LesbianGlobal at CSW69: Advancing LBQ+ Women’s Rights, Economic Empowerment & AI-Driven Research

The 2025 UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) was a major moment for LesbianGlobal—a chance to deepen global partnerships, showcase innovation, and uplift the voices of LBQ+ women on an international stage. Held at the United Nations in New York, CSW69 brought together human rights leaders and feminist activists from across the world. For us, it was more than a gathering—it was a bold step forward in our mission to advance LBQ+ women’s economic empowerment at CSW69, increase philanthropic funding, and build digital tools that center the needs of our communities.

Connecting with Global LBQ+ Leaders and Allies to Support LBQ+ Women’s Economic Empowerment at CSW69

One of the most powerful aspects of CSW69 was the chance to build meaningful relationships with leaders and organizations who are also pushing for justice, inclusion, and equity. Throughout the week, we connected with:

• Julie Dorf – Council for Global Equality

• Enkhmea Enkhbold – LGBT Centre of Mongolia

• Joyce Teng – Marriage Equality Coalition Taiwan

• Dragana Todorovic – Founder of EL*C (a LesbianGlobal grantee partner)

• Robert Bank – CEO of AJWS (another key LesbianGlobal grantee partner)

• Maria Sjödin (Executive Director) and Laura Piazza (Head of LBQ Connect) – Outright International

• Longtime LesbianGlobal supporters including Eve Ellis, Annette Niemtzow, Betsy Koffman, Kevin Gardner, and Paul Morrell

These connections reinforced the importance of collaboration across borders—and reminded us that the global LBQ+ rights movement is stronger when we share resources, data, and strategy.

L-R: Kathy Levinson, LesbianGlobal Ally and Naomi Fine

AI for LBQ+ Data Equity: Our CSW69 Presentation on Economic Empowerment

LesbianGlobal proudly presented one of the event’s most forward-thinking talks:

“Strengthening LBQ+ Women’s Economic Empowerment: Using Local Research to Reach International Funders”

This session explored how our collaboration with the AI Objectives Institute (AOI) is transforming the way LBQ+ communities generate, analyze, and share data. We introduced a powerful AI-assisted research tool designed to:

• Gather multilingual, qualitative, and quantitative data from LBQ+ communities, especially in the Global South

• Reduce costs and increase speed in data collection

• Give LBQ+ activists ownership and control over their own data

By democratizing data access, we’re helping funders better understand the real needs of LBQ+ women—and pushing for greater economic justice and philanthropic investment in our communities.

📽️ Watch our full CSW69 presentation here to see how technology and grassroots leadership can work hand in hand:

https://vimeo.com/1065266080

L-R: Kathy Levinson, an Ally of LesbianGlobal and Naomi Fine

What’s Next for LBQ+ Women’s Rights and Digital Empowerment?

CSW69 affirmed what we’ve known all along: LBQ+ women and nonbinary leaders are driving change, building inclusive economies, and reimagining what justice looks like in a digital age. LesbianGlobal is committed to expanding our research ecosystem, deepening our partnerships, and continuing to innovate in ways that support grassroots leadership in underfunded regions.

We believe this is how we win: by combining smart technology with radical love and collective action.

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