O-blog-dee-o-blog-da

Melanie Nathan: “The time is now to end the criminalization and demonization of human sexuality and gender identity, to end prejudice and discrimination against LGBTQI people around the world!”

Interested in Mel speaking at your event?  CLICK HERE |  Facebook Melanie  twitter @melanienathan1

MELANIE’S BLOG HAS BEEN AWARDED THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR LGBTQI JOURNALISTS (NGLJA) EXCELLENCE IN BLOGGING AWARD FOR 2019.

About Melanie Nathan

Melanie Nathan is an award-winning human rights advocate, speaker, and publisher of the internationally recognized blog O-Blog-Dee-O-Blog-Da. She is best known for her work combating antisemitism, homophobia, and the criminalization of LGBTQI+ people around the world. Through her writing, advocacy, and public speaking, she emphasizes the universal importance of tolerance, justice, and equality — often weaving personal narrative with incisive commentary on global social issues.

Melanie holds a BA LL.B (equivalent to a JD) from the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS) in South Africa, where she practiced law before immigrating to the United States. Today, she serves as Executive Director of the African Human Rights Coalition (AHRC) and is also a country-conditions expert witness in U.S. and international courts, providing expert testimony on behalf of LGBTQI+ asylum seekers from more than 20 African countries. In addition, she serves as a mediator with Private Courts, specializing in complex civil and human rights–related disputes.

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Advocacy and Impact

Melanie’s advocacy spans decades and continents. She has testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, the California State Assembly and Senate, and has been instrumental in shaping discourse on issues such as:

• “Corrective rape” of lesbians in South Africa

• Immigration rights for binational same-sex couples during the DOMA era

• Humanitarian protection and asylum for LGBTQI+ refugees and displaced persons

Her work has also influenced international policy. She served on the organizing committee for the 2021 UNHCR–UN IE SOGI Global Roundtable on Protection and Solutions for LGBTQI+ People in Forced Displacement, leading a thematic working table on Reception and Self-Disclosure of LGBTQI+ Displaced and Stateless People. She presented written recommendations at the Closing Plenary to UNHCR, civil society partners, and government ministries worldwide.

In 2021, she delivered the keynote closing address at the International Human Rights Conference: Summit on LGBTQI Refugees and Asylum Seekers at Copenhagen WorldPride and Malmö, Sweden.

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Awards and Recognition

Melanie has been widely recognized for her global leadership:

• NLGJA Excellence in Blogging Award (2019)

• Grand Marshal and Keynote Speaker, Cape Town Pride (2011)

• Named among “100 Women We Love” by Go Magazine (2012)

• Fair Housing of Marin Hero Award (2012)

• Community Grand Marshal, San Francisco Pride (2014) — under the theme “Color Our World with Pride”

• Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award, Marin County Human Rights Commission (2016)

• L-Project Women’s Freedom Festival Award, WEHO Pride (2022) for her work on behalf of LGBTQ refugees and asylum seekers

She has served on numerous boards, including Vice President of San Francisco Pride, Vice President of Fair Housing of Marin, and currently sits on the Board of Directors of New Conservatory Theatre Center (NCTC).

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Public Engagements and Media

Melanie has keynoted  at global conferences and appeared on Pride main stages around the world, including the San Francisco Pride Main Stage (2022), where she introduced a video greeting from UNHCR and LGBTQI+ refugees under AHRC’s care.

Her commentary and advocacy have been featured or quoted in The New York Times, The Guardian, MSNBC, BBC, Harper’s, NPR, The Advocate, LGBTQ Nation, HuffPost, San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Blade, VICE, and more.

She also appears in the award-winning documentary UNSETTLED, which follows LGBTQI+ refugees and asylum seekers and won the OUTFEST 2019 Grand Jury Award for Best Feature Documentary. The film aired on PBS and continues to screen globally.

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O-Blog-Dee-O-Blog-Da

Founded by Melanie, O-Blog-Dee-O-Blog-Da is an acclaimed platform for LGBTQI+ rights, equality, and human rights reporting. The blog combines advocacy journalism with personal insight, covering issues from U.S. politics to African human rights crises, including:

• Decriminalization of homosexuality

• State-sanctioned homophobia and transphobia

• LGBTQI+ asylum and refugee protection

• Gender-based violence and global equality movements

The site’s unique blend of analysis, storytelling, and activism has earned it global readership and recognition within the human rights community.

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Community Leadership

Melanie is a former appointed Marin County Human Rights Commissioner, and former elected VP of San Francisco Pride.  In 2024, Melanie co-founded Jewish Women for Kamala Harris  (Now called Jewish Women ORI – (JWORI) with her wife, Carol Goldman. Within three weeks, the group attracted over 25,000 Jewish women, later co-sponsoring a 40,000-attendee national Zoom event headlined by Barbra Streisand, Senator Jacky Rosen, Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Susie Essman, Shaina Taub, and other leading Jewish women.

 

And the Video greeting by UNHCR, High Commissioner, Dr. Grandi to SF =Pride HERE.

PICTURE GALLERY:

Melanie Speaking at 2014 installation of Pink Triangle with Mark Leno, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, Patrick Carney, Jose Cisneros and David Campos. – Copyright Melanie Nathan |  Photos Kristina Lapinski

Honored to be invited to hold front banner for Women’s March 2019, with Mayor London Breed, Rep. Barabara Lee, Supervisor Ronen, Past President Sf Pride, Michelle Meow, Former NCLR ED Kate Kendell and other friends.

http://www.msnbc.com/am-joy/watch/melanie-nathan-barred-from-speaking-at-navy-pride-event-1262491715976

Featured Speaker at Pink Triangle 2017 with Elected San Francisco and California Officials