Professor Paula Gerber

About the 2026 nomination

Professor Paula Gerber is a passionate advocate for the human rights of LGBTIQA+ people.

She is a law professor at Monash University, an academic member of the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law and an internationally renowned expert in the international human rights law relating to LGBTIQA+ people.

Paula worked as a lawyer in London, Los Angeles and Melbourne, before making a move into academia. Her PhD that investigated the extent to which children learn about human rights in secondary school, in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Paula has written and edited numerous books, journal articles and book chapters on human rights issues, including most recently Sex, Gender & Identity: Trans Rights in Australia (2025) Monash University Publishing; the 3-volume collection Worldwide Perspectives on Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals (2021) Bloomsbury Publishing and the 2-volume collectionCritical Perspectives on Human Rights Law in Australia (2021) Thompson Reuters (with Melissa Castan).

She is also an award-winning teacher, and a highly sought-after media commentator and public speaker, writing regularly for outlets including Monash Lens, Women's Agenda, the Conversation and the ABC. She uses her legal expertise to explain, in clear and accessible language, not only what the law is, but also how it can be strengthened to better protect the human rights of all people.

Paula combines her scholarship, advocacy and teaching to generate greater understanding, shift attitudes, contribute to a more inclusive society and facilitate law reform, that collectively increases respect for the human rights of all LGBTIQA+ people.

About the Human Rights Awards

The Australian Human Rights Awards is an inspirational showcase of the best in all of us. The Awards honour and celebrate diverse human rights heroes and significant achievements in protecting and promoting human rights in Australia.

Learn more about the Human Rights Awards.