Voices of Solidarity Podcast

In the inaugural re-launch episode of Voices of Solidarity, host Alex Storer in London welcomes Shishani, Namibian-born singer, songwriter, producer, and activist from her home in Amsterdam. Together they explore identity, belonging, creativity, and the power of art to build connection across differences. Shishani reflects on growing up between cultures, using music as a form of healing and activi...

In this episode of Voices of Solidarity , Hans Senfuma , an online activist and campaigner from Uganda, delivers his presentation from the ILGA Pan-African Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa . Speaking from lived experience, Hans describes what it means to advocate for LGBTIQ+ rights in a country where existence itself is criminalized, digital expression is surveilled, and visibility carries...

OUR PRIDE Shorts & Arts Fest partner organization, the international Charter for Compassion , featured an interview with author Willie Edward Taylor Carter, Jr. in their Global Reads series hosted by Felipe Zurita Quintana. Months after being named 2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year , Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr. made a heartbreaking choice—he walked away from the classroom. I can’t stop thinkin...

Los Angeles-based Rainbow Advocacy , producer of the 2025 OUR PRIDE Short Film Festival , has announced the winner of Best Short Film Series: "We're Not Criminals," a trilogy of poetry short films that boldly call for dignity, visibility and equal rights for those pushed to the margins. It is a creation of "Unmute," a spoken word project created by Omary Baajun and filmmaker Brother Zaheed. The pr...

I made this video to reclaim what was erased and to speak directly to the motherland from a place of truth, pain and pride. Blending poetry, music, and a bold face, the piece reclaims erased queer histories and speaks directly to the African continent. Both personal and political, the work is a call to remember, resist, and re-root in the fullness of African identity. Ato Kwamina HasfordGHANA Get...

Greetings comrades from where you are watching this from. Well, today we all know globally that the LGBTQ plus rights are being debated about in many different countries. And this has also led to many different countries to stop their pride events. But well today, I'm just here to put out a stark reminder to all of you who are out there. Human rights are non-negotiable. The LGBTQ plus human rights...

Hey folks, I am Hans Senfuma, an LGBTQ plus rights campaigner and activist. I am currently based in Kampala, Uganda. Kampala, Uganda is one of the countries that is found in Africa that has t he harshest kill gay laws . This law contains uh the penalties we all know and that is a death penalty and a life imprisonment. So far, the death hasn't been enforced yet. But we have heard many of our collea...

Grace Stone, one of our Voices of Solidarity artists, runs a shelter for homeless LGBTQ youth and was again raided and evicted from the property. He's part of our official WorldPride 2025 Partner Event, OUR PRIDE Shorts & Arts Fest . With USAID funding cuts and fear rising recently in Uganda, Grace is responding with love and resistance. He's been planning to stage the play "Every Brilliant Thing"...

Voices of Solidarity / OUR PRIDE Shorts & Arts Fest is a WorldPride 2025 Partner Event Matt Beard, the Executive Director of All Out , discusses the organization's mission to promote LGBTQ+ rights globally and their approach to supporting frontline organizations and activists. He highlighted current challenges facing the LGBTQ+ community, including significant funding cuts and their impact on HIV/...

For our WorldPride 2025 Global Gatherings , Aggie Dennett Harmon, Uganda's first open trangender pastor joins host Wyatt O'Brien Evans in this intimate conversation as they explore the intersections of faith, trans visibility, storytelling, and liberation. They talk about how queer and trans people especially in places like Uganda are reclaiming spirituality as a tool of resistance and healing. Ag...

LIVE SCREENING + Q&A with filmmaker Kat SchmitzTuesday, June 31pm CET (Central European Time / 7am USA EST) Can't join live? Catch it on the REPLAY! h ttp://ourpride.org Official WorldPride Partner Event FREE REGISTRATION OUR PRIDE Shorts & Arts Fest 2025“Translucent” tells the perspective of gender-diverse athletes inspired by the real life example of tennis player Renée Richards. Produced within...

Felipe Zurita of the Charter for Compassion is joined by InterPride Co-President Rahul Upadhyay to launch Voices of Solidarity and the OUR PRIDE Shorts & Arts Fest, a WorldPride 2025 Official Partner Event. FREE REGISTRATION: Register Here DETAILS: OurPride.org Get full access to Voices of Solidarity at ourpride.substack.com/subscribe

FEATURE DOCUMENTARY (1 hr 40 min) ARE YOU PROUD? covers the history of the LGBTQ+ movement in the 50 years since the Stonewall Riots. Reflecting upon prominent issues within the LGBTQ+ community like AIDs and hate crimes, the film also shows how the movement has supported people from all walks of life. WATCH FREE at ourpride.org Screenings in the Voices of Solidarity Global Gatherings Get full acc...

15 years ago I had lost a vision for my life. After a life-altering cancer journey, in 2010 I thought I likely didn’t have more than a few more years to live. I set out on a new path to develop a nonprofit, first called getavision.org , now Rainbow Advocacy . Six years later, we created the Troy Perry Legacy Awards program and a short film program which is now the OUR PRIDE Shorts & Arts Fest . Pl...

This episode highlights WorldPride 2025 from May 17 to June 8, 2025, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Pride celebrations in the city of Washington, DC. The official theme, " The Fabric of Freedom ," emphasizes the strength and unity derived from the LGBTQIA+ community's diverse cultures, identities, and backgrounds in the ongoing fight for equality. Several key initiatives are associated wi...

This episode explores the life of Reverend Troy Perry, the founding of the Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC), and his pivotal role in the early LGBTQ+ rights movement, particularly the creation of the first Pride parade. Main Themes: * Rev. Troy Perry: A Pioneering Figure in LGBTQ+ Rights: Troy Perry has been a historic, visionary, and trailblazing figure, often referred to as a "founding fath...

This episode highlights the persecution of LGBTQIA+ individuals in Africa , particularly in Uganda, and the activist responses to this crisis. Voices of Solidarity is a global arts and advocacy initiative using various creative mediums to raise awareness and funds for LGBTQIA+ human rights, exemplified by Shishani's music and related projects like a virtual choir. The Africa Pride Initiative outli...

In this episode, we will take a " deep dive " into the Voices of Solidarity program and its mission to raise awareness of LGBTQIA+ issues through art, media, and social action. It’s a quick discussion of the elements of Voices of Solidarity, the global arts & advocacy experience, which is an official event of WorldPride 2025 through the OUR PRIDE Shorts & Arts Festival . The "Fabric of Freedom" th...