Politics

New Guide to Supporting LGBT Asylum Seekers

by
Guide to Supporting LGBT Asylum Seekers

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation in partnership with the LGBT Freedom and Asylum Network (LGBT-FAN), and the National LGBTQ Task Force, recently announced an essential new guide, Stronger Together: a Guide to Supporting LGBT Asylum Seekers, during an event at HRC’s Equality Center.

Stronger Together provides crucial advice and guidance to service providers working with LGBT asylum seekers coming to the United States in search of better, safer lives.  The work of Center Global is featured prominently in the report.  Center Global, a program of the DC Center for the LGBT Community, supports LGBT asylum seekers and refugees in the District of Columbia.

Every year, thousands of LGBT people flee to the United States (U.S.) from home countries where they face persecution and violence because of who they are or whom they love. However, once arriving in the US, LGBT asylum seekers frequently face the daunting task of building new lives in what can be an unfamiliar and often hostile environment.

Asylum seekers who are LGBT often face barriers that others do not. They may continue to face homophobia or transphobia, often arrive in the U.S.without family support, and may be rejected or ignored by organizations that might be helpful to non-LGBT asylum seekers. Even well-meaning individuals could inadvertently undermine the wellbeing of LGBT asylum seekers by providing incorrect or inappropriate advice. Stronger Together offers service providers information on how best to help newcomers adjust, including advising on employment counseling, access to housing, and where to seek legal representation. The guide focuses on assisting service providers in empowering LGBT asylum seekers.

“LGBTQI asylum seekers and asylees should be leaders in this work. They are experts on their own stories and needs, and can use their expertise to serve their own community.” said Nikilas Mawanda, a Ugandan activist and asylee who also contributed to Stronger Together.

“It is wonderful that people in the U.S. want to support LGBT asylum seekers” said Siobhán McGuirk, Stronger Together co-author. “It is important that this movement develops in ways that respect the diversity, agency, and views of LGBT asylum seekers and asylees, while also contributing to the wider immigration justice movement. Stronger Together reflects that aim. Over a hundred people contributed to this project, including LGBT asylum seekers and asylees, service providers, lawyers, researchers, and activists.”

The situation for LGBT people around the world varies widely. As LGBT equality advances in some places, people continue to suffer from discrimination, persecution and violence around the world.

– An estimated five percent of U.S. asylum claims are based on persecution of sexual orientation or gender identity, suggesting that the U.S. would have received 4,802 applications citing anti-LGBT persecution in 2014.
– In 10 countries worldwide, same-sex activity is punishable by death, and 75 countries criminalize same-sex relationships. Hundreds of transgender individuals have been brutally murdered in the last year.
– In a growing number of countries, governments have sought to silence equality advocates and organizations with so-called “anti-propaganda” laws and legislation.

To read the full report click on this link: Stronger Together: A Guide to Supporting LGBT  Asylum Seekers.

LGBT Equality: 5 State Strategies to Move us Forward

by
LGBT State Equality Strategies

This past week saw a significant shift in strategy on the federal level for LGBT equality.  After more than a decade of striving to pass the Employment Non Discrimination Act, and following the lead of local grassroots LGBT activists, National LGBT organizations switched to a new strategy: comprehensive LGBT Non-Discrimination Protections.

And even as consensus built around the Senator Jeff Merkley’s plans to introduce a Comprehensive LGBT Non-Discrimination Bill, the realities of the current political climate on the hill made everyone wonder if passing anything on the federal level would be possible.

Mara Keisling was quoted in Time as saying there is ‘no clear path’ to moving the legislation forward.  Get Equal reported that some LGBT insiders believed passing such a bill would take at least another decade.

Even with the vast resources thrown at the federal level, what we can expect to accomplish this year, or for that matter, the next five years, is hazy at best.

On the other hand investments of time and resources at the state level have much stronger potential for payout in the short term.  Here are some of the state strategies that have already begun to improve the lives of LGBT individuals in some states, and have great potential to be replicated in states across the country.

State Strategy: End New HIV Infections

Campaign to End AIDS

In 2010 , gay an bisexual men accounted for 63% of estimated new HIV infections in the United states.  A sobering statistic, but the numbers are even more alarming when you look at gay and bisexual men of color.

