"None of us come from families that were prepared for us, and so-called 'traditional family values' advocate hierarchies of exclusion and hate."
Klaus Mueller, Founder & Chair, Global LGBT Forum
"For most people, family is a crucial part of their lives, of their identities. It is a very serious matter of discrimination if we define family as a closed unit."
Ralf Kleindiek, State Secretary,
German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth
The implication of family definitions for exclusion and discrimination has been an issue for the Salzburg Global LGBT Forum since its foundation in 2013. During its session in Berlin 2014, the topic brought the Forum together with the German Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women & Youth.
In 2015, as part of an on-going three year collaboration with the Ministry, we launched a video series called "Family is...?" where members of Salzburg Global LGBT Forum shared their concept of what family means to them. In 2016, we continued to film this series at the Forum held in Thailand. This session was run in partnership with UNDP's "Being LGBTI in Asia" program.
For most people, family is a crucial part of their lives, of their identities. This project and work-in-progress portrays the complexities of our lives, including those of our families by birth and choice.
During both Forums, Fellows were asked to offer some thoughts on their own personal ideas and definitions about family.
The Salzburg Global LGBT Forum has members across five continents in 65 countries (as of February 2017). The following is a list of Fellows' responses categorized by region. For highlights from the 2015 Forum, please click here.
Africa
Asia and the Pacific
Europe
Middle East and North Africa
North America
South and Central America and Caribbean
Download the report (low-res PDF)
To request a hard copy, contact Salzburg Global Editor Louise Hallman