About

Human is Human™

Purpose

Alturi is a human storytelling project sponsored by the Caravanserai Project that offers a window into global LGBTI humanity. Wisdom is inherent in the experiences of all LGBTI identities, and learning about individual experiences can illuminate what’s at stake for the greater community.

At Alturi, we believe that Human is Human™.  

Potential

Alturi identifies divisions between the individual identities included in the LGBTI abbreviation. This separateness threatens the safety and freedom of all LGBTI people. By highlighting social and cultural stories as told by global LGBTI activists, Alturi seeks to educate readers about the lives of marginalized LGBTI people. 

Alturi aims to unite across identities and communities to show that Human is Human™.

Promise

Alturi strives to get it right by encouraging support for the activists it spotlights. This promise means focusing on activists representing all LGBTI identities and different communities worldwide. Alturi empowers activists to tell their authentic stories in their own words and offers readers a path to learn without being solicited for donations. Instead, Alturi encourages its readers to support the activists it serves. Our logo represents an uncommon unity free of division. Of course, it’s unusual to link across letters of the LGBTI abbreviation and national boundaries, and that’s Alturi’s promise. It’s the love of humankind communicated through human storytelling.

Alturi shares the truth that Human is Human™. 

People

Joel Klausler – Project Strategist
Joel (he/him/his) is a graduate of the University of Minnesota with a master of arts degree in strategic communication and a graduate minor in human rights. His goal is to advance the stories of global LGBTI activists with purpose. Contact joel@alturi.org

Robert Blackmon – Project Director
Robert is passionate about the use of technology to improve the political, social and economic conditions of marginalized communities. His online consultancy, Demotrac, specializes in messaging and community-building integrations for non-profits in the LGBTI and media spaces. Contact robert@alturi.org

 

Charlie Rounds – Alturi Co-Founder
Charlie Rounds is the co-founder of Alturi and Give OUT Day. He was a travel industry executive for more than 30 years including 13 years at RSVP Vacations. Charlie has served on the board of directors of Meet Minneapolis, The Civil Marriage Collaborative, The Center for Victims of Torture, and the Kevin J. Mossier Foundation. Contact charlier@alturi.org

Sebastian Tangelson – Alturi Gobal Communications Intern
Sebastian is a second-year Global Communications intern at Alturi in his senior year at St Louis Park High School. Influenced by his Argentine-American background, Sebastian believes in leveraging his multilingual and cross-cultural skills to assist Alturi in its LGBTI livelihood work in the Caribbean and South America, namely encouraging multinational corporations to better engage in the economic well-being of the global LGBTI community. Contact sebastian@alturi.org

Alexandra Kuenning – Lead Writer
Alexandra (Xandie) Kuenning (she/her/hers) is a graduate of Northeastern University with a Bachelor’s in International Affairs and is currently pursuing an International Master’s degree in Central and East European, Russian and Eurasian Studies. In her work with non-profit organizations, she has concentrated on Eurasian affairs, with a specific focus on the emergence of LGBTI rights and organizations. Contact alexandra@alturi.org