While HIV/AIDS has not been a high-priority for many LGBT organizations, perhaps nothing would have a bigger impact on the lives of gay an bisexual men than ending new HIV infections; and New York State is making a plan to do exactly that.  Better yet, it’s a plan you can replicate in your state.

The end of the AIDS epidemic in New York will occur when the total number of new HIV infections has fallen below the number of HIV-related deaths.  Governor Cuomo and local HIV/AIDS activists have a three point plan to get this done.

  • Identifying persons with HIV who remain undiagnosed and linking them to health care;
  • Linking and retaining persons diagnosed with HIV to health care and getting them on anti-HIV therapy to maximize HIV virus suppression so they remain healthy and prevent further transmission; and
  • Providing access to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for high-risk persons to keep them HIV negative.

Learn more about the plan on the Housing Works Blog, and take part in the campaign to #EndAIDS2020 in your state.

State Strategy: End Conversion Therapy

Campaign to End Reparation Therapy

Few practices hurt LGBT youth more than attempts to change their sexual orientation or gender identity through so-called conversion therapy, which can cause depression, substance abuse, and even suicide.

The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) is taking action to end this practice once and for all.  State legislation has already been passed in California, New Jersey, and Washington DC.  Reach out to NCLR to see how you can help make your state next.

Learn more about the campaign to end Conversion Therapy

State Strategy: End Healthcare Discrimination

End Healthcare Discrimination

In February Mayor Vince Gray took steps to prohibit discrimination in health insurance based on gender identity and expression. This means health insurance companies in the District must offer all appropriate care, including hormone treatment and gender confirmation surgeries.   New York State has also taken similar measures.  As a District resident, I am extremely proud of my Mayor for this groundbreaking work, and for the amazing folks who worked on this important issue.

The truth is, however, that every state can and should implement transgender inclusive healthcare coverage, and if it is not on the agenda in your state, you have a tremendous opportunity to be the person that makes this a priority.

State Strategy: Pass State Anti-Bullying LawsPass State anti-bullying laws

GLSEN has model state anti-bullying legislation that has already been successful in many states.  Versions of this legislation has been passed in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington as well as the District of Columbia.

If this law has been passed in your state, learn more about how it is being implemented to protect LGBT students in schools.  If it hasn’t yet passed in your state, take action to make it happen.

Download this model state anti-bullying and harassment from GLSEN

Additional Anti-Bullying resources from GLSEN

State Strategy: Pass State Anti-Discrimination Laws in the South

Project One America

While we are working for full federal equality in employment, housing, and public accommodation, we can continue to work for the same at the state level.

It is important to note that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has now stated that transgender discrimination is sex discrimination, and while there are legal challenges to this decision, this information needs to be disseminated more broadly in our community.

It should not be used, however, as an excuse to exclude the transgender community from any state bills.  Already some have tried to use this decision to argue that we should focus on passing state laws addressing employment discrimination based on sexual orientation but not gender identity/expression.  Whatever happens with EEOC rulings down the road (which could actually be expanded to include gays and lesbians)  state laws offer an important level of protection and have the opportunity to address the issues not covered by the EEOC decision, namely discrimination in housing and public accommodation.

Of all the states which do not currently have these protections, this year the spotlight is on three being targeted by the Human Rights Campaign’s Project One America.  The spotlight is on the Project One America states, Arkansas, Alabama, and Mississippi.  This is due in no small part to the unprecedented amount of money HRC will pour into these states.  With a three year budget of $8.5 million and a dedicated staff of 20, this is the biggest ever investment being made in the south.

Of course, it’s important that you understand what the laws are in your state are.   Check out these state equality maps, if you are unsure.

Learn more about Project One America

 It all starts with your statewide LGBT organization

If these campaigns have piqued your curiosity, or if you’re ready to take action, the place to start is your statewide LGBT advocacy group.  The Equality Federation is a great place to start.  Equality Federation is the strategic partner and movement builder to state-based organizations winning equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people.  Visit the Equality Federation website to connect with the LGBT advocacy group doing work in your state and get started today.

LGBTQ Organizations Open Letter: From Ferguson to True Freedom

by
LGBT Community Response to Ferguson and NYC

Words cannot begin to describe the depth of feeling we all share about the unfolding tragedies in Ferguson and New York City. Words cannot relieve the suffering of Michael Brown and Eric Garner’s loved ones nor can words alone salve the pain nor quell the anger of millions. It’s action we need and we need it now.

As LGBTQ national organizations, we proudly stand in solidarity with the civil rights organizations and local activists — including the actions of an amazing, fierce, brilliant cadre of youth leaders, many of whom are queer identified — in demanding fundamental systemic change that tackles the root causes of racial and economic injustices once and for all. From political accountability for the deaths of Michael and Eric to the immediate passage of federal legislation that completely bans racial profiling across this land to ensuring that local police departments are representative and fair arbiters of safety and protection for everyone and who — through their actions — are continually working to earn the trust, confidence and respect of the entire community.

We too must speak louder than words and take more action — to change more hearts and minds and fight even harder for the policies and practices that make statements such as this one obsolete.

We urge you to:

  • Join the March Against Police Violence in Washington, called by the National Action Network, on Saturday December 13th, 10:30am;
  • Organize and participate in peaceful protests in cities across the nation;
  • Attend public meetings in your city or town to show your support or share your experience with elected officials; and
  • Create your own actions for change in person and online — at home, at school, at work, in the corridors of power, and in places of worship.

Everyone, everywhere in our nation can do more to end racism and racial injustice. Everyone, from the Department of Justice that must do more to deliver justice for the Brown and Garner families to the high school principal who could do more to engage and educate students about racism and the need for justice.

Even those of us who have devoted our lives to this cause need to redouble our efforts to reach out to more people — including those people who are on the wrong side of this issue.

If we as a nation are to end racism and racial injustice once and for all, everyone must be part of an ongoing and sustainable process of change — a process that builds on all the progress we’ve made, a process that aims to recruit everyone, and a process with the specific mission of delivering lived equality, justice, and freedom for all.

American Civil Liberties Union
Believe Out Loud
Brethren Mennonite Council for LGBT
The BiCast
BiNet USA
Bisexual Organizing Project
Bisexual Leadership Roundtable
Bisexual Resource Center
Campus Pride
CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers
Center For Black Equity
COLAGE
Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals
Equality Federation
Family Equality Council
The Fellowship Global (Pastor Joseph Tolton)
The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries (Bishop Yvette Flunder)
Freedom to Marry
Gay Men’s Health Crisis
GLAAD
Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders
GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBT Equality
Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network
Harvey Milk Foundation
Higher Education T* Circle Advisory Board
Human Rights Campaign
International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission
Lambda Legal
MAP
Marriage Equality USA
More Light Presbyterians
National Black Justice Coalition
National Center for Lesbian Rights
National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs
National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
National LGBTQ Task Force
National Minority AIDS Council
The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA)
Nehirim
Out & Equal Workplace Advocates
PFLAG National
Pride at Work, AFL-CIO
The Pride Network
Reconciling Ministries Network
SAGE (Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders)
Trans People of Color Coalition
The Trevor Project

LGBT Asylum Group Expands Scope & Changes Name

by
LGBT Freedom Asylum Network

A recent Associated Press story reveals LGBT people from around the world are seeking asylum in the United States in growing numbers. For example, asylum seekers from Russia are up 34%; many are LGBT persons fearing for their lives.  The diversity of groups supporting LGBT asylum seekers is also growing. To reflect this reality, the LGBT Faith and Asylum Network announced a name change, today. It is now the LGBT Freedom and Asylum Network.

LGBT-FAN launched in January 2014 with a congressional briefing and a working retreat. Leaders from around the country, including asylum seekers and asylees, have worked since 2012 to build a core of support and to solidify their mission. The group’s new name reflects the collaborative style of LGBT-FAN, its commitment to LGBT people of all faiths or no faith, and the coalition’s diverse membership. Ironically, while much of the persecution against LGBT people globally is driven by religion, much of the work to help LGBT asylum seekers in the U.S. is led by groups such as Chicago’s Broadway United Methodist Church and the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS).
LGBT-FAN supports direct-service groups, educates the wider community, and operates a charitable fund to give grants for direct services. The network advocates for the U.S. Government to protect LGBT asylum seekers, and works to support asylum seekers who face the brunt of punitive US immigration policies which deny them legal representation or
any means of support while they wait for months for officials to decide on their asylum applications.
At the heart of LGBT-FAN are a growing number of grassroots efforts that provide basic necessities such as housing to LGBT asylum seekers, most of whom are not legally able to hold employment for at least six months after filing their
asylum applications. These organizations include:
• Chicago LGBT Asylum Support Program (CLASP) (Chicago, IL)
• Center for Integration and Courageous Living (Chicago, IL)
• Freedom House (Detroit, MI)
• Housing Works (New York, NY)
• Better Together coalition (New York, NY)
• The First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco (San Francisco Bay Area, CA)
• LGBTQI Bay Area Asylum Coalition (San Francisco Bay Area, CA)
• Center Global, a program of the DC Center for the LGBT Community (Washington, DC)
• The LGBT Asylum Support Task Force (Worcester, MA)

