Andrea Houston Advocacy

DIGNITY NETWORK

Andrea Houston is a founding member of Dignity Network (originally Dignity Initiative), a collective of international LGBTQ activists working to improve the lives of LGBTQ people around the world by fighting legislative barriers and discrimination, and advocating for quality and liberation.

THE PINK AGENDA

Andrea Houston is the author of The Pink Agenda, a foundational position paper for the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity, which is a national LGBTQ advocacy and support organization.

#ENDHATELAWS

#ENDHateLaws was founded ahead of World Pride 2014. A number of activists in the Ugandan delegation coming to Toronto for World Pride revealed they were denied visas to enter Canada. Galvanizing support using media and social media, the group successfully pushed the Canadian government to reverse their decision.

MEDIA COVERAGE

Canadian officials to reconsider visa application for Ugandan gay rights activists
Kathryn Blaze Carlson and Sean Tepper, Globe and Mail, May 23 2014

Ugandan gay activists denied visas to World Pride conference
Nicholas Keung, Toronto Star, May 22 2014

Pride in action: New website works to #ENDHateLaws
Christopher Karas, Rabble, June 18, 2015

RAINBOW RAILROAD

Rainbow Railroad is the premier international organization helping LGBTQ+ people flee violence and persecution in countries where they face persecution. As Communications and Development officer, Andrea was involved in numerous campaigns which, with no exaggeration, saved lives.

LGBTQ+ ACTIVISM FROM
UGANDA TO CANADA

Institute for Change Leaders hosted a discussion on LGBTQ+ activism from Uganda to Canada on April 21 2021. Andrea Houston was invited to participate along with Christopher Nkambwe, founder of the African Centre for Refugees in Ontario.

“OF DEMOCRACY AND RAINBOWS”

Andrea took part in an televised discussion on Stephen Fry’s documentary “Out There” on TVO’s The Agenda. The 52-minute conversation, moderated by Steve Paikin, was broadcast on September 11 2014.