PEN International Resolution on Gender Diversity Justice

PEN International Resolution on Gender Diversity Justice 

Ratified by the Assembly of Delegates of PEN International at its 91st Congress in Krakow, Poland, 2–5 September 2025

 Preamble

 PEN International, guided by its Charter and our commitment to defend freedom of expression, affirms the unconditional need to respect, protect, and uphold this right for all people, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression. In light of increasing global hostility toward gender-diverse and transgender individuals, and in alignment with the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda established under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, this resolution affirms PEN’s unwavering support for the protection of the rights, dignity, and creative freedom of LGBTQIA+ individuals, particularly in situations of conflict, displacement, and repression.

 Context

 GENDER LANDSCAPE 

Many governments around the world define, or have moved to redefine, sex as strictly male or female and fixed at birth, undermining protections for transgender and gender-diverse individuals. In addition, the landscape of women’s rights around the world is becoming bleaker and bleaker. Court rulings that define womanhood narrowly through biological determinism, as in recent cases in the United States, Hungary, and the United Kingdom, strip gender-diverse individuals of basic legal recognition, though often presented as efforts to “protect women’s rights.” Such rulings may serve instead to turn feminist language against already vulnerable communities and undermine both trans rights and the broader goals of gender justice.

 For example, the United States, historically a beacon of freedom, has experienced significant and rapid changes since 2022, marked by sharp policy reversals between administrations and a highly polarized national debate. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, especially those benefiting women of color and LGBTQIA+ individuals, are being targeted for elimination in the United States both domestically and its foreign policy efforts.

 In both democratic and authoritarian states, legislative bans on gender-affirming healthcare, education, and legal recognition are proliferating. Rising levels of misinformation, hate speech, and even physical violence disproportionately target trans and non-binary people. 

 In regions affected by conflict and political instability, gender-diverse individuals face heightened risks of violence, displacement, and exclusion from humanitarian response systems. Transgender women, in particular, are often denied access to gendered services or misclassified in ways that endanger their safety. 

 

Freedom of Expression and the LGBTQIA+ and Gender-Diverse Community

 Freedom of expression includes the right to self-identify, to narrate one’s own experience, and to participate fully in public discourse irrespective of gender identity. LGBTQIA+ writers, poets, journalists, and artists have often been at the forefront of movements for liberation, equity, and peace, often at great personal risk.

 In conflict zones, trans people are frequently targeted for violence by state and non-state actors alike, silenced by censorship, and excluded from peace processes. According to a 2021 report by OutRight International, trans individuals in armed conflict face extreme vulnerability, including “targeted killings, sexual violence, and systemic erasure in peacebuilding processes.” Therefore, their absence from media and literary landscapes is a result of structural and political exclusion.

 Where transgender voices are erased, society is diminished. The literary and journalistic contributions of gender-diverse individuals are essential to the richness of public discourse. By definition, they are among the first to expose injustice, challenge power, and offer transformative visions of justice, peace, and equality. 

 

Our Commitments

 PEN International affirms that:

  1. LGBTQIA+, transgender, and gender-diverse people are entitled to full protection of the right to freedom of expression, as stated in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and internationally recognized human rights standards related to gender identity.
  2. Freedom of expression cannot be divorced from gender justice.Censorship, persecution, and exclusion of transgender voices are forms of structural violence that violate both human rights law and the UN’s WPS agenda’s commitment to inclusive participation in peace and public life.
  3. PEN International’s agenda must be expanded to protect all LGBTQIA+ writers affected by conflict, displacement, and state repression. This includes access to safe platforms for expression, culturally appropriate humanitarian aid, and meaningful participation in peacebuilding processes.
  4. PEN International acknowledges the dangers involved for many PEN Centres in supporting this Resolution. We encourage PEN Centres to seek ways to safely support LGBTQIA+,  transgender, and gender-diverse writers, taking into account the specific circumstances of their own countries. This includes offering residencies, translation, emergency support, and publishing opportunities.
  5. PEN International will work with global partners on monitoring and reporting violations of freedom of expression affecting LGBTQIA+ communities, including in fragile and conflict-affected settings, and will advocate for policy changes that reflect the interdependence of gender identity, sexual orientation, peace, and expression.

Conclusion

PEN’s advocacy is grounded in universal human rights, not in any particular political ideology. This resolution is firmly rooted in the fundamental principles of freedom, justice, and equal access to literary and creative expression.

At a time when transgender rights are being curtailed under the guise of cultural or legal neutrality, PEN International stands firmly in solidarity with LGBTQIA+, transgender, and gender-diverse writers around the world.

True freedom of expression is only possible when all voices, especially those most marginalised, can speak, write, and live without fear.

We call on our member Centres, civil society allies, and international institutions to recognise that the rights of LGBTQIA+, transgender, and gender-diverse people are not a secondary concern, but indispensable to the future of “one humanity living in peace and equality in one world.”

 

References:

UN General Assembly (1948) Universal Declaration of Human Rights. United Nations. Available at: https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

UN Human Rights Council (2007) Yogyakarta Principles: Principles on the application of international human rights law in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity. Available at: https://yogyakartaprinciples.org/

UN Women (2022) A Feminist Agenda for Peace and Security. United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. Available at: https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/in-focus/2022/10/in-focus-women-peace-and-security

UN Security Council (2000) Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, S/RES/1325. Available at: https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N00/720/18/PDF/N0072018.pdf