According to LGBT-FAN Coordinator Max Niedzwiecki, “The work of the LGBT Freedom and Asylum Network is increasingly important. Laws in more than 80 countries subject LGBT people to prison, torture, and abuse. Some flee their homes and come to the US seeking safety. Once here, they need shelter, a welcoming community, food, and warm clothes. More than the basics, many want guidance to attain their goals, and feel empowered to join advocacy efforts for LGBT rights worldwide, and immigrant rights here in the US. Many of us are recognizing the shared responsibility to reach out to them.”

LGBT-FAN is partnering with the National LGBTQ Task Force to produce the first-ever guide for best practices when working with this population, and with Funders for LGBTQ Issues to educate foundation staff about LGBT asylum seekers.

Top 30 National LGBT Advocacy Websites

by
Top National LGBT Websites

There are three types of media that our National LGBT organizations can use to call attention to their important causes. The first type is paid media.  This is when an organization pays for an advertisement on a website or in a newspaper.  The second type is earned media.  This is when an organization does something that is worthy of press attention and receives coverage in an article, or even a retweet or facebook mention from a third party.  The final type is owned media.  Owned media encompasses all the ways an organization can communicate directly with their supporters without relying on anyone else.  In thew not-so-new age of social media, owned media is more important than ever for National LGBT organizations.  Owned media includes an organizations’s website, blog, and social media channels, as well as any other ways the organization reaches supporters directly, like a newsletter sent through the mail.

Which LGBT organizations are dominating the owned media field and which are falling behind?  I looked at over 50 national LGBT websites to find out.  This analysis weighed several different factors.  Each ranking is based primarily on the Alexa.com ratings. Alexa’s traffic estimates are based on data from their sample of millions of Internet users using one of over 25,000 different browser extensions.  The complete breakdown of each score is as follows:

  • 60% – Alexa.com rating (lowest numbers are the highest ranking)
  • 10% – Google estimated number of backlinks
  • 10% – Facebook likes
  • 10% – Twitter followers
  • 10% – Instagram follwers

There are a few important disclaimers to consider.  First, the focus of this list is to look at the influence of national LGBT organizations.  Many state and local LGBT organizations are therefore not included in this list, but have an equal or greater influence then many of the national groups.  Similarly, this list does not include LGBT programs that exist within organizations that are not exclusively focusedo n the LGBT community.  Notable exclusions include the Family Acceptance Project at San Francisco State University; the Williams Institute at UCLA Law; and LGBT Initiatives at the Center for American Progress.

Top Ranked Websites

Included below are the rankings as of November, 2014 for the top 30 websites I identified. The entire list of websites is included at the end of this article.

