ANNALYSSE MASON

Multi-disciplinary communicator with experience in LGBT advocacy, gender equality, and strategic communications.

Newsweek •

Inclusive Leadership at the U.N.: Breaking Barriers to Change the Culture

I took up my appointment as deputy joint special representative with the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) in Darfur, Sudan and received my first briefing on December 15, 2015.In the briefing, it was reported that two weeks prior, villages in northern Darfur, specifically Anka, had been decimated for the third time by armed groups, women raped and communities displaced. I inquired about what the mission did and was told that continuing security concerns had prevented peacek...
United Nations Peacekeeping •

Press Release: Kenyan peacekeeper wins United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year 2020 Award

New York, 24 May 2021 - A Kenyan peacekeeper, who recently completed her assignment in Darfur, Sudan is selected to receive the 2020 United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award.  

Military Gender Advisor Steplyne Nyaboga, 32, who served in the recently ended United Nations - African Hybrid Union Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), will receive the award during a virtual ceremony presided over by Secretary-General António Guterres, marking the International Day of UN Peacekeepers on Thur...
United Nations Peacekeeping •

Action for Peacekeeping: Engagement Platoons champion gender parity in peacekeeping and beyond

In this story series, UN Peacekeeping shows the impact of Action for Peacekeeping , which guides peace operations across 12 active missions.

“During [the] second patrol of our platoon to Noong and Kollam areas, the young girls of the village invited us to their tukul (hut), which is something they never do when only male soldiers patrol the area,” informs Captain Seema Gowdar.

Captain Gowder is an Engineering Officer who was recently deployed with 26 fellow women peacekeepers to the UN Interim
- Connecting LGBTQ+ Communities of Color and thei •

25th Annual Intersex Awareness Day Met with Historic Media Coverage and Advocacy

Intersex Awareness Day, a day to celebrate visibility and highlight the issues facing intersex persons worldwide, was observed on Tuesday, October 26, 2021. Here’s a look at what happened during the week and the latest advancements in intersex advocacy.

The week was marked by a historic win for the intersex and and gender non-binary community. On October 27, the State Department issued its first U.S. passport with a gender neutral “X” marker to intersex and non-binary activist, Dana Zzyym. In a
- Connecting LGBTQ+ Communities of Color and thei •

American Ballet Theater’s Pride Nights Support Diverse Artists and Stories

The American Ballet Theater celebrated LGBTQ History Month by hosting its first-ever Pride Nights on October 27 and October 30. The inaugural events featured a lobby photo exhibition by queer photographer Quil Lemons, and the performance of 4 ballets: Alexei Ratmansky’s Bernstein in a Bubble, Christopher Rudd’s Touché, Clark Tippet’s Some Assembly Required, and Darrell Grand Moultrie’s Indestructible Light. Each Pride Night featured a special appearance by drag artist Lypsinka, and concluded wit
Newsweek •

Inclusive Leadership at the U.N.: Breaking Barriers to Change the Culture

I took up my appointment as deputy joint special representative with the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) in Darfur, Sudan and received my first briefing on December 15, 2015.

In the briefing, it was reported that two weeks prior, villages in northern Darfur, specifically Anka, had been decimated for the third time by armed groups, women raped and communities displaced. I inquired about what the mission did and was told that continuing security concerns had prevented peac
Medium •

Yes, you look gay enough. My journey to radical self-acceptance through fashion

In 2018, just one year after moving to Philadelphia and with half of a graduate degree under my belt, I made the life-changing decision to come out as a lesbian. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever done. It was scary because, I thought, how can I decide to be something I’ve never been before? In a way, I felt like a fraud, like I was faking it.

This anxiety of feeling like I was “faking it” was one of several anxieties I developed after coming out, among anxieties I was privileged enough to hav
Vital Voices •

Power to Empower: Hindou Oumaru Ibrahim Podcast

Power to Empower: Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim Brings Indigenous Perspective to the International Stage

November 2020 – Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim is an expert on both indigenous peoples’ rights and climate change. She is part of the indigenous Mbororo people and President of the Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad (AFPAT). Throughout Hindou’s career, she has worked to empower indigenous communities via advocating for the incorporation of indigenous knowledge into global discussions abou
Vital Voices •

Power to Empower: Christine Lagarde Podcast

Power to Empower: Christine Lagarde on Being the First, but Not the Last

October 2020 – Christine Lagarde is the President of the European Central Bank, chair of the European Systemic Risk Board, and former Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund. Her trailblazing career in European economics is as successful as it is diverse, spanning multiple countries and a plethora of political sectors. As the first woman to manage the IMF, the first woman finance minister of France, and now, t
Vital Voices •

Power to Empower: Kiran Bir Sethi Podcast

November 2020 – Kiran Bir Sethi is a designer, educational reform activist, and vibrant social entrepreneur. In 2001, she founded the Riverside School in Ahmedabad, in the Indian state of Gujarat. The Riverside School is globally recognized for its profound pedagogical practices which centralize student wellbeing. As part of our Power to Empower podcast series, Kiran spoke with Vital Voices President and CEO Alyse Nelson about what led to the creation of the Riverside School and her unique forma
Vital Voices •

Power to Empower: Maria Pacheco Podcast

Power to Empower: Maria Pacheco on the Importance of Connection

November 2020 – Maria Pacheco is a Biologist, Social Entrepreneur, and founder of Wakami. Maria started Wakami in Guatemala after witnessing the systemic damage caused by the country’s civil war, which lasted over 30 years. Wakami is a multi-faceted organization that not only trains artisans in rural communities but connects their work to larger global markets for long-term economic prosperity. Since its inception in 2006, Wakami h
Vital Voices •

Power to Empower: Habiba Ali Podcast

November 2020 – WE Empower Awardee, Global Ambassadors Program Alumna, VV GROW Fellow and Global Leadership Awards Honoree Habiba Ali is a social entrepreneur and founder of SOSAI renewable energies company, a Nigerian organization that empowers communities through renewable energy, technology, and advising services. Through the efforts SOSAI, sustainable technology is examined and created through a more accessible, human lens. In doing so, SOSAI’s work transcends socioeconomic barriers to creat
Vital Voices •

Power to Empower: Amira Yahyaoui Podcast

Power to Empower: Amira Yahyaoui On the Internal and External Challenges of Being a Woman Leader

October 2020 – Amira Yahyaoui is a Tunisian activist and global technology entrepreneur. In 2011, amid the Tunisian Revolution, Amira founded Al Bawsala, a democracy-building NGO which combats transparency issues between government decision-making and Tunisian citizens. In 2017, Amira shifted her work to Silicon Valley and founded Mos.com, a site addressing the lack of transparency surrounding stude
Vital Voices •

Power to Empower: Amanda Gorman Podcast

Introducing Power to Empower Podcast Series: Amanda Gorman on Transformation and Triumph

October 2020 – Amanda Gorman is an accomplished poet, activist, HERlead fellow, and most recently, a Harvard University graduate. In 2017, Amanda became the first-ever U.S. Youth Poet Laureate. As an advocate for youth empowerment and a variety of social issues, Amanda utilizes the lyrical device of poetry to convey complex messages and inspire social change. As the inaugural guest for the Vital Voices Podc
Vital Voices •

Voices of Resilience: Claire Russo Podcast

Trigger warning: This post may contain traumatic content related to sexual assault and violence against women.

September 2020 – Claire Russo is a former Air Intelligence Officer in the US Marine Corps who recently ran for Congress in Virginia’s fifth district. As a woman in the Marines and a survivor of sexual assault, Claire was motivated to run for Congress for several reasons: namely, her experiences with misogyny and the mistreatment she received after her assault in the early 2000’s. In th
Penn Arts & Sciences •

Penn Grad BEN Talks 2019 | Understanding the Unique Discursive Culture of Sex-Reassignment Surgery Fatwas in Contemporary Iran

Annalysse Mason
South Asia Studies
"Understanding the Unique Discursive Culture of Sex-Reassignment Surgery Fatwas in Contemporary Iran"

GRAD BEN TALKS
Friday, February 22, 2019
Irvine Auditorium, Amado Recital Hall

A day of TED Talk-style presentations by Penn Arts and Sciences graduate students representing the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and professional master’s programs. Each student presented a 10-minute talk to an audience of undergraduates, faculty, staff, and fellow graduate students. Judges selected winners in each of the four categories, and each winner received a $500 cash prize.
Vital Voices •

Voices of Resilience: Panmela Castro Podcast

September 2020 – Panmela Castro is a long-time Vital Voices woman leader, activist, and artist. As an activist, she is known for her use of a beautiful but unconventional medium: graffiti. Based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Panmela uses art to bring awareness and educate women about acts of gender-based violence and domestic violence.

As part of the Vital Voices Podcast Series, Panmela spoke with Vital Voices President and CEO, Alyse Nelson, about how her activism work, and her home country at la
Vital Voices •

Voices of Resilience: Emily Courey Pryor Podcast

August 2020 – Emily Courey Pryor is the executive director of Data2X, an advocacy and technical platform at the United Nations Foundation. Proposed in 2012 by former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Data2X aims to eliminate gender bias from major data sources and improve the availability, equality, and use of gender data. At Data2X, gender data is produced and strengthened through collaboration with an assortment of impressive partnerships.

Emily joined Vital Voices President and CEO
Vital Voices •

Voices of Resilience: Mona Sinha Podcast

August 2020 – Business leader and philanthropist Mona Sinha is the founder of Raising Change, an organization committed to addressing the funding gap to support organizations pushing for social change. She’s also the Board Chair of Women Moving Millions, which works to invest in gender equality initiatives around the world. Mona is a leader in philanthropic giving, and set the tone for women philanthropists with her million-dollar pledge to support educating women to be leaders. She’s spent her
Invocations •

The Role of Hinduism in the Construction of Hijra Identity in Modern Hindu India

This paper examines the role of Hinduism in the construction of Hijra Identity in Modern India. I’ve been studying the Hijra population and Hinduism at large throughout my undergraduate education. I became particularly interested in how Hijras construct and negotiate their identities as I read more literature about Hijras. Over time I realized there are not only biological, sexual, and social discourses that are contributing to the larger conversation academia is having about Hijra
United Nations Peacekeeping •

Action for Peacekeeping: Engagement Platoons champion gender parity in peacekeeping and beyond

In this story series, UN Peacekeeping shows the impact of Action for Peacekeeping , which guides peace operations across 12 active missions.

“During [the] second patrol of our platoon to Noong and Kollam areas, the young girls of the village invited us to their tukul (hut), which is something they never do when only male soldiers patrol the area,” informs Captain Seema Gowdar.

Captain Gowder is an Engineering Officer who was recently deployed with 26 fellow women peacekeepers to the UN Interim
- Connecting LGBTQ+ Communities of Color and thei •

25th Annual Intersex Awareness Day Met with Historic Media Coverage and Advocacy

Intersex Awareness Day, a day to celebrate visibility and highlight the issues facing intersex persons worldwide, was observed on Tuesday, October 26, 2021. Here’s a look at what happened during the week and the latest advancements in intersex advocacy.

