Issue Highlights
Orlando Pulse Shooting: Remembering All 49 Victims
This story was originally published on June 14, 2016. PEOPLE is republishing it to mark the seven-year anniversary of the tragic Pulse nightclub shooting, which claimed 49 victims' lives before the gunman's death.
Biden lauds 'extraordinary' courage of LGBTQ Americans at White House Pride event | CNN Politics
“You are loved. You are heard. You are understood. And you belong,” Biden said in his remarks on the South Lawn to a cheering crowd.
Opinion | Yes, We’re in an L.G.B.T.Q. State of Emergency - The New York Times
This year, there is a pall over Pride.
Branding With Bonobos? A Conservation Fee Might Help Save Them.
Data suggests brands can blunt public awareness of species loss when they use at-risk animals in ads. Should they pay?
LGBTQ Social Justice
Ugandan anti-gay law empties out HIV clinics, cuts legal aid
Uganda’s NGO Bureau in January listed HRAPF among the civil society organizations under investigation on allegations of promoting homosexuality, which was not recognized as an offense before the new law came into effect.
“No details were given as to why HRAPF was being investigated, and this leaves us in the dark as to why we were being investigated,” reads the statement by HRAPF Executive Director Adrian Jjuuko.
Emboldened by anti-gay law, Ugandans besiege the LGBTQ community
The situation is a lot worse with the transgender community. Housing and tenancy evictions have increased by folds and the few people willing to house those that identify as queer have shot the prices beyond manageable on top of the economic reality of being jobless as result of the law that makes it criminal to employ a queer person.
US Imposes Visa Restrictions On Uganda Officials After Anti-LGBTQ Law - Towleroad Gay News
The State Department did not mention any names or even the number of officials on whom this restriction had been placed but said the U.S. would hold accountable those who are responsible for abusing human rights in Uganda, “including those of LGBTQI+ persons.”
Appeal to World Bank: Cut funding to Uganda until it withdraws new anti-gay law
International rights advocates launch appeal in response to LGBTQ Ugandans’ request
Opinion | Uganda's anti-LGBTQ+ law is an affront to human dignity - The Washington Post
The World Bank must quickly send a strong signal to Uganda. It must clarify that it will not engage with countries that bar marginalized communities from participating in and benefiting from the fruits of development.
US anti-LGBT group that pushed harsh Uganda law now concerned it makes them look bad: report ｜ Raw Story
Family Watch International (FWI) was the American evangelical lobbying group that pressed President Yoweri Museveni to pass the law but, when the death penalty was added, there was a concern it could make them look bad. So, in April the group's leader Sharon Slater met with the president and suggested that the penalties be softened.
She was ignored.
Meet the LGBTQ activist who challenged his Caribbean country's anti-sodomy law and won | AP News
Last year, a top Caribbean court ruled that the anti-sodomy provision of Antigua’s sexual offenses act was unconstitutional. LGBTQ-rights activists say David’s effort, with the help of local and regional advocacy groups, has set a precedent for a growing number of Caribbean islands.
Well-funded Christian group behind US effort to roll back LGBTQ+ rights | LGBTQ+ rights | The Guardian
Advocacy groups condemn Alliance Defending Freedom as ‘a danger to every American who values their freedoms’
Most Americans Say Religion Is No Excuse for Anti-LGBTQ+ Discrimination: Survey
84 percent of respondents said medical professionals should not be able to deny care to an LGBTQ+ person based on their religious beliefs. Nearly three-quarters (74 percent) opposed the denial of employment on this basis, and 71 percent opposed letting businesses refuse service.
The American Medical Association Has Strengthened Its Stance on Gender-Affirming Care | Them
A new resolution by the organization pledges to oppose criminal penalties for accessing such care.
LGBTQ+ Adults Do Not Feel Safe and Do Not Think the Democratic Party Is Doing Enough to Protect Their Rights
While a majority of LGBTQ+ adults have not considered moving as a result of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in their state, 43 percent of transgender adults and 41 percent of young adults ages 18-24 have considered moving. Notably, the legislation has driven members of the LGBTQ+ community to move out of their community or state: 8 percent of both transgender adults and people aged 18-24 have moved, in addition to 9 percent of LGBTQ+ adults 65 or older
Educators face hard choice: Obey or defy anti-LGBTQ policies - Chalkbeat
At the Moore County meeting, counselors questioned the legality and ethics of the new policy. One asked the question that seemed to be hanging over the room: What would happen if they refused to comply?
Biden Names Coordinator To Work On Book Bans Issue - Towleroad Gay News
The new coordinator, under the auspices of the Department of Education’s office of civil rights, will be tasked with providing new training for schools on how book bans can create a “hostile” environment for students — and possibly violate federal laws.
New anti-transgender laws will hurt Indigenous peoples’ rights and religious expression
By ignoring the long Indigenous histories of integrating multiple gender identities consecrated by the divine, legislatures are bound to cause both individual suffering and the diminishing of Indigenous peoples’ rights to practice their own religions.
LGBTQ Community Celebrates Pride In The Face Of Online And Offline Attacks - Towleroad Gay News
Jay Ulfelder, a political and data scientist at Harvard University, has been tracking anti-LGBTQ demonstrations since 2017. The data shows a clear increase in events beginning in 2022, about 30-fold compared to 2017. Right wing protests were almost four times as likely in the last year and half to include anti-LGBTQ narratives than when counting began.
Arizona governor vetoes bill requiring schools to limit transgender students’ bathroom access
Republican lawmakers argue that the legislation would protect children, but Hobbs disagrees and has previously said she will not support any legislation that targets LGBTQ youth.
When the Proud Boys Came to Town. How a small town in North Carolina… | by Gwen Frisbie-Fulton | Reclaiming Rural | Jun, 2023 | Medium
So when she learned that a number of her customers would drive an hour away to the big city of Charlotte to attend drag shows, Tiffany thought:” Why should local people have to drive and bring their money that far away when we could just do that here?” She put up an ad for a drag brunch and the event sold out so fast she had to schedule a second show. People loved it.
And then the Proud Boys showed up.
US judge in Florida blocks enforcement of state ban on gender-affirming care | OPENLY
While Wednesday's order is not a final judgment, Hinkle said the plaintiffs were likely to win. He harshly criticized the law as motivated by "bigotry," noting that one state legislator had called transgender witnesses at a public hearing "demons."
Florida anti-LGBTQ laws prompt some families to flee state - The Washington Post
Those who cannot afford to relocate are turning to GoFundMe to raise money to leave a state they say has become a dangerous place for them and their children. Advocates for transgender Floridians have started Transit Underground, an informal coalition to help connect those leaving with volunteers who offer transportation and temporary housing.
DeSantis bid to cut LGBTQ topics from schools ensnares AP Psychology
The AP Psychology class is a potential point of conflict. The course has a unit dealing with developmental psychology that includes discussion of gender and sexual orientation.
LGBTQ+ Youth Deserve More — And Philanthropy Can Help - The Center for Effective Philanthropy
Funders must step up for these youth to help to counter the regressive movement in schools and beyond to intentionally make LGBTQ+ students less visible.
Great Apes & Gibbons
Wildfire smoke threatens already endangered orangutans
possible to assess the health of wild populations by monitoring the frequency and quality of their sounds—an alternative to the dangers posed by trying to study the animals in person during a wildfire
Chimpanzees, Bonobos Became Lonely and Sedentary During the Lockdown, Shows Study | The Swaddle
Chimpanzees and baboons had retreated to a more solitary lifestyle in the months of 2020; when the zoo reopened, they were eating more and were found to be more active. Even bonobos and gorillas had abandoned their reclusive habits and weren’t spending a lot of time alone after the lockdown.
Apes have the same willingness to share food as small children | New Scientist
chimpanzees and bonobos share peanuts and grapes with other apes who shared food first, doing so at about the same rate as 4-year-old children
Conflicted opinion: Yale chimpanzee expert weighs in on ‘Chimp Empire’ | YaleNews
While Watts praised the filmmakers’ skill in capturing compelling and often beautiful footage, he acknowledged that the series’ narrative at times sacrifices scientific accuracy for drama.
UNM manages longest-running study of chimpanzees, houses data trove | Local News | santafenewmexican.com
The primates can appear surprisingly hearty until shortly before death and often don’t exhibit symptoms of chronic degenerative diseases, said Melissa Emery Thompson, an anthropology professor at the University of New Mexico.
Philanthropy
The Onslaught of Anti-Trans Legislation Demands a Crisis Response From Philanthropy
The rise of anti-transgender authoritarianism requires sustained and flexible investments in trans groups and movement organizing — and a recognition that many of the community’s greatest needs may not fit neatly into pre-existing funding portfolios. These include covering legal costs for medical providers who are risking their professional licenses to give gender-affirming care; costs for out-of-state travel to receive such care; and legal fees for families fighting state efforts to take away their trans kids who are undergoing gender-affirming care.
Taking the Reins, Alex Soros Inherits Substantial Power, Unanswered Questions at OSF | Inside Philanthropy
What does that mean for OSF? Most likely, with Alex in charge, U.S. grantmaking will continue to prioritize progressive civic engagement and power-building strategies, with an emphasis on voting rights, democracy protection and empowering communities of color. We’ll also probably see Alex and other OSF personnel take steps to remain close to the levers of power in Washington D.C.
The Growth of Green Regrantors: Tracking an Evolving Ecosystem of Funding Intermediaries | Inside Philanthropy
Billionaires now dominate environmental philanthropy, yet these examples and others show that their dollars have also put significant power in the hands of regrantors, sometimes called intermediaries or pooled funds, remaking the funding landscape by dramatically expanding existing operations and helping new funds get off the ground.
7 red flags for funders in your grant proposal
Here they are in this crowdsourced list of grant writing red flags.