Itzhak Perlman Headlines Great Neck Park District’s Summer Concert Series
3 days ago
United States Scott Long is a distinguished American activist for international human rights, particularly focusing on LGBTQ+ rights.
Scott Long served as program director, where he mobilized grassroots LGBT activists from the global South to speak before the UN Commission on Human Rights, influencing UN officials to address sexual orientation and gender identity. He also led IGLHRC's advocacy at the 2001 UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS.
Scott Long was the founding and former director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights Program. He spearheaded investigations and reports on LGBT abuses in Egypt, Jamaica, Eastern Europe, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Honduras, and other regions. He also played a key role in the development of the Yogyakarta Principles.
Scott Long holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University and later served as a visiting fellow at the Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School from 2011 to 2012.
Scott Long was a former fellow at the Center for Gender & Sexuality Law at Columbia Law School.
Scott Long is an alumnus of Radford University.
Scott Long was a founding member of the Romanian gay and lesbian organization ACCEPT, which campaigned against Article 200 of the Romanian penal code.
Born on June 5, 1963, in Radford, Virginia, Scott Long earned his undergraduate degree from Radford University at 18 and a Ph.D. in literature from Harvard University by age 25 in 1989. His early career included teaching literature at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary, where he engaged with the nascent lesbian and gay movement during Hungary’s democratic transition. In 1992, as a Fulbright lecturer at the University of Cluj-Napoca in Romania, Long became instrumental in advocating for LGBT rights, notably campaigning against Article 200 of the Romanian penal code, which criminalized consensual homosexual acts. He visited numerous prisons, documented abuses, and co-founded the Romanian gay and lesbian organization ACCEPT. His efforts contributed significantly to the repeal of Article 200 in 2001 and Albania’s sodomy law.
Returning to the United States in 1996, Long joined the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), first as advocacy director and then as program director. During this time, he continued his impactful work, securing the release of Mariana Cetiner, a woman imprisoned in Romania for her sexual orientation, by personally lobbying President Emil Constantinescu. He also played a key role in bringing global South LGBT activists to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, influencing UN bodies to address sexual orientation and gender identity issues. One notable achievement at IGLHRC was leading the advocacy for the organization’s reinstatement at the 2001 UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS after conservative states attempted to block its participation.
In 2002, Long transitioned to Human Rights Watch (HRW), where he became the founding director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights Program in 2004. At HRW, he led critical investigations and advocacy efforts in Egypt, documenting the crackdown on homosexual conduct and contributing to a halt in arrests for nearly a decade. He authored influential reports on homophobic violence in Jamaica, moral panics in Eastern Europe, and abuses against LGBT people in various countries, including Iran, Kyrgyzstan, and Honduras. He was a key figure in developing the Yogyakarta Principles, a foundational document on human rights law and sexual orientation/gender identity. His work also included establishing an “underground railroad” to help Iraqi men flee targeted violence, demonstrating his commitment to individual safety alongside systemic change. Long resigned from HRW in 2010 due to health reasons, subsequently holding fellowships at Columbia Law School and Harvard Law School, and continuing his advocacy, particularly regarding human rights abuses in Egypt.
Curious about our offerings or have inquiries? We're eager to assist!
Just complete the form, and we'll respond promptly.
