Issue Highlights
LGBTQ+ Index - Generosityforlife
The LGBTQ+ Index 2024 is the only comprehensive index of charitable organizations in the U.S. that serve LGBTQ+ causes and communities. The second annual LGBTQ+ Index shows a decade of growth amid ongoing challenges for these organizations, yet LGBTQ+ organizations receive less than $1 dollar out of every $500 donated.
U.N. rights body adopts first resolution to protect rights of intersex people
The resolution calls on states to “combat discrimination, violence and harmful practices against persons with innate variations in sex characteristics and address their root causes,” as well as help intersex people “realize the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.”
Frank Mugisha Is on the 2024 TIME100 List | TIME
Progress toward a more just future is possible, but it is not inevitable. Only through the undaunted work of leaders like Frank—whose courage has earned him the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award and a Nobel Peace Prize nomination—will true equality be achieved.
What’s Next for Jane Goodall? An Immersive Spectacle in Tanzania. - The New York Times
“Dr. Jane’s Dream” is going up in East Africa, where visitors can experience the primatologist’s scientific breakthroughs (complete with termite mound).
Dominica court overturns anti-sodomy law
The High Court of the Caribbean island nation of Dominica has ruled that Dominica’s law against consensual same-sex intimacy is unconstitutional.
Anti-Violence Project fires executive director, pauses fundraising amid internal turmoil
Beverly Tillery, who led AVP for more than eight years, was already planning her departure from the organization after she announced in February that she would be leaving at the end of July. But she was fired on April 25 amid allegations by the board that the organization is in financial distