Explore the connections between LGBT issues and economic development in Asia and the Pacific.

Gender equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) people is usually viewed through a human rights lens, but equality and inclusion of LGBT people are also important economic development issues.

A recent World Bank Group report, The Economic Cost of Homophobia and the Exclusion of LGBT People: A Case Study of India, argues that there is clear evidence of the economic cost of stigma and the exclusion of LGBT people in social institutions such as education, employment, families, and health care, in India. A recent United Nations human rights report, Discrimination and Violence against Individuals based on their Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, also noted that LGBT people are at a troubling risk of homicidal violence. Another study by the Human Rights Campaign and the Trans People of Color Coalition, Addressing Anti-Transgender Violence: Exploring Realities and Solutions for Policymakers and Community Advocates, estimates that transgender women in the United States face 4.3 times the risk of becoming homicide victims than the general population of women.

This seminar, involving a panel of experts, explored some of these issues and their implications for development work in the Asia and Pacific region.