Graeme Reid

About

Graeme Reid is the United Nations Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). An anthropologist from South Africa, Reid has spent more than two decades researching and advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, gender, sexuality, and HIV/AIDS. As UN Independent Expert, he monitors implementation of international human rights law, investigates violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, advises governments, and engages with civil society worldwide. 

Before his UN appointment, Reid directed the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Program at Human Rights Watch, where he led global advocacy on LGBTQ+ issues. He has taught at Yale University and Columbia University and founded the Gay and Lesbian Archives of South Africa. Reid is the author of two books on LGBTQ+ identities in South Africa and has published extensively on human rights, gender, and sexuality.

Education

• PhD, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
• MA in Anthropology, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa
• BA in Literature, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa