Jade Jacobs

Jade Jacobs (they/them) is an LGBTQIA+ activist from South Africa. They joined the human rights movement because they want to help end the violence, fatal hate crimes, and human rights violations perpetrated against the LGBTQIA+ community in South Africa. Jade’s passion for activism is rooted in their personal experience within the LGBTQIA+ community, which has motivated them to continue working towards creating more inclusive and supportive spaces. They act as both the Co-Director and the Knowledge and Research Manager of Iranti, a media-advocacy organization dedicated to strengthening African LGBTQIA+ rights movements. Iranti uses narratives to advance human rights by serving as a platform for various kinds of collective evidence-based documentation. By creating archives of human rights violations, engaging in policy reform, and influencing changes in legislature, Iranti helps strengthen movements at local, national, and regional levels. Through Iranti, different movements can help shift public dialogue and perceptions around sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.

Through their different roles, Jade is working towards strengthening Iranti’s ability to document human rights violations and ensure the successful implementation of organizational strategy. Jade holds a master’s degree in South African Sign Language and a bachelor’s degree in Linguistics from the University of Witwatersrand. In 2022, they attended the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association World Conference and are using their skills to work towards engaging LGBTQIA+ rights in high-level advocacy spaces.