Issue Highlights
What drives and halts tropical deforestation? Analyzing 24 years of data
Factors halting deforestation include steeper, less accessible terrain, stronger protections for parks and reserves, Indigenous land management, commodity certification programs, and payments for ecosystem services.
New Poll Shows Massive Backlash To Anti-LGBTQ School Policies
a new Navigator Research Poll shows that book bans, school sports policies, and Don't Say Gay bills are wildly unpopular.
PragerU and other changes coming to Florida schools this year : NPR
Now, as Florida students are beginning to go back to school, here are some other changes they will face.
Most LGBTQ groups experienced harassment or violence in 2022, survey shows
The survey was led by the New York City Anti-Violence Project (AVP) in partnership with the Arcus Foundation and Wellspring Philanthropic Fund, Center Link, the Equality Federation, Strength in Numbers Consulting Group, Bryce Celotto, and Swarm Strategy.
LGBTQ Social Justice
Do not discriminate against gay patients, Ugandan authorities tell health workers
One gay man (Egesa8) tweeted in reaction to the press release:.“Kira hospital will never give medication to any person who identifies him or herself as gay, I was chased last Monday and I had to get medication from a private hospital Malcom Health Center in Najjera, so all those press releases are just ‘hot air’ “.
Ugandan Police Arrest Four People for 'Acts of Homosexuality'
“The police operation was carried out following a tip-off by a female informant to the area security that acts of homosexuality were being carried out at the massage parlor,” police spokeswoman Hellen Butoto told Agence France-Presse. Two of those arrested were women.
Anti-Trans Legislative Risk Assessment Map: New Adult Map
a new adult map showing the risk for trans adults in the United States.
Indeed Will Give Trans Employees $10,000 to Relocate for Gender-Affirming Care | Them
The stipend will help employees move if their state restricts the trans healthcare they need.
States that protect transgender care now try to absorb demand
For those refuge states — so far, California, Connecticut, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Washington and Vermont, plus Washington, D.C. — the question is how to move beyond promises of legal protection and build a network to serve more patients.
Georgia Can Enforce Ban on Hormone Therapy for Trans Minors, for Now
U.S. District Judge Sarah Geraghty had issued an injunction in August blocking enforcement of the ban while a lawsuit against it proceeds, as she found that the parties who sued were likely to succeed in proving it violated the constitutional right to equal protection of the laws. But she put that injunction on hold because of a ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit that lifted a block on Alabama’s ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth.
Georgia book ban in public school libraries | 11alive.com
The Georgia law may be preventing widespread challenges by a handful of conservative activists. Research has found complaints nationwide are largely driven by just a few people — who sometimes aren’t parents.
North Carolina Passes 3 Anti-Trans Laws In One Day, Overriding Vetoes
North Carolina undertook a veto override session to pass a gender-affirming care ban, a don't say gay or trans bill, and a sports ban for trans youth all in a single day.
North Carolina laws curtailing transgender rights prompt less backlash than 2016 'bathroom bill' | AP News
Republicans now hold veto-proof majorities in both chambers for the first time since 2018, which has opened the door to some LGBTQ+ restrictions that had not previously gained traction in the state. And, Berger added, “the business community has for the most part decided that they’re going to concentrate on their business and not delve into those matters of policy.”
Opponents of Book Bans Outnumber Conservatives at New Mexico Library Meeting
“The books they may not want their children to read, I might want my children to read. So they can certainly control it at home, but they shouldn’t restrict these books and make choices for everybody about what books people should read or not read,”
Lake Worth Beach becomes Florida’s first LGBTQ+ sanctuary city – NBC 6 South Florida
"We are losing a lot of tourism. We're losing a lot of business," Hoch said. "We want to let people know you that are welcome here, if you're gay, lesbian or trans. And that's an important statement to make these days because what people are hearing is the exact opposite."
Florida LGBTQ+ Rights Groups Launch Parenting With Pride Program
A coalition of organizations serving families and parents in Florida has come together to launch Equality Florida’s new statewide program, Parenting With Pride. The goal is to create a hub of resources for queer families to know their rights, to have access to support and resources, and to combat harmful laws that affect them in the state.
Florida's New Anti-Trans Rule Threatens Jobs of College Faculty For Bathroom Use
Staff and faculty at Florida colleges can now be fired if they dare use the wrong bathroom even once. Two offenses will guarantee termination under a newly approved state regulation.
Pulse Survivor Brandon Wolf Join Human Rights Campaign
I am sharing the news: today, my time on staff at Equality Florida comes to a close, and I head to our nation’s capital to serve as National Press Secretary for the Human Rights Campaign
Vanderbilt Medical Center Under Federal Scrutiny After Trans Patient Records Release
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services investigation comes weeks after two patients sued VUMC for releasing their records to Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti late last year.
Great Apes & Gibbons
Idris Elba and Wife Sabrina Name Gorilla in Rwandan Ceremony
Inspired by “the ancient Rwandan tradition of naming a baby soon after its birth," the ceremony is dedicated to naming mountain gorillas who were born in Rwanda during the previous year, according to the African Wildlife Foundation.
It is a “high honor” to name one, per the AWF, and the Elbas were given this honor.
Conservationists urge Yousaf to act over Indonesian dam threat to rare orangutan | STV News
Scotland’s First Minister is being urged to intervene in the controversial construction of a new dam in Indonesia – a project which conservationists fear could impact on the world’s rarest ape.
Chimpanzees are not pets, no matter what social media tells you
social media influencers and companies still reap profits from sharing “cute” images and videos of chimpanzees and other primates poached from the wild. All the while, sanctuaries worldwide continue to receive orphaned victims of this illicit trade.
DRC's endangered bonobos face another threat to their survival: malaria
Climate change increases the likelihood of such infections occurring, with changing weather patterns facilitating the spread of malaria-carrying mosquitoes to populations that haven’t had to face the pathogen for a long time.
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
Philanthropy
To Boldly Give: Learning from the Impact of MacKenzie Scott’s Gifts to LGBTQ Organizations | by Movement Advancement Project | Aug, 2023 | Medium
Scott’s gifts have allowed LGBTQ-focused organizations to increase capacity, respond creatively, and build for the future.
Capacity Building: Rethinking What It Means and Who Decides
funders and grantees intentionally co-create solutions in capacity building, balancing power as well as building trust-based relationships, peer learning, and encouraging longer-term support.
Philanthropic commitments are important for an inclusive future - Alliance magazine
We need governments, organisations, philanthropists, and communities, to recognise the importance of inclusion of people with disabilities and work together to implement localised solutions that can be owned by communities to create long-lasting impact.
How the smart use of AI can help the philanthropic sector - Alliance magazine
using an AI tool as a shortcut to creating some content does not do philanthropy justice. For time-pressed nonprofits, it might seem like a good idea, but there is a crucial first step to remaining authentic, and that is working on your strategy and building a story to support that strategy, before using that content as input for AI.
Toward a Trust-Based Framework for Learning and Evaluation — Trust-Based Philanthropy
the most common question that funders consider when thinking about evaluation: Is our funding moving the meter on a particular issue or community? The difference in a trust-based context is that we shift the inquiry away from specific one-off grants toward a longer-term view that takes into account a more realistic understanding of how change happens.