Melanie Nathan:
“The time is now to end prejudice and discrimination against LGBTI people around the world!”
Facebook Melanie
twitter @melanienathan1
Current:
- Executive Director, African Human Rights Coalition
- Vice President, San Francisco Pride Board
- Director, Peacemaker Museum World Tour
- Mediator: Private Courts, Inc.
Melanie Nathan, publisher of this blog holds a BA LL.B (equivalent to a JD) degree from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. She passed the Bar exam and practiced law in South Africa, before immigrating to the U.S.A..
She is a mediator, equality and human rights activist, who advocates, speaks and writes on issues impacting LGBTI communities around the world, with a focus on the U.S.A. and Africa. She is the Executive Director of the African Human Rights Coalition and directs the Peacemaker Museum W
orld Tour. She currently also mediates for Private Courts Inc.
Her advocacy work has included the issues of so called ‘corrective’ rape of lesbians in South Africa, immigration rights for bi-national same-sex couples in the U.S., humanitarian aid and advocacy for LGBTI asylum seekers and refugees. She has provided testimony to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on the issue of same-sex bi-national partners and immigration reform, as well as testified in the California Assembly and Senate. She provides expert Country Conditions Reports for LGBTI asylum seekers in the USA and UK, and consults and speaks around the world on the issue of homophobia in African countries.
In 2011 Melanie was grand marshal and keynote speaker for Cape Town Pride. She was named in “100 Women We Love” by Go Magazine in 2012. That year she received The Fair Housing of Marin Hero Award. In 2014 she was honored for her global advocacy work by the
San Francisco Pride Board as a Community Grand Marshal for San Francisco Pride 2014, under the theme, COLOR OUR WORLD WITH PRIDE, where she also appeared on the main stage to speak about criminalization of homosexuality and LGBTI people around the world and in Africa.
She was elected to the Board of Directors for San Francisco Pride, 2016-2017 and currently serves as Vice President. In January 2016 she received The Marin County Human Rights Commission’s Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award for outstanding effort and advocacy in the furtherance of human rights.
Melanie, also an internationally renowned speaker, is also a contributor to Huffington Post Gay Voices, The Advocate, SDGLN, MS Magazine, LGBTQ Nation and other online publications. She has been quoted often in the press and her work has been picked up by many publications around the world. Her work has been quoted and/or she has been interviewed by VICE, BBC, NBC-OUT, San Francisco Chronicle, Marin IJ, San Jose Mercury News, NPR, The Guardian, SF Weekly, Bay Area Reporter, PE Herald, SA TV – Carte Blanche and others.
She is a former Marin County Human Rights Commissioner and has served on several boards. She is an open lesbian and also the proud mom of two daughters.
Advocacy highlights include: The introduction by Senator Dianne Feinstein, of a rare private bill into Congress (2009), on behalf of a lesbian mom, an advocacy client, about to be deported. In South Africa she obtained a last minute stay of execution for two young men, about to be hanged. She also co-led an effort at the South African Parliament to bring about reform through the establishment of a government and civil society partnership on the issue of so called “corrective rape” of lesbians. She successfully established several safe=shelter funds for LGBTI people escaping persecution.
This blog, O-Blog-Dee-O-Blog-Da started out as a platform to showcase the equality and human rights advocacy work of Melanie. In addition to reporting related news and stories, O-Blog-Dee-O-Blog-Da, serves as a platform for Nathan and her guests to highlight their work in a world where gay, lesbian, transgender, queer, intersex, and gender-free people are the subjects of persecution and discrimination.
Over time it has developed into a renowned blog, on subjects including U.S. politics, equality related issues, the impact of homophobia and transphobia – especially state sanctioned homophobia, the decriminalization of homosexuality, LGBTQI asylum, sexuality violence and all human rights issues, around the globe, with a special focus on Africa.
Copyright Melanie Nathan | Photos Kristina Lapinski
Copyright Melanie Nathan | Photos Kristina Lapinski
Copyright Melanie Nathan | Photos Kristina Lapinski
Copyright Melanie Nathan | Photos Kristina Lapinski
Copyright Melanie Nathan | African Human Rights Coalition- Photos Kristina Lapinski
Melanie Nathan’s projects and work can be found at the following sites:
PRIVATE COURTS INC.: Divorce, Family Law Mediation, Conflict Resolution – READ MORE HERE
African Human Rights Coalition – READ MORE HERE
Melanie Nathan- o-blog-dee-o-blog-da- 2010-2014© – all rights reserved.
The contents hereof cannot be reproduced without the express written permission of the author.
Featured speaker at USA Premier of “Stilettos for Shanghai” a benefit for Chechnya.
August 2017:
Featured Speaker at Pink Triangle 2017 with Elected San Francisco and California Officials
2017 Activism and
Leading San Francisco Pride Parade 2017 in SF Pride Board Resistance Contingent.
http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=70903
http://www.heraldlive.co.za/zuma-slammed-for-stance-on-gay-rights/
Has your twitter feed perhaps been compromised? It looks like the last 3 tweets have all been from AddFollowers, which is a spam site. You should probably change your password, and delete those tweets. Because of this, your account isn’t showing up in twitter searches -once you get things cleaned up, check out the instructions at http://socialsupport.pbworks.com/Shoq%27s-Twitter-Tips#IsYourNameFilteredOutnbspofTwitternbspSearch
hi
We are a binational lesbian couple living in exile in Spain. We are legally married here, but after 4 years, still yearn for our frinds, family and professional lives in the Bay Area. We will celebrate 14 years together this summer, and would love to celebrate with our frinds and family in the US. We would love to share our experience if it would help get the word out. Last year a graduate student from Columbia University School of Journalism came to stay with us for a week to hear our story. he never found anyone to purchase his story after he graduated. i guess the timing was wrong…if we can help by sharing our story of exile, please contact me at this email address. thanks for your dedication
sincerely
lisa
Been looking to find a blog like this regarding two of my favorite topics! Keep up the good work.
Thanks very much
WHOOT. Heck sorry didn’t know you are a lawyer…. sharing. But I came here to find a list of recent blogs and haven’t found that yet!
Congratulations, Melanie!
I have nominated your blog for the Peace and Justice Award.
More about this nomination is at
http://dearkitty1.wordpress.com/2013/12/16/peace-and-justice-award-thank-you-horty/
Thank you… will check it out.. sounds like a big honor….
Well deserved 🙂 All the best for you and your blog!
A disgusting old lady advocating repulsive and disgusting acts. Give it up, Ma’am. You should focus on enjoying your old age in peace. Just as the world has smoking and non smoking areas, the world equally needs gay and non gay countries. Those who want to practice sodomy can go to Spain, Belgium or anywhere else where the practice is allowed. You can’t impose your beliefs on everyone. I only hope you aren’t a mother. It would be a shame to have little boys being told that it’s okay for them to spread their butts for their male classmates at school. Can’t you even hear how repulsive this sounds? And yet it’s normal to you.
LoL. Please feel free to practice this in South Africa and in the US. However, allow other countries to run their own affairs. Thank you.