The week was marked by a historic win for the intersex and and gender non-binary community. On October 27, the State Department issued its first U.S. passport with a gender neutral “X” marker to intersex and non-binary activist, Dana Zzyym. In a
- Connecting LGBTQ+ Communities of Color and thei •

American Ballet Theater’s Pride Nights Support Diverse Artists and Stories

The American Ballet Theater celebrated LGBTQ History Month by hosting its first-ever Pride Nights on October 27 and October 30. The inaugural events featured a lobby photo exhibition by queer photographer Quil Lemons, and the performance of 4 ballets: Alexei Ratmansky’s Bernstein in a Bubble, Christopher Rudd’s Touché, Clark Tippet’s Some Assembly Required, and Darrell Grand Moultrie’s Indestructible Light. Each Pride Night featured a special appearance by drag artist Lypsinka, and concluded wit
Newsweek •

Inclusive Leadership at the U.N.: Breaking Barriers to Change the Culture

I took up my appointment as deputy joint special representative with the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) in Darfur, Sudan and received my first briefing on December 15, 2015.

In the briefing, it was reported that two weeks prior, villages in northern Darfur, specifically Anka, had been decimated for the third time by armed groups, women raped and communities displaced. I inquired about what the mission did and was told that continuing security concerns had prevented peac
Medium •

Yes, you look gay enough. My journey to radical self-acceptance through fashion

In 2018, just one year after moving to Philadelphia and with half of a graduate degree under my belt, I made the life-changing decision to come out as a lesbian. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever done. It was scary because, I thought, how can I decide to be something I’ve never been before? In a way, I felt like a fraud, like I was faking it.

This anxiety of feeling like I was “faking it” was one of several anxieties I developed after coming out, among anxieties I was privileged enough to hav
Vital Voices •

Power to Empower: Hindou Oumaru Ibrahim Podcast

Power to Empower: Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim Brings Indigenous Perspective to the International Stage

November 2020 – Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim is an expert on both indigenous peoples’ rights and climate change. She is part of the indigenous Mbororo people and President of the Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad (AFPAT). Throughout Hindou’s career, she has worked to empower indigenous communities via advocating for the incorporation of indigenous knowledge into global discussions abou
Vital Voices •

Power to Empower: Christine Lagarde Podcast

Power to Empower: Christine Lagarde on Being the First, but Not the Last

October 2020 – Christine Lagarde is the President of the European Central Bank, chair of the European Systemic Risk Board, and former Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund. Her trailblazing career in European economics is as successful as it is diverse, spanning multiple countries and a plethora of political sectors. As the first woman to manage the IMF, the first woman finance minister of France, and now, t
Vital Voices •

Power to Empower: Kiran Bir Sethi Podcast

November 2020 – Kiran Bir Sethi is a designer, educational reform activist, and vibrant social entrepreneur. In 2001, she founded the Riverside School in Ahmedabad, in the Indian state of Gujarat. The Riverside School is globally recognized for its profound pedagogical practices which centralize student wellbeing. As part of our Power to Empower podcast series, Kiran spoke with Vital Voices President and CEO Alyse Nelson about what led to the creation of the Riverside School and her unique forma
Vital Voices •

Power to Empower: Maria Pacheco Podcast

Power to Empower: Maria Pacheco on the Importance of Connection

November 2020 – Maria Pacheco is a Biologist, Social Entrepreneur, and founder of Wakami. Maria started Wakami in Guatemala after witnessing the systemic damage caused by the country’s civil war, which lasted over 30 years. Wakami is a multi-faceted organization that not only trains artisans in rural communities but connects their work to larger global markets for long-term economic prosperity. Since its inception in 2006, Wakami h
Vital Voices •

Power to Empower: Habiba Ali Podcast

November 2020 – WE Empower Awardee, Global Ambassadors Program Alumna, VV GROW Fellow and Global Leadership Awards Honoree Habiba Ali is a social entrepreneur and founder of SOSAI renewable energies company, a Nigerian organization that empowers communities through renewable energy, technology, and advising services. Through the efforts SOSAI, sustainable technology is examined and created through a more accessible, human lens. In doing so, SOSAI’s work transcends socioeconomic barriers to creat
Vital Voices •

Power to Empower: Amira Yahyaoui Podcast

Power to Empower: Amira Yahyaoui On the Internal and External Challenges of Being a Woman Leader

October 2020 – Amira Yahyaoui is a Tunisian activist and global technology entrepreneur. In 2011, amid the Tunisian Revolution, Amira founded Al Bawsala, a democracy-building NGO which combats transparency issues between government decision-making and Tunisian citizens. In 2017, Amira shifted her work to Silicon Valley and founded Mos.com, a site addressing the lack of transparency surrounding stude
Vital Voices •

Power to Empower: Amanda Gorman Podcast

Introducing Power to Empower Podcast Series: Amanda Gorman on Transformation and Triumph

October 2020 – Amanda Gorman is an accomplished poet, activist, HERlead fellow, and most recently, a Harvard University graduate. In 2017, Amanda became the first-ever U.S. Youth Poet Laureate. As an advocate for youth empowerment and a variety of social issues, Amanda utilizes the lyrical device of poetry to convey complex messages and inspire social change. As the inaugural guest for the Vital Voices Podc
Vital Voices •

Voices of Resilience: Claire Russo Podcast

Trigger warning: This post may contain traumatic content related to sexual assault and violence against women.

September 2020 – Claire Russo is a former Air Intelligence Officer in the US Marine Corps who recently ran for Congress in Virginia’s fifth district. As a woman in the Marines and a survivor of sexual assault, Claire was motivated to run for Congress for several reasons: namely, her experiences with misogyny and the mistreatment she received after her assault in the early 2000’s. In th
Penn Arts & Sciences •

Penn Grad BEN Talks 2019 | Understanding the Unique Discursive Culture of Sex-Reassignment Surgery Fatwas in Contemporary Iran

Annalysse Mason
South Asia Studies
"Understanding the Unique Discursive Culture of Sex-Reassignment Surgery Fatwas in Contemporary Iran"

GRAD BEN TALKS
Friday, February 22, 2019
Irvine Auditorium, Amado Recital Hall

A day of TED Talk-style presentations by Penn Arts and Sciences graduate students representing the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and professional master’s programs. Each student presented a 10-minute talk to an audience of undergraduates, faculty, staff, and fellow graduate students. Judges selected winners in each of the four categories, and each winner received a $500 cash prize.
Vital Voices •

Voices of Resilience: Panmela Castro Podcast

September 2020 – Panmela Castro is a long-time Vital Voices woman leader, activist, and artist. As an activist, she is known for her use of a beautiful but unconventional medium: graffiti. Based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Panmela uses art to bring awareness and educate women about acts of gender-based violence and domestic violence.

As part of the Vital Voices Podcast Series, Panmela spoke with Vital Voices President and CEO, Alyse Nelson, about how her activism work, and her home country at la
Vital Voices •

Voices of Resilience: Emily Courey Pryor Podcast

August 2020 – Emily Courey Pryor is the executive director of Data2X, an advocacy and technical platform at the United Nations Foundation. Proposed in 2012 by former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Data2X aims to eliminate gender bias from major data sources and improve the availability, equality, and use of gender data. At Data2X, gender data is produced and strengthened through collaboration with an assortment of impressive partnerships.

Emily joined Vital Voices President and CEO
Vital Voices •

Voices of Resilience: Mona Sinha Podcast

August 2020 – Business leader and philanthropist Mona Sinha is the founder of Raising Change, an organization committed to addressing the funding gap to support organizations pushing for social change. She’s also the Board Chair of Women Moving Millions, which works to invest in gender equality initiatives around the world. Mona is a leader in philanthropic giving, and set the tone for women philanthropists with her million-dollar pledge to support educating women to be leaders. She’s spent her
Invocations •

The Role of Hinduism in the Construction of Hijra Identity in Modern Hindu India

This paper examines the role of Hinduism in the construction of Hijra Identity in Modern India. I’ve been studying the Hijra population and Hinduism at large throughout my undergraduate education. I became particularly interested in how Hijras construct and negotiate their identities as I read more literature about Hijras. Over time I realized there are not only biological, sexual, and social discourses that are contributing to the larger conversation academia is having about Hijra