Giancarlo de Vera (they/them) is respected disability, racial justice and LGBTIQA+ human rights advocate. They are a proud queer, non-binary intersectional leader with disability from a culturally and racially marginalised background, who has represented Australia at the United Nations on disability rights multiple times, including as Youth Lead Delegate.
Giancarlo is currently CEO of BEING – Mental Health Consumers, the NSW peak body for mental health consumers and psychosocial disability. They are also the Co-Chair of the Disability Rights Committee for Australian Lawyers for Human Rights, Secretary of Disabled Australian Lawyers Association and Treasurer of the Australian Centre for Disability Law.
Giancarlo also sits on the boards of the NSW Ageing and Disability Commission, the NSW Mental Health Coordinating Council, the National Mental Health Consumer Alliance, the Tenants Union of NSW, the City of Sydney’s Inclusion (Disability) Panel, and also sits on the Australian Government’s National Disability Data Asset Council.
Giancarlo is an Ambassador for Rainbow Giving Australia, a national LGBTIQA+ philanthropic foundation and for the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Equality at Work and IncludeAbility project, and was a previous Australian Government Ambassador for International Day of People with Disability.
They have also served as President of the Australian GLBTIQA+ Multicultural Council and has been recognised as one of the 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian Australians, and as one of Pro Bono Australia’s Impact 25, a publicly voted list of Australians making the most social impact in Australia and abroad.