WorldPride Amsterdam 2026 is organised by Stichting Pride Amsterdam. For many years our foundation has been committed to Pride in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and beyond. We are supported in this work by countless activists and allies across society. We are honoured that our Advisory Board and International Sounding Board for the Human Rights Conference lend their expertise and networks to help make the fight for equal rights an unforgettable WorldPride for everyone involved.
Advisory Board Human Rights Conference
The Advisory Board forms the substantive basis of the Human Rights Conference and represents a number of key groups. Their aim is to create a conference that fosters new connections, ensures people are seen and heard, and shows that no one has to stand alone in the fight for equal rights. We are deeply grateful to the Advisory Board for all their unpaid time, professional expertise and critical reflections in shaping the major themes and selecting speakers. Thanks to their tireless commitment, a unique conference is taking shape.
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 programmes.
Henry de Vries (he/him)
National Context: From Suriname, with Dutch and Surinamese family roots
Bio: Henry is an internationally renowned professor of dermatology (skin infections), with expertise in sexual health and research on men who have sex with men, HIV and STI transmission. Aside from his medical research, he is chair 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, which seeks to challenge medical patriarchy and the 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 day‑to‑day work she is employed by Aidsfonds (the Hands-Off), focusing on participatory grantmaking and advancing sex workers’ and LGBTQI+ people’s sexual and reproductive health. She has contributed to international organisations including ILGA World and ITF, and has organised 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 legalisation of same‑sex marriage in the Netherlands. Internationally, he has worked to advance 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 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, guiding global organisations through a period of significant cultural and social change.
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 the realities of LGBTQI+ communities worldwide.
International Sounding Board Human Rights Conference
Our International Sounding Board supports the Advisory Board by testing frameworks, pointing out blind spots and bridging cultural differences from diverse perspectives around the world. We are extremely grateful for the time and effort they invest to help make the Human Rights Conference a success.
Awal Yussif (he/him)
Country: Ghana, based in Belgium
Bio: Queer artisan working with woven and textile‑based works. Displaced because of his queer identity. Awal’s work shows that repression targets not only organised 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 organiser. Cristal’s work focuses on producing major ballroom events and creating inclusive cultural spaces for queer youth across Brazil.
Jennifer Lu (she/her)
Country: Taiwan
Bio: As a long‑time leader of Taiwan’s Equality Campaign, Jennifer led democratic reform for marriage equality in Taiwan. She has over 20 years’ experience as an 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, working to strengthen 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 organisation 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 led economic empowerment programmes 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 an American diplomat, human rights leader, and former Executive Director of OutRight International.
Lloyd Partosoebroto (he/him)
Country: Indonesia/The Netherlands
Bio: Indonesian‑Dutch organiser and community builder for Asian LGBTQI+ people in the Netherlands, promoting 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 organisations, strengthening community building and organising, advocacy and rights promotion amid 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, which received the United Nations NGO Innovation Award.
