This event will be open to the public at Harvard Law School\, as well as livestreamed. Click here to regis ter for Zoom.
Over the past decades\, the recognition and protection of LGBTI rights has undergone a remarkable transformation. Issues that were once excluded from legal and political deb ates have gradually moved to the center of human rights discourse\, and lan dmark judgments\, legislative reforms\, and social movements have contribut ed to the decriminalization of same-sex relationships\, the recognition of diverse family forms\, and stronger protections against discrimination. Yet \, these achievements cannot be taken for granted\, as recent years have wi tnessed a growing backlash against LGBTI rights in many parts of the world\ , with attempts to restrict existing protection mechanisms\, challenge equa lity measures\, and question the universality of human rights. Against this background\, the legal protection of LGBTI persons remains one of the most pressing and contested human rights issues of our time.
The resulting body of law\, far from being a single\, unifor m whole\, reflects a plurality of legal traditions\, cultural contexts\, hi storical experiences\, and social realities. Using the Oxford Handbook of LGBTI Law (2026) as an organizing framework and a point of departur e\, this one-day workshop will bring together contributors to the Handbook\ , as well as other participants from academia and civil society\, to examin e key developments and challenges in the field of LGBTI law. Selected autho rs will present insights from their chapters and engage in discussions on s pecific aspects of LGBTI rights protection\, ranging from international and regional human rights frameworks to emerging debates and future challenges . The workshop aims to provide a platform for exchange\, critical reflectio n\, and dialogue on the future direction of LGBTI rights in an increasingly contested global environment.
More updates on scheduling are soon to come on HRP's website!
This event is co-sponsored by The Program on Law and Society in the Muslim World\, Th e Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School\, HLS Advocates for Human Righ ts\, the Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights at the Harvard Kennedy School\, Lambda at Harvard Law School\, the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Fundamenta l and Human Rights\, and the University of Vienna.
CATEGORIES:Program/Workshop,Speaker/Panel,Workshop LOCATION:Milstein East GEO:0.000000;0.000000 ORGANIZER;CN="Valenia Bergier":MAILTO:vbergier@law.harvard.edu URL;VALUE=URI:https://hls.harvard.edu/events/lgbti-rights-at-a-crossroads-l egal-progress-backlash-and-future-challenges/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://hls.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/10.1.26-Horizontal.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 DTSTART:20260308T070000 TZNAME:EDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR