Helen Kennedy

Helen has dedicated her life’s work to improving the lives of 2SLGBTQI+ people in Canada and around the world. In 2007, with 22 years of experience in politics, Helen became the Executive Director at Egale Canada. Under Helen’s leadership, Egale has made significant contributions towards equality through research initiatives which reveal the current state of inclusion, awareness campaigns and education programs to shift the culture of inclusion, and legal advocacy. More recently under Helen’s guidance, Egale has filled a critical gap by establishing Canada’s first and only transitional home for 2SLGBTQI+ homeless youth.

In addition to her work at Egale, Helen was a founding member of Canadians for Equal Marriage, which ultimately resulted in Canada being the fourth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage. She has delivered training to Immigration Refugee Adjudicators and police services across Canada and around the globe.  At the invitation of the US Department of Defense, Helen consulted with senior Pentagon officials in Washington on the US military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. In 2019, she was invited to consult with the Pope and Senior Vatican officials regarding decriminalization of 2SLGBTQI+ people globally. Helen also played a large role internationally as the former Co-Secretary General of ILGA, a worldwide federation of 1100 member organisations campaigning for 2SLGBTI+ rights.

Helen received the the Lifetime Achievement Award at Start Proud’s 2018 Leaders To Be Proud Of Awards.