Pride and Power: Global LGBTQI+ Issues in Perilous Times (Study Group Session 2)

Pride and Power: Global LGBTQI+ Issues in Perilous Times

Facilitators: Jessica Stern and Timothy Patrick McCarthy

Carr-Ryan Center Study Group | Spring 2026

Description

The rights and lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex peoples stand at a critical crossroads. Across the globe, we see a complex and contested patchwork of ideologies and belief systems, legal protections and discriminations, social and political practices, movement tactics and strategies, progress and backlash. In an attempt to make sense of some of these confounding dynamics, this study group will explore the origin and evolution of “queering human rights” in modern times, examine the forces and stakeholders involved in the advancement of and attack on LGBTQI+ human rights globally, map the current state of the movement by highlighting specific “bad spots” and “bright spots,” and consider where we go from here. Our work will be guided by this central question: How can queer people have pride and build power in the face of the very real challenges and opportunities before us in this perilous time?      

Schedule & Syllabus

“Pride and Power” is a 4-session spring semester study group offered on select dates from mid-February through late April 2026. Session One (February 11) and Session Four (April 29) will be held in person in W-102 at the Harvard Kennedy School. Sessions Two (March 5) and Three (April 15) will be held virtually over Zoom.

Session Two: Queering Human Rights: Origin & Evolution

Thursday March 5th | 12noon-1:15pm | Virtual

This session will examine the modern history of efforts to “queer” human rights through a reading of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and examination of historical legacies, human rights documents, grassroots activism, and governmental and intergovernmental practices.

Pre-readings: 

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)

Human Rights Watch, This Alien Legacy: The Origins of ‘Sodomy Laws’ in British Colonialism (2008)

A Report by Civil Society (Outright, ISHR, ILGA, ARC International), Defending the Independent Expert: On Protection Against Violence and Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (2025)

Facilitator Bios

Jessica Stern is the former U.S. Special Envoy to Advance the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons, U.S. State Department, and a Carr-Ryan Center Senior Fellow. Full bio here.

Timothy Patrick McCarthy is Lecturer on Education and Public Policy, Harvard University, and Faculty Chair, Global LGBTQI+ Human Rights Program, Carr-Ryan Center. Full bio here.