It’s our great pleasure today to introduce Melanie Bejzyk as an IntLawGrrls contributor. Melanie is a Canadian lawyer and a Master’s candidate in public international law at the University of Oxford. Her current research and teaching interests focus on international human rights law, in particular sexual orientation, gender identity and the law. She has lectured at the Faculties of Law and Social Sciences at the University of Ottawa, and the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights at the University of Oslo. She has also conducted diversity and awareness training on sexual orientation and gender identity for law enforcement agencies, human resource professionals and government officials in Canada.

Melanie previously served as a Legal Officer in the UN, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law Section and the Criminal, Security and Diplomatic Law Division of the Legal Affairs Bureau of Global Affairs Canada. She holds a Juris Doctor from the University of British Columbia and an LL.M from the University of Ottawa. She was called to the Ontario Bar in 2006, after interning at the Legal Resources Centre in Johannesburg and clerking at the Federal Court of Canada.

Melanie’s first post will discuss the recent attack in Orlando in the context of LGBTI human rights violations worldwide. Heartfelt welcome!