work; creating lifelines to grassroots activism with its programs and support; and finally applying a reflexive feminist lens to its membership and organizational capacity to sustain itself for years to come.

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