ABOUT

INTRODUCTION

The Young Queer Alliance (YQA) is a non-governmental and youth-led organisation in Mauritius for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) people. It was founded on 01 February 2014 and was officially registered on 01 September 2014 after a successful complaint at the Equal Opportunities Commission due to homophobic authorities.

Within these few years of existence, through advocacy, activism and field interventions on various legal, social, policy making and health matters, coupled with a strong networking among LGBTQIA+ people and other stakeholders, the YQA has positioned itself as a reference in the struggle for equality in Mauritius for the LGBTQIA+ community at large.

VISION

The Young Queer Alliance envisions an inclusive and accepting society where being human is the sole prerequisite to having equal human rights and where LGBTQIA+ people are safe and free.

MISSION

The Young Queer Alliance is dedicated to advancing equal human rights of LGBTQIA+ people in Mauritius by instilling a culture of volunteering and activism. The YQA seeks to empower LGBTQIA+ people to promote equality and be leaders of change.

OUR CORE VALUES AND APPROACH

Diversity: We recognise, respect and value that everyone is an individual and is different. We ensure that multiple identities are represented in our organisation.

Equality: We strive to provide equal opportunities to everyone and protect people from being discriminated. We adopt a non-discriminatory approach in our services, actions and decision making processes.

Inclusion: We create a sense of inclusion, where people feel they belong, feel respected, valued and supported for who they are. Thoughts, ideas and perspectives of all individuals matter, and all voices are heard.

Activism: We are an independent and militant organisation. We actively seek, train and empower members of the community to become leaders of social change.

Respect: We are respectful of the people and communities that we work with. We treat people fairly, respecting confidentiality and being accountable and transparent in our actions to all our partners and the LGBTQIA+ community.

THE YQA 2014 – 2023

2014

• Founded on 01 February 2014 and registered on 01 September 2014 after a complaint at the Equal Opportunities Commission
• Since 19 November 2014, blood donation ban is no longer discriminatory towards homosexual and bisexual persons after review of the Donor Health Questionnaire following a complaint by Fokeerbux Najeeb Ahmad
• Discussions started about constitutionally challenging Section 250 of the Criminal Code which criminalises homosexuality in Mauritius

2015

• On 27 July 2015, a complaint was made at the Equal Opportunities Commission against the Civil Status Office for refusing to marry a same-sex couple
• Advocated for the introduction of Hormone Therapy for trans people in public hospitals

2016

• In March 2016, the first Emergency Shelter for young LGBTQIA+ persons was launched. Due to lack of resources, the shelter closed in 2019
• On 07 June 2016, the Equal Opportunities Commission decided not to pursue the marriage equality complaint on the basis of no legal provision for same-sex civil marriage

2017

• The YQA adopted research as one of its main activities and produced its first research on “the socio-economic conditions of LGBTQ people in Mauritius”
• Participated at the 121st Session of the UN Human Rights Committee with the support of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA World)

2018

• Started planning for litigation against Section 250 of the Criminal Code
• Participated at the 31st Session of the Universal Periodic Review (3rd UPR review of Mauritius) with the support of ILGA World
• Engaged for the 71st Session of the CEDAW Committee with local organisations
• Hormone therapy for trans people available free of charge in public hospitals

2019

• Supported the four first plaintiffs namely Najeeb Ahmad Fokeerbux, Vipine Aubeeluck, Imesh Fallee and Jürgen Soocramanien Lasavanne, members and volunteers at the YQA, who approached the Supreme Court on 06 September 2019 challenging the constitutionality of Section 250 of the Criminal Code criminalising homosexuality in Mauritius

2020

• Became an independent organisation having our own office
• After successfully supporting a gay Mauritian who obtained asylum in the United Kingdom, launched, with Avocats sans Frontières – France, a report on LGBTQIA+ asylum seekers from Mauritius

2021

• Issued follow-ups on the recommendations of the 5th periodic report of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
• Issued a Policy brief: Administrative recognition of trans people in Mauritius
• Conducted research: A place called home – The condition and challenges of LGBTQIA+ persons in family settings in Mauritius
• Conducted research: A comparative legal analysis in respect of criminalisation of sexual relationships between same-sex consenting adults (Mauritius)

2022

• Hearing of plaintiffs and submission in law as regards Section 250 of the Criminal Code criminalising homosexuality in Mauritius
• Conducted research: The socio-economic condition of LGBTQ people in Mauritius, 2022
• Conducted research: Trans equality in Mauritius through Universal Human Rights Lenses
• Karla Michelle, vice-president of the YQA and a well-known local trans person, was the first out-and-public trans person who obtained a name change in August 2022

2023

• On 04 October 2023, following the Supreme Court judgments in the cases of Ah-Seek v/s the State of Mauritius and Fokeerbux & Ors. v/s the State of Mauritius in the presence of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Commissioner of Police, homosexuality is no longer criminalised and sexual orientation is recognised under the Constitution

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES 2022-2027

MOBILISING AND EMPOWERING THE COMMUNITY

No movement, no organisation exist without a critical mass of individuals with the ability to mobilise, organise and act. At YQA we believe in human potential and their work, and the difference they can make for LGBTQI people in their communities – in the workplace, in schools and at home. We equip young people and community actors with the appropriate tools and confidence to be role models and leaders so as to network and infuence others.

PROMOTING ACCEPTANCE AND CELEBRATING DIVERSITY

Mauritius is a concentration of richness of civilisations and diversity inter-mingled. Believing in the capacity of Mauritians to be accepting and celebrating diversity, the Young Queer Alliance goes in communities reaching people of all ages, sexes and ethnic and religious belonging to foster dialogue on issues of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Gender Expression. The commitment to promoting acceptance and celebrating diversity is further translated to actions through numerous media interventions, visibility, I-stories and promoting space-sharing between LGBTQIA+ persons and the broader Mauritian community.

RECLAIMING AND CHANGING LAWS

Strong and accountable institutions and representatives are key components in the struggle for equality. At YQA, we will continue to lobby government and political representatives to amend laws that do not ensure equality for LGBTQIA+ people or enforce existing laws on sexual orientation. We will also empower institutions and hold them accountable for violations of basic human rights. LGBTQIA+ people face harassment, discrimination, persecution and lack of equal opportunities and trans people are still not recognised under laws in Mauritius. Thus, at the YQA, we will continue fighting for the equal rights of LGBTQIA+ people and for the recognition of trans people as Mauritian citizens.

BUILDING STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

We recognise that there is strength in numbers and that the more organisations that can be rallied to the LGBTQIA+ cause, the better. We will continue to nurture our already strong network of ally organisations and identify new opportunities for partnerships from civil society, and the public and private sectors. This will allow us to build a coalition to advance LGBTQIA+ rights.

IMPROVING OUR ORGANISATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY

We acknowledges that we need to work on internal building blocks such as resource mobilisation, human resources management and review the membership system to align our organisational structure to be more sustainable.

ACTIVITIES

The activities at the YQA include:

1. Wellbeing programmes and psychosocial support to LGBTQIA+ people
2. HIV/AIDS and STIs prevention
3. Community mobilisation and safe spaces
4. Training programmes
5. Grassroots sensitisation
6. Community-led research
7. Advocacy to reclaim and change laws for LGBTQIA+ people