Issue 24 February 13 2024

Issue Highlights

2024 global forecast for LGBTQ+ rights

Predictions for Ukraine, Namibia, Ghana, Malawi and many more

Cecilia Gentili, Beloved Transgender Advocate, Author, and Actress, Has Died | Them

Among her many accomplishments, Gentili was the Director of Policy at the GMHC (formerly Gay Men’s Health Crisis), a New York City-based AIDS service organization, and the founder of Trans Equity Consulting, an organizational development consulting firm that sought to center trans women of color, immigrants, sex workers, and incarcerated people.

Trans activist Kris Hayashi joins National LGBTQ Task Force

I am excited to be joining the Task Force to be able to support and continue the organization's work to really build an LGBTQ progressive movement that centers trans power, resistance, and joy,"

LGBTQ Social Justice

Uganda’s Global Fund coordinating board gets first Transman Member

Apako is the Executive Director of Tranz Network Uganda, an indigenous not-for-profit umbrella organization for transgender and gender diverse persons’ organizations in Uganda established in 2014.

Shelter for HIV+ Ugandans tries to survive despite new Anti-Homosexuality Law

Muwonge Gerald, the founder of Foaster Foundation for Health Care Uganda, a non-profit organisation working with the LGBTQIA+ community and people living with HIV

In a Survey of 84,000 Trans Americans, Nearly All Said Transitioning Improved Their Lives | Them

The largest-ever survey of trans people in the U.S. asked respondents about their experiences at home, in the workplace, in the doctor’s office, and more.

Anti-trans bills: Proposals in 2024 show no sign of slowing down

“The DeSantis administration’s obsession with scapegoating transgender Floridians has escalated into an outrageous attack that further erodes freedom and liberty in our state,” said Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida, in a statement. “…. These reckless and hateful policies are intended to make the transgender community feel unsafe and unwelcome in Florida and to bully them out of public life entirely.”

Policy Tracker: Youth Access to Gender Affirming Care and State Policy Restrictions | KFF

This tracker provides an overview of these laws/policies and any associated litigation by state, identifying which groups of people are impacted in addition to minors (e.g. providers, parents, etc.), the types of penalties providers face (i.e. professional or felony), the status of legal challenges, and other key information.

Generation Z Is Gayer, More Anxious and Less Conservative Than Other Generations | Autostraddle

According to PRRI, who surveyed 6,014 human beings in total, 28% of Gen Z adults (ages 18-24) identify as LGBTQ+. Meanwhile, 16% of millennials, seven percent of Generation X and 4% of baby boomers identify as LGBTQ+. PRRI also surveyed Gen Z teens (ages 13 – 17) but did not ask them about their LGBTQ+ affiliation.

Here's How Businesses Can Be True LGBTQ Allies | Opinion

The LGBTQ+ Corporate Citizen: A Framework for Emerging Best Practices in Allyship. This first-of-its-kind report goes beyond foundational workplace inclusion, urging companies to examine their operations, policies, and practices through an action-focused lens. It builds on more than 20 years of HRC working with corporate America to advance LGBTQ inclusion and has six key pillars: workforce, supply chain, products & services, marketing, corporate philanthropy, and advocacy and political engagement. Each pillar is tailored toward addressing the discrepancy that sometimes exists between what a brand may "say" and what a brand may "do."

The UMC lost a quarter of its churches — most in the South

The same area of the country that tends to be the most politically conservative and Republican-leaning was where most United Methodist churches voted to leave the denomination.

Florida: "Misrepresenting" Gender On Drivers Licenses Is Fraud, Changes Now Banned

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles announced in a letter that drivers license gender changes are no longer available, and trans people could be charged with fraud.

Transgender Floridians and allies protest at DMV locations statewide - Watermark Online

Transgender Floridians and allies are staging die-in protests at DMV locations across the state Feb. 9 demanding a reversal of the January memo issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles

Florida Dem Congresspeople To Biden: Block Trans License Ban With Real ID Act

In a letter signed onto by every member of the Florida Democratic congressional delegation, Florida Democrats call upon Biden to use the Real ID Act to block a ban on trans drivers license changes.

Great Apes & Gibbons

A primate on the brink: Cao vit gibbon even closer to extinction than feared

The population of the critically endangered cao vit gibbon, confined to a small forest fragment on the Vietnam-China border, is now estimated to comprise a mere 74 individuals in just 11 family groups. This figure is 38% lower than the previous estimate of 120 individuals.

Orangutan calls have an intricate structure resembling human language | New Scientist

Calls made by male orangutans to attract females have short sequences nested inside longer sequences – a feature called recursion that was thought to be unique to human language

Update on Second Chance Chimpanzee Refuge in Liberia | The Humane Society of the United States

A new construction project underway at HSI’s Second Chance Chimpanzee Refuge will ensure caregivers can safely provide enhanced medical attention for chimps like Lolo by creating infrastructure to separate individual animals from island groups, sedate them and directly treat them.

Sierra Leone is losing its forests. This sanctuary is trying to save chimpanzees and their vital habitat | CNN

Amarasekaran has managed Tacugama through Sierra Leone’s brutal civil wars and heart-stopping Ebola outbreaks. Along the way he’s pushed chimps into the national consciousness, lobbying for the primate to become the national animal in 2019. Bruno’s picture is now on the national passport.

Philanthropy

The Giving Year Ahead: Trends in Grantmaking and Philanthropic Engagement for 2024 | Arabella Advisors

we assembled a panel of contributors from across the firm to highlight key trends for 2024 in three broad areas: 1) what will get funded; 2) who will make funding decisions and how; and 3) which vehicles funders will use to pursue their philanthropic goals.

HRC awards grants to 25 LGBTQ rights groups around the world

HRC Global Partnerships Director Jean Freedberg noted the Global Small Grants program “is an opportunity for the Human Rights Campaign Foundation to partner with LGBTQ+ advocates around the world to advance our common goal of equality for all.”

Racial Justice Programs Under Fire: Foundations Are Running Scared When They Should Double Down

Perceived legal threats following the Supreme Court affirmative action ruling are causing grant makers to backslide, fueling notions that racial justice work is discriminatory or illegal. By Lori Villarosa , Ben Francisco Maulbeck, and Gihan Perera

Amid Attacks on DEI, This Tool Can Help Funders Further Their Own Journeys — and Push Back | Inside Philanthropy

the 2024 Diversity Among Philanthropic Professionals (DAPP) survey being conducted by CHANGE Philanthropy. For one thing, this is probably the most in-depth survey of its kind in the sector: The DAPP survey takes a whole-person approach to identity, addressing everything from race, gender identity and sexual orientation to disability status and even religious diversity. The study aims “to help the philanthropic community better understand its workforce and leadership,” a goal that might be particularly important in today’s climate.