The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission this week announced Jessica Stern as the organization's new executive director.

"I am excited beyond words," Stern told the Bay Area Reporter in a phone interview Tuesday, September 25, a day after the announcement.

Stern, 36, is an out lesbian who has been filling in as interim executive director following former Executive Director Cary Alan Johnson's medical leave of absence at the end of 2011 and after he stepped down as head of the organization in May.

Since 2010, Stern has served as the director of programs of IGLHRC, where she's developed and strengthened relationships with LGBT human rights defenders and helped hold governments accountable overseeing IGLHRC's engagements with the United Nations.

Stern led the final year of IGLHRC's successful accreditation application at the U.N. Since becoming accredited she's co-authored shadow reports documenting human rights violations against LGBT individuals in 18 countries.

She also led a partnership with international activists and IGLHRC to promote a resolution promoting the retention of "sexual orientation" condemning extrajudicial executions. That resolution was one of the most successful votes on LGBT rights in U.N. history and the passage of the first-ever U.N. resolution condemning right violations based on sexual orientation or gender identity, according to IGLHRC's news release.

"Jessica's proven expertise advancing human rights internationally and strong grasp of global rights mechanisms are ideally aligned with the needs of LGBT movements today," said Todd Larson, co-chair of IGLHRC's board of directors, in the release. "Jessica brings depth of vision, intelligence, and forward-thinking to the role of executive director. We are thrilled to have her at the helm of our efforts to improve LGBT lives worldwide."

Currently, Stern won't take her eyes off of Iran, whose President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told CNN's Piers Morgan on Monday night that "homosexuality ceases procreation" and suggested corrective action for LGBT individuals, including his own children, stating "proper education must be provided."

Ahmadinejad continued, "If a group recognizes an ugly behavior or ugly deed as legitimate, you must not expect other countries or other groups to give it the same recognition."

In the past Ahmadinejad has claimed that there are no gays in his country, where homosexuality is punishable by death, and authorities have conducted witch-hunts for alleged LGBT individuals. Fear has caused many queer Iranians to flee the country.

Stern is also closely monitoring Uganda and the legislature's "kill the gays" bill.

She is also watching Chile. In spite of progress in recent months with the passage of an anti-discrimination bill and the Inter-American Court on Human Rights ruling in favor of Karen Alta – for which Stern co-authored an amicus brief – problems with anti-gay sentiments remain. She's also observing Turkey, which has experienced a tremendous amount of bloodshed from a rash of murdered LGBT individuals throughout this year, and the Philippines, she said.

To continue her work so that LGBT people around the world are safer and living with more "dignity," Stern plans to continue building partnerships with local organizations in countries and help people tell their stories about being LGBT in their part of the world. She also plans to continue stepping up her work with local and regional human rights oversight bodies to hold countries accountable for violations against LGBT people.

"We know that from 22 years of experience that using that combination of helping to lift up queer community voices at the community level and bringing pressure from around and above at the regional and international level it brings about change. Basically it surrounds human rights violators with a 360-degree strategy so that anywhere they want to go we are there calling for justice," said Stern.

Stern has more than a decade of experience in LGBT and women's human rights work in the U.S. and abroad. She served as the first LGBT human rights researcher at Human Rights Watch and assisted with Amnesty International's seminal report on police brutality against LGBT individuals in the U.S. She's lived in Montevideo, Uruguay, where she worked for Control Ciudadano, a global coalition that sought to hold governments accountable to their commitments under the Fourth World Conference on Women and the World Summit for Social Development. She also worked at the Center for Women's Global Leadership, at Rutgers University, and was one of the founding collective members of Bluestockings Bookstore in New York City.

Educated in England, Mexico, and the U.S., Stern holds a master's degree in human rights from the London School of Economics.

Stern's salary information was not immediately available. IGLHRC's annual budget is $3 million. Johnson was paid $145,000 according to the group's 2011 990 it filed with the IRS.

Stern will return to the city where IGLHRC was born, San Francisco, for a private reception on October 5.

Pakistan grants rights to transgender individuals

Pakistan's Supreme Court granted transgender Pakistanis full equal rights on September 25, according to media reports.

A three-member panel of judges headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry heard a case about transgender rights and ruled that transgender individuals, also known as eunuchs in that region, were to receive all the basic rights as all citizens.

Some of the rights granted include inheritance, education, employment, and housing.

The Supreme Court ordered copies of the court order to be sent to federal and provincial governments with a "strict" direction to implement the order.

LGBT rights highlighted in White House UN fact sheet

On September 25, the day that President Barack Obama addressed world leaders convened for the U.N. General Assembly in New York City and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with leaders, the White House released a fact sheet on the U.S.'s mission to the United Nations.

The fact sheet highlighted the progress the U.S. has made within the past year on delivering the president's promise of a "new era of engagement," according to a news release.

One of the key areas where the Obama administration has made progress is on LGBT human rights and "improving" the U.N. Human Rights Council, according to the document.

Those include the U.N.'s historic resolution to address violence and human rights abuses that LGBT individuals face around the world and a U.N. report documenting the abuses and violence against LGBT people in 2011.

The fact sheet points out that the U.S. led the effort to grant consultative status to the first U.S.-based LGBT human rights organization, IGLHRC, and is continuing to assist other LGBT organizations to gain accreditation at the U.N.

Senyonjo honored with Clinton Global Citizen Award

Ugandan Bishop Christopher Senyonjo was awarded the Clinton Global Citizen Award for his work on behalf of the rights of LGBT people at the Clinton Global Initiative's annual meeting on September 24.

SF Pride named him its global grand marshal in June.

Senyonjo promotes equal rights for LGBT people at his church, St. Paul's Reconciliation and Equality Centre in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, and around the world, often in countries where homosexuality is criminalized.

In spite of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's work on behalf of LGBT human rights, this was the first time CGI, which was launched by her husband, former President Bill Clinton, in 2005, has recognized leadership for LGBT issues.

CGI brings global leaders together to create and implement innovative solutions to the world's most pressing challenges, a news release stated.

Got international LGBT news tips? Call or send them to Heather Cassell at 00+1-415-221-3541, Skype: heather.cassell, or heather@whimsymedia.com.