Clare Byarugaba, from Uganda, is a decade-long LGBTQ+ rights advocate. In her role as the diversity, equity, and inclusion officer at Chapter Four Uganda, she founded the country’s first-ever chapter of PFLAG-Uganda. She is a coconvener of Convening For Equality, a social movement that is leading the fight against the Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2023 and other emerging anti-LGBTQ+ rights legislation in Uganda, and cofounded the Uganda Kuchus Aquatic Team (UKAT), the first LGBTQ+ swim team in Africa. She is also a USAID/CDC Gender and Sexuality Certified Diversity Trainer.

Patrick Gathara, from Kenya, is a journalist, writer, editor, and political cartoonist. He is the senior editor for inclusive storytelling at The New Humanitarian, an independent, nonprofit newsroom covering humanitarian crises around the world. Gathara was the curator-in-chief of The Elephant, an influential online Kenyan news magazine, and helped establish the Association of East African Cartoonists. He has worked as a cartoonist and columnist for Kenyan and international publications for more than 25 years. Gathara writes and speaks widely on media ethics, crisis reporting, democracy, and the role of satire in holding power to account.

Julia Neiva, from Brazil, is deputy director and a cofounder of Conectas Direitos Humanos, which works for equality and human rights through advocacy, litigation, networking, and alliances. She has coordinated networks such as LogoLink, led human rights initiatives across the Global South, and participated in litigation for landmark cases before the Brazilian Supreme Court and internationally. She holds a law degree from Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo, a master of laws degree from Columbia University Law School, and a doctorate from the Human Rights Program at the University of São Paulo Law School.

Kristóf Szombati, from Hungary, is a scholar, a practitioner, and an editor for the political economy and inequalities section at the Review of Democracy. He has worked extensively with Roma communities in Hungary. His research examines why ordinary people support or oppose authoritarian right-wing politics, exploring the intersections of class, race, and eroding trust in democracy. In 2007, he cofounded the green Politics Can Be Different (LMP) party in Hungary, leaving politics in 2011 to pursue a doctorate in anthropology and sociology at Central European University. His current research focuses on local efforts to obstruct the advancement of the authoritarian right. Szombati, based in Berlin, is cohost of This Authoritarian Life, a podcast exploring how people experience, adapt to, and resist authoritarian politics.