ÉGIDES – l’Alliance internationale francophone pour l’égalité et les diversités
(International Francophone Alliance for Equality and Diversities)
Égides – the International Francophone Alliance for Equality and Diversities – is an international organization dedicated to promoting the rights and well-being of people from LGBTQI communities (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and intersex) across the French-speaking world. Founded in May 2019 in Montreal, Canada, Égides supports the development of LGBTQI civil society organizations and works to strengthen advocacy, inclusion, and solidarity at both local and international levels.
Égides was created in response to a major gap in international LGBTQI advocacy: Francophone communities—particularly those in the Global South—have historically had limited access to resources and were underrepresented in international spaces due to linguistic and cultural barriers.
By uniting LGBTQI organizations where French is a common language, Égides helps amplify their voices, build stronger networks, and promote more equitable access to global LGBTQI rights movements.
Égides brings together a network of 210 organizations in 33 countries across multiple regions.
Our Mission
Égides and its members work to facilitate international networking and mobilization among Francophone LGBTQI organizations and activists, to ensure their access to technical resources in French for strengthening their capacities and actions, and to promote the availability of accessible and appropriate funding tailored to the issues, needs, and priorities of LGBTQI communities in Francophone regions. We aim to :
- Promote equality and inclusion for people made vulnerable or excluded due to their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sexual characteristics.
- Support grassroots organizations and communities.
- Advocate for LGBTQI human rights at the regional and international levels.
Égides is grounded in strong values of inclusion, solidarity, feminism, and decolonialism — principles that guide all of our actions and partnerships.
State of LGBTQI Rights in the Francophonie
Several analyses and research studies have revealed that, on an international scale, LGBTQI networks in the Francophone space – whether they face discrimination due to their sexual and romantic orientation, gender identity and expression, or sexual characteristics – have long suffered from isolation, more so than in Anglophone spaces (to name just a few). They also have limited access to resources and have suffered in silence, lacking a true voice to carry their demands.
In nearly fifty countries and territories where French is widely spoken, at least a dozen still criminalize same-sex relations, few recognize the right of a trans person to live in alignment with their own gender identity or expression, and almost none of them prohibit physical mutilation of intersex children.
Francophone civil society organizations severely lack the resources needed to defend LGBTQI individuals and communities in their countries against the daily discrimination and abuse they face.
Upcoming Conference: Francophone LGBTQI Landscapes: Convey, Celebrate, and Envision Tomorrow
Égides is proud to announce the upcoming edition of its international conference, Francophonie en Diversité 2025, to be held in Montreal, Canada, in August 2025.
This conference will bring together activists, researchers, civil society leaders, institutions, and allies from across the Francophone world to:
- Share strategies for resisting anti-LGBTQI backlash,
- Strengthen networks of solidarity,
- Promote inclusive public policies,
- Celebrate resilience and intersectional leadership within LGBTQI movements.