Website Alexa Backlinks Facebook Twitter Instagram Score
Human Rights Campaign hrc.org 57006 225000 2067056 457194 593000 96
No H8 Campaign noh8campaign.com 604501 34322 1224646 689766 214000 79
GLAAD glaad.org 112538 56894 256573 242567 22400 67
Trevor Project thetrevorproject.org 374613 49080 308630 187703 20900 66
It Get’s Better itgetsbetter.org 376321 49183 375941 117239 0 65
Freedom to Marry freedomtomarry.org 121860 35651 514973 58374 867 65
GLSEN glsen.org 139745 22411 545752 52618 1100 64
Lambda Legal lambdalegal.org 438136 23591 221013 77253 150 62
National LGBTQ Task Force thetaskforce.org 944352 37390 92317 33608 602 60
National Center for Lesbian Rights nclr.org 422430 13581 40354 22264 8 60
IGLHRC iglhrc.org 653872 29796 41668 12978 14 60
PFLAG pflag.org 612298 13856 51574 37821 714 60
Campus Pride campuspride.org 396341 13607 4514 8211 380 60
Lambda Literary Foundation lambdaliterary.org 514535 17779 6069 8562 0 59
Transgender Law Center transgenderlawcenter.org 687135 7473 52162 14534 482 59
NGLCC nglcc.org 703463 16963 6034 2951 0 59
Family Equality Council familyequality.org 1202758 31798 11738 13716 54 58
Metropolitan Comm Church mccchurch.org 902538 7392 6854 4188 0 58
Out and Equal outandequal.org 1078521 13210 24579 3879 115 58
SAGE sageusa.org 985465 1313 7542 4533 96 57
Immigration Equality immigrationequality.org 1105060 4976 19124 11302 0 57
CenterLink lgbtcenters.org 1346060 20883 5736 10401 0 57
Equality Giving equalitygiving.org 1163307 203 0 0 0 57
Victory Fund victoryfund.org 1519667 3137 122885 16450 342 57
NLGJA nlgja.org 1507660 4025 5713 8548 0 56
Sylvia Rivera Law Project srlp.org 1471720 1602 7264 1213 0 56
National LGBT Museum nationallgbtmuseum.org 1496746 817 262 2632 0 56
Equality Federation equalityfederation.org 3633883 11958 3004 373686 0 56
Bi Net USA binetusa.org 1617622 2940 251 5650 0 56
Arcus arcusfoundation.org 2056431 19947 1369 6515 0 55

Lessons from the Numbers

Welcome to Three New Players

Three new LGBT organizations did not quite make the top 30, but they did rank among the top 50.  They are:

  • The LGBT Tech Partnership.  Spearheaded by ED Chris Wood, the LGBT Tech Partnership explores the intersection of the LGBT community and technology, and has an impressive team including former OutServe/SLDN ED, Allyson Robinson.
  • Trans Women of Color Collective.  Inspired by the success of local chapters of TWOCC, Ashley Lourdes Hunter recently moved to Washington, DC to start the National Headquarters for this budding organization.
  • LGBT-FAN.  The LGBT Freedom Asylum Network (formerly the LGBT Freedom Asylum Network) is an inspiring network of local grassroots initiatives to support the growing influx of LGBT Asylum Seekers.
Goodbye to Old Friends

Although there has been no official announcement, it is pretty clear at this point that the National Office of Stonewall Democrats, once an important player in the nation’s capitol, is now defunct.  The same can be said for the National Coalition for LGBT Health.  There has been little dialogue, if any, on what the demise of these organizations means for our movement.

A Slow, Steady Decline for the Task Force Alexa Rating

I remain a huge fan of the National LGBTQ Task Force (formerly the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force), and an even bigger fan of the annual Creating Change Conference, which plays such an important role for activists across the country.

The numbers don’t lie, however.  When I first started tracking Alexa ratings more than a decade ago, the Task Force had an Alexa rating of 152, 139, which means the Task Force website was among the top 153,000 websites in the world.  Over the years, there has been a gradual decline.  As of this analysis, the number was at 944,352.  This means, that the site has dropped to being among the top million sites in the world. In contrast, several of the groups I first looked at in 2003, including NGLCC and Pride at Work, have grown their online presence.

A National LGBT Latina/o Organization

Ever since the National Latino/a Lesbian and Gay Organization (LLEGÓ) closed their doors in 2004, there have been rumblings about starting a new national organization for the LGBT Latina/o community.  Unid@s LGBT- The National Latin@ LGBT Human Rights Organization, was founded in 2007.  While their facebook page remains online, their website is now defunct, and the future direction of the organization is unclear.

What do the Numbers Tell You?

What is most interesting to me about these numbers are the comments and feedback I receive after posting them.  What do these numbers mean to you?  Are their LGBT organizations that I missed and should have included?  What suprises you about the rankings?  Please be sure to post your comments below.

Complete Ranking of all Organizations Researched

Website Alexa Backlinks Facebook Twitter Instagram Score
Human Rights Campaign hrc.org 57006 225000 2067056 457194 593000 96
No H8 Campaign noh8campaign.com 604501 34322 1224646 689766 214000 79
GLAAD glaad.org 112538 56894 256573 242567 22400 67
Trevor Project thetrevorproject.org 374613 49080 308630 187703 20900 66
It Get’s Better itgetsbetter.org 376321 49183 375941 117239 0 65
Freedom to Marry freedomtomarry.org 121860 35651 514973 58374 867 65
GLSEN glsen.org 139745 22411 545752 52618 1100 64
Lambda Legal lambdalegal.org 438136 23591 221013 77253 150 62
National LGBTQ Task Force thetaskforce.org 944352 37390 92317 33608 602 60
National Center for Lesbian Rights nclr.org 422430 13581 40354 22264 8 60
IGLHRC iglhrc.org 653872 29796 41668 12978 14 60
PFLAG pflag.org 612298 13856 51574 37821 714 60
Campus Pride campuspride.org 396341 13607 4514 8211 380 60
Lambda Literary Foundation lambdaliterary.org 514535 17779 6069 8562 0 59
Transgender Law Center transgenderlawcenter.org 687135 7473 52162 14534 482 59
NGLCC nglcc.org 703463 16963 6034 2951 0 59
Family Equality Council familyequality.org 1202758 31798 11738 13716 54 58
Metropolitan Comm Church mccchurch.org 902538 7392 6854 4188 0 58
Out and Equal outandequal.org 1078521 13210 24579 3879 115 58
SAGE sageusa.org 985465 1313 7542 4533 96 57
Immigration Equality immigrationequality.org 1105060 4976 19124 11302 0 57
CenterLink lgbtcenters.org 1346060 20883 5736 10401 0 57
Equality Giving equalitygiving.org 1163307 203 0 0 0 57
Victory Fund victoryfund.org 1519667 3137 122885 16450 342 57
NLGJA nlgja.org 1507660 4025 5713 8548 0 56
Sylvia Rivera Law Project srlp.org 1471720 1602 7264 1213 0 56
National LGBT Museum/Velvet Foundation nationallgbtmuseum.org 1496746 817 262 2632 0 56
Equality Federation equalityfederation.org 3633883 11958 3004 373686 0 56
Bi Net USA binetusa.org 1617622 2940 251 5650 0 56
Arcus arcusfoundation.org 2056431 19947 1369 6515 0 55
Gill Foundation gillfoundation.org 2032092 4140 3732 1918 0 54
GLMA glma.org 2180739 2743 4787 851 0 54
Astrea Foundation astraea.org 2318937 2121 4880 2293 0 54
National Gay Pilots Association ngpa.org 2536174 512 1700 104 0 53
LGBT Bar Association lgbtbar.org 3294566 2386 2324 1617 7 51
Funders for LGBTQ Issues lgbtfunders.org 3501132 1335 3577 2328 0 50
Out for Work outforwork.org 3582352 461 195 747 0 50
OutServe SLDN sldn.org 4719528 55251 28014 9288 0 49
COLAGE colage.org 4215347 8452 5084 1275 0 49
Get Equal getequal.org 4528989 9541 31412 28883 205 48
National Black Justice Coalition nbjc.org 6353583 1507 7824 2700 0 42
Bohnett Foundation bohnettfoundation.org 4395104 6481 1064 523 0 48
Faith in America faithinamerica.org 5,337,820 726 10,783 1124.00 0 45
LGBT Tech Partnership lgbttechpartnership.org 6987137 242 966 1129 0 40
Trans Women of Color Collective twocc.us 8275220 2 0 0 0 37
Center for Black Equity centerforblackequity.org 9536384 69 1978 462 23 33
Pride at Work prideatwork.org 10404989 8883 5916 2296 0 31
National LGBT Cancer Network cancer-network.org 13364027 1121 2154 20834 0 23
Military Partners & Families Coalition milpfc.org 14688889 375 7816 809 0 19
National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance nqapia.org 15381834 509 1655 2208 0 17
LGBT Faith (Freedom) Asylum Network lgbt-fan.org 17369035 3372 393 94 0 11
National Center for Trans Equality nctequality.org 19652409 1603 36333 26771 0 5
Transgender Legal Defense & Ed Fund tldef.org 20077845 4100 3448 16018 0 4
Transgender Americans Veteran’s Association tavausa.org 21252285 1429 688 104 0 0

Note: this data, along with the formulas I used to come to the final number, are available on a google spreadsheet. I will gladly share this spreadsheet with whoever is interested and I encourage you to a dd, tweek, change, and share.  I would be very interested in seeing what changes others might make.

