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.