Trans woman to be honoured by OutRight Action International, who campaign for Human Rights for LGBT+ people everywhere.
Ricky Nathanson, a trans woman who was persecuted for using a ‘ladies only’ toilet in her home country of Zimbabwe, is to be awarded the Felipe de Souza Award, which recognises the courage and activism of grassroots groups and individuals, at Celebration of Courage 2019 in New York City on Tuesday, May 7.
The persecution inspired Ricky to take on the Government of Zimbabwe. She sued them for this egregious discrimination but while she attempted to seek legal recourse – they retaliated.
Her office and residence were subjected to random searches by government security agents, and her home was broken into and burgled on three separate occasions. Thankfully she was not harmed, but she was no longer safe in her own home.
Though she bravely stood up against her home country’s government, Ricky lost her personal safety in the process. But that has not stopped her continued activism for trans and LGBT+ people in Zimbabwe.
Jessica Stern, Executive Director at OutRight Action International, organisers of Celebration of Courage 2019, said:
“People like Ricky are the reason why we have our Celebration of Courage. We want to celebrate the accomplishments of all those who fight on, even through the backlash many of our partners and friends around the world are facing today.
“We hope you’re able to join us in celebrating Ricky’s accomplishments – and fuelling our global work in the year ahead – on Tuesday, May 7th in New York City.”
To purchase tickets for the event, click here:
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