IRQR Board of Directors

Arsham Parsi

Executive Director (ex officio and Honorary member of the Board)

info [at] irqr [dot] net

The IRQR's founder, Arsham Parsi, is a well-known Iranian gay activist who has dedicated himself to helping LGBT/queer Iranians who flee their country because of the violently homo- and transphobic policies. In 2004, while still living in Iran, Arsham founded the first Iranian gay group called the IRanian Queer Organization - IRQO (formerly Persian Gay and Lesbian Organization - PGLO). With police on his trail because of his gay activism, Arsham fled to Turkey in 2005, where he continued his work to publicize the plight of LGBT Iranians. He was eventually granted asylum in Canada and pursued his work for the cause, being interviewed extensively by media and featured in two documentary films, the CBC's “Out in Iran” and Parvez Sharma's “A Jihad for Love.” In 2008, Arsham was twice honoured, first by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC)'s Felipa Sousa Award for pioneering gay activism and then by Toronto Pride with its award for Excellence in Human Rights.

Gilles Marchildon

President and Treasurer

gilles [at] irqr [dot] net

Gilles is the former Executive Director of Egale Canada, a national advocacy group for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-identified (LGBT) people where he helped champion the cause of same-sex marriage. He then worked as Director of Communications and Development for World University Service of Canada (WUSC), an international development NGO before moving to the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network where he is the Director of Communications. Gilles has written extensively for LGBT publications in Canada and is the founding director of the Reel Pride film and video festival in Winnipeg.

Johanne Gaudreault

Vice-President

Johanne has been involved in the LGBT communities within Québec and Canada for at least ten years. She is currently the Executive Director of the Montréal-based Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. Formerly a board member, including terms as President of the CGLQ (Coalition gaie et lesbienne du Québec), Johanne was also a writer for Magazine Sapho. Her interests included international queer issues and Johanne was instrumental in obtaining the CGLQ's accreditation as a consultative group to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). She holds a Masters in Sociology from Laval University and was a former Political Attachée to a federal Cabinet Minister.

Paul Durber

Secretary

As a member and leader within a welcoming and encouraging faith community in Ottawa, Paul has actively fought discrimination based on sexual orientation including supporting Canadians for Equal Marriage and lobbying federal members of Parliament. This work echoes his push for women to receive equal pay when he was Director of Pay Equity for the federal Canadian Human Rights Commission. Now retired from the public service, he has a consulting business. He continues working within his faith community, advocating for the right of free speech and association as well as greater social concern at the municipal level.