 

LGBT Support for Hillary Clinton

by
Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton has not yet announced if she intends to run for President in 2016, but that hasn’t stopped many members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community from coming out to show their support.  In fact, hundreds of people showed up for an LGBT ‘Out and Ready for Hillary’ fundraiser last January, and community members are not waiting for an announcement to start organizing.

A few friends and I have already joined in the planning.  You can find us on facebook at fb.com/outforhillary or on twitter at twitter.com/outforhillary.  You can also check out our website at www.outforhillary.com.

Of course, the LGBT community is very diverse so there will likely be LGBT folks involved in a number of different campaigns.  There will also be people working hard to make hold Hillary (and her supporters) accountable every step of the way.

When Bill Clinton spoke at the Human Rights Campaign back in October, Get Equal took the opportunity to encourage the Hillary Clinton to be a strong advocate for many of the broader social justice issues important to our community.

“Today’s action was a chance for the LGBTQ community to make sure that Hillary Clinton hears loud and clear that, as she readies a presidential bid, we need her to stand up for progressive values as a champion and leader, not simply as a middle-of-the-road political candidate,” said Heather Cronk, GetEQUAL co-director. “I hope Secretary Clinton hears that the LGBTQ community cares deeply not only about passing a full LGBTQ equality bill, but also about reforming our broken immigration system, ensuring full reproductive health access, ending widespread and system police brutality, and winning economic justice measures that allow us to provide for and support our families. Our community won’t be swayed simply by high-profile speeches — we need to see serious action.”

 

 

LGBT Healthcare Bill of Rights

by
Bill of Rights

At the 2011 National Coalition for LGBT Health Meeting, LGBT HealthLink’s Director, Dr. Scout, concluded a presentation by suggesting our communities really needed to create a healthcare bill of rights. The response from the experts in attendance was overwhelming; dozens of experts chimed in to concur. In the years since, our healthcare rights have only expanded yet public understanding about those rights – which is critical to their effectiveness – has not kept pace. For example, very few people know that any hospital accredited by the Joint Commission must now have an LGBT nondiscrimination policy. Or that health insurers in the new marketplaces cannot discriminate either. Making this problem worse, even healthcare institutions are not fully educated about these changes. Most hospitals that were approached by PROMO, the LGBT equality organization for Missouri, could show no evidence of having an LGBT nondiscrimination policy in place. We have many new rights, and now more than ever we need to understand what they are to get the healthcare we deserve.

In 2014, LGBT HealthLink partnered with PROMO Missouri and lawyer Corey Prachniak from Washington DC to create a short document summarizing our rights in the healthcare world now. A few of these rights are aspirational, they have protections in most cases but not a blanket ruling protecting all cases. We have included them because we feel we need to outline the moral rights as well as those which already enjoy full legal protection. After working closely with healthcare policymakers for years, we know the intent is to treat us with full equality and fairness. Outright hostility or chilly climates around LGBT people no longer have a place in health care. We know discrimination is a major reason LGBT people experience profound health disparities now; it needs to be part of our past.

The first step is to be educated about our rights and stand up when they are not met.

Learn more at: www.healthcarebillofrights.org

A Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia

by
IDAHOT

May 17th is the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT).  It was created in 2004 to draw the attention of policymakers, opinion leaders, social movements, the public and the media to the violence and discrimination experienced by LGBTI people internationally.

Since then the Day has grown in both scope and depth. In 2013, actions around the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia took place in almost 120 countries. In the United Kingdom alone in 2013, almost 200 events took place around the Day, whilst in Brazil just under 120 events were registered one month before May 17.
In short, in under a decade, the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia has established itself the single most important date for LGBTI communities to mobilise on a worldwide scale.

The International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia is not one centralised campaign; rather it is amoment that everyone can take advantage of to take action.
The date of May 17th was specifically chosen to commemorate the World Health Organization’s decision in 1990 to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder.
The International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia has received official recognition from several States and such international institutions as the European Parliament, and by countless local authorities. Most United Nations agencies also mark the Day with specific events.

LGBTI organizations, governments, cities, human rights organizations, corporations and celebrities have all taken action on May 17th to:

  • Draw media attention to the issue of homophobia and transphobia
  • Organise events which mobilize public opinion
  • Demand attention from policymakers and engage in lobbying activities
  • Network with like-minded organizations and develop new partnerships, at home or beyond
  • Mobilize existing constituencies and address new audiences

Find out more at www.dayagainsthomophobia.org