G7 Must Recognize and Listen to LGBTQIA+ Voices, Say Global LGBTQIA+ Leaders
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 28, 2025
OTTAWA, ON – As the 2025 G7 Leaders’ Summit approaches, Pride7 is calling on G7 governments to listen to and act on the voices of LGBTQIA+ communities worldwide. Pride7 has released its 2025 Communiqué, outlining essential recommendations for advancing global LGBTQIA+ rights — and urging G7 leaders to formally recognize Pride7 as an official civil society engagement group. Just as Women7, Civil7, and Youth7 are consulted and included in G7 processes, so too must LGBTQIA+ voices be heard and meaningfully engaged.
On May 22 and 23, 2025, Egale Canada, in partnership with The Dignity Network Canada, proudly hosted the 2025 Pride7 Summit in Ottawa, Ontario. Held at the Global Centre for Pluralism, the summit convened over 100 of the world’s leading LGBTQIA+ advocates and leaders for two days of dialogue, strategy, and solidarity. As a key international forum in the lead-up to the G7, the Summit gave LGBTQIA+ civil society a unified platform to influence global policy.
Deliberations focused on the 2025 Pride7 Communiqué and its four core thematic areas:
- Upholding Democracy, Strengthening Legal Frameworks, and Advancing Human Rights Protection;
- Peace, Stability, and Humanitarian Action;
- Economic Sustainability, Equity, and Climate Resilience; and,
- Gender Justice and Health Equity.
Participants underscored the urgent need for intersectional approaches to address global challenges and called on G7 governments to lead by example in protecting the human rights and dignity of LGBTQIA+ people.
The message from Pride7 is clear: G7 commitments to democracy, human rights, and sustainable development cannot be fulfilled without addressing the systemic barriers and violence faced by LGBTQIA+ communities. Recognizing Pride7 as an official engagement group is not symbolic — it is a necessary step toward ensuring that the perspectives, expertise, and lived realities of LGBTQIA+ people inform global decision-making at the highest level.
As we mark the 50th anniversary of the first G7 Summit, Pride7 reminds G7 leaders that millions of people around the world — in G7 countries and beyond — continue to face persecution for who they are. It is time for G7 governments to rise to the occasion: to adopt the recommendations of the Pride7 Communiqué, uphold their international human rights obligations, and provide concrete support — including through overseas development assistance (ODA) — to protect LGBTQIA+ lives and freedoms.
Ahead of the G7 Summit, Pride7 is currently collecting endorsements for the 2025 Communiqué. The P7 Communique and signatures will be presented to the Government of Canada and shared with other G7 leaders and officials. Individuals and organizations are invited to learn more and lend their support by visiting pride7.org.
More information about Pride7 and the 2025 Pride7 Summit is available at www.pride7.org
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Quotes:
“Even in the world’s most advanced economies, 2SLGBTQI rights are under threat. Rising hate, disinformation, and policy rollbacks show that progress is not guaranteed. G7 leaders must take this seriously – by listening to LGBTQIA+ voices, adopting the Pride7 Communiqué, and recognizing Pride7 as an official part of the G7 process.”
— Helen Kennedy, Executive Director, Egale Canada
| Media Contact: media@egale.ca |
Accompanying Assets:
Photos from Pride7 Summit (Google Drive)