WorldPride Amsterdam 2026 wordt georganiseerd door Stichting Pride Amsterdam. Al vele jaren zet onze stichting zich in voor Pride in Amsterdam, Nederland en daarbuiten. Daarin worden wij gesteund door vele activisten en bondgenoten overal in de samenleving. Wij zijn dan ook vereerd dat onze Advisory Board en International Sounding Board van de Human Rights Conference ons helpt om met hun kennis en netwerk iedereen in de strijd voor gelijke rechten een onvergetelijke WorldPride te laten beleven.
Advisory Board Human Rights Conference
De Advisory Board staat aan de inhoudelijke basis van de Human Rights Conference en representeert een aantal belangrijke groepen. Hun doel is om een conferentie neer te zetten waarbij nieuwe verbindingen ontstaan, mensen gezien en gehoord worden en laten zien dat niemand alleen hoeft te staan in de strijd voor gelijke rechten. Wij zijn de Advisory Board enorm veel dank verschuldigd voor alle onbezoldigde tijd, hun vakmanschap en kritische reflecties om tot de grote thema’s en selectie van sprekers te komen. Dankzij hun tomeloze inzet is een unieke conferentie in wording.
Camiel Welling (she/they/he)
National Context: From the Netherlands, raised in the Dutch Bible Belt
Bio: Camiel is a Dutch medical doctor and supervisor of the Amsterdam Trans Clinic, providing hormones and sexual health support to trans refugees. Camiel is part of the Dutch ballroom scene (the Legendary Kiki House of Bodega), on the Advisory Board of Soa Aids Netherlands, and board member of Pride Amsterdam. In 2024, they were part of an international delegation for Trans Advocacy Week at the United Nations.
Touria Meliani (she/her)
National Context: From the Netherlands, with Moroccan family background
Bio: Touria is a Dutch public official and cultural leader. As Deputy Mayor of Amsterdam, she oversees arts, culture, inclusion, and anti-discrimination policies. She has led initiatives to expand equitable access to cultural spaces, strengthen representation for marginalized communities, and integrate diversity and inclusion into public governance and civic programs.
Henry de Vries (he/him)
National Context: From Suriname, with Dutch and Surinamese family roots
Bio: Henry is a internationally renowned professor in dermatology (skin infections), with expertise in sexual health and research topics related to men who have sex with men, HIV and STI transmission. Aside from his medical research work, he is chairman of a Foundation Centre for Visual Arts. Henry has won two bio-art-design awards, including for his co-creation of the Atlas of Queer Anatomy, aiming to challenge medical patriarchy and heteronormativity of anatomical education.
Alma Aguilar Betancurt (she/her)
National Context: From Colombia (Abya Yala), currently based in the Netherlands
Bio: Alma is a human rights defender and board member of Trans United Europe and GATE (Global Action for Trans Equality). In her daily life, she works at Aidsfonds (the Hands-Off), on participatory grantmaking and promoting sex workers’ and LGBTQI+ people’s, sexual and reproductive health. She has contributed to international organizations including ILGA World, ITF and organized events for the Trans Pride Committee in Amsterdam.
Boris Dittrich (he/him)
National Context: From the Netherlands, with Dutch and Czech family roots
Bio: Boris is a Dutch Senator, and First Vice President of the Dutch Senate. He played a key role in the legalization of same-sex marriage in the Netherlands. Globally, he has worked on advancing LGBTQI+ equality as Advocacy Director LGBT Rights at Human Rights Watch, co-launched the Yogyakarta Principles at the United Nations, and co-founded the UN Core Group of LGBTI friendly countries.
Merel Ritsma (she/her)
National Context: From the Netherlands, with Frisian roots
Bio: Merel is a feminist and intersex rights advocate with 30 years of international experience working across corporate and NGO sectors. She serves on the Supervisory Board of Mama Cash and is one of the founders of Spread the Word Intersex Collective. A committed advocate for social justice, Merel is driven by a deep belief in equality, dignity, and bodily autonomy.
David Pollard (he/him)
National Context: From the U.S.A., living in the Netherlands
Bio: David is a leading international voice on LGBTQI+ workplace strategy, with over three decades of experience in the corporate and NGO sectors. As Co-founder and Executive Director of Workplace Pride, he built global alliances for inclusive workplaces worldwide. In 2011, he co-authored the Declaration of Amsterdam, and remains a dedicated architect of LGBTQI+ inclusion, steering global organisations through a period of significant cultural and social friction.
Morillio Williams (he/him)
National Context: From Suriname, currently based in Amsterdam
Bio: Morillio is a Surinamese human rights lawyer with a degree in Public International Law and serves as International Advocacy Advisor at COC Netherlands, advancing LGBTQI+ inclusion through global policy advocacy. With over a decade of experience engaging human rights defenders, governments, diplomats, and United Nations human rights mechanisms, his work connects global processes with realities of LGBTQI+ communities worldwide.
International Sounding Board Human Rights Conference
Onze International Sounding Board ondersteunt de Advisory Board in het toetsen van de kaders, het wijzen op blinde vlekken en het overbruggen van de culturele verschillen vanuit uiteenlopende perspectieven over de hele wereld. Wij zijn hen buitengewoon erkentelijk voor de tijd en moeite die zij investeren om de Human Rights Conference tot een succes te maken.
Awal Yussif (he/him)
Country: Ghana, based in Belgium
Bio: Queer artisan working with woven and textile-based works. Displaced due to his queer identity. Awal shows that repression targets not just organized and visible activism, but also everyday people and cultural workers.
Cristal Bodega (she in drag, he out of drag)
Country: Brazil
Bio: Cristal is a renowned choreographer and cultural organizer. Cristal’s work centers on producing major ballroom events and shaping inclusive cultural spaces for queer youth throughout Brazil.
Jennifer Lu (she/her)
Country: Taiwan
Bio: As a longtime leader of Taiwan’s Equality Campaign, Jennifer led the democratic reform for marriage equality in Taiwan. She has over 20+ years experience as LGBTQI+ activist, lesbian feminist, author and politician.
Levís Maina (he/him)
Country: Kenya
Bio: Levís is a Kenyan LGBTQI+ rights advocate and founder of Sullivan Reed and ASIDE, strengthening workplace inclusion, leadership, and economic empowerment for queer professionals and students.
Natalie Thompson (she/her)
Country: U.S.A.
Bio: Nathalie is a global human rights strategist and former Co-Chair of the WorldPride 2025 Human Rights Conference, advancing international collaboration, inclusion, and movement leadership.
Nishi Rurangwa (she/her)
Country: Rwanda, based in Brazil
Bio: Legal professional and LGBTQI advocate, rooted in the ballroom scene. Femme Queen of public international law, committed to advancing LGBTQI+ justice, informed by diasporic lived experience and community-based activism.
Sithembiso Gongqa (they/he/she)
Country: South Africa
Bio: Executive Director of Azania Reign, a Black-led organization supporting LGBTQI+ youth in township communities, shaped by a background in African spiritual traditions and community-rooted care.
Daniel Benitez-Posada (he/him)
Country: Colombia
Bio: Trans & Global LGBTQI+ Health Advocate, who lead economic empowerment programs and Trans and HIV initiatives across the Americas. Daniel addressed the UN Human Rights Council on health rights for trans men living with HIV.
Jessica Stern (she/her)
Country: U.S.A.
Bio: Former United States Special Envoy to Advance the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons. Jessica has years of experience as American diplomat, human rights leader, and former Executive Director of OutRight International.
Lloyd Partosoebroto (he/him)
Country: Indonesia/The Netherlands
Bio: Indonesian-Dutch organizer and community builder for Asian LGBTQI+ people in The Netherlands, fostering visibility, cultural connection and solidarity through Asian Pride NL and regional queer community initiatives.
Midnight Poonkasetwattana (he/him)
Country: Thailand
Bio: Executive Director of APCOM Foundation, leading multi-sector partnerships to advance LGBTQI+ rights, health and inclusion across Asia-Pacific, shaping policy dialogues and regional advocacy agendas.
Rahul Upadhyay (they/them)
Country: India
Bio: Co-President of InterPride and founder of the Gandhinagar Queer Pride Foundation, advancing global Pride networks and grassroots community empowerment for LGBTQI+ visibility and human rights.
Sandy Mteirek (she/her)
Country: Lebanon
Bio: Executive Director of Helem, one of the Arab world’s earliest LGBTQI+ rights organizations, strengthening community building and organizing, advocacy and promotion of rights amidst social and political challenges in the SWANA region.
Thomars Shamuyarira (he/him)
Country: Zimbabwe
Bio: Trans Activist and Founder/Director of The Fruit Basket, an organisation dedicated to the safety, dignity, and asylum support of LGBTQI+ refugees in South Africa, that received the United Nations NGO Innovation Award.
