Carla Sutherland

Biography

"Carla is an Associate Research Scholar at the Center for Law, Gender and Sexuality, Columbia University Law School (New York). Her specific interest is in exploring how ‘tradition’ has been used as a barrier to advance sexual rights within global and regional human rights mechanisms, and developing resources that can be used by LGBTI activists to counter them. Carla came to the Center from the Arcus Foundation, where she was responsible for leading the Foundation’s international Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity programme. She instituted an extensive grass roots small grants programme to groups in over 20 countries in Africa, the Middle East and South East Asia. Before joining Arcus, Carla led the Ford Foundation’s Education and Sexuality programme in East Africa. She began her professional career as a policy researcher at the University of Cape Town, working on a number of projects for the then Vice-Chancellor, Dr Mamphela Ramphele, including the establishment of the African Gender Institute and the South African chapter of the Forum for African Women Educationalists. Carla holds a PhD in Social Policy from the London School of Economics, earned while on a Commonwealth Scholarship, as well as a Masters in Political Studies and Anthropology from the University of Cape Town. Carla stepped down from the board of the Other Foundation in August 2014 to focus on helping the Foundation develop its strategy and set up its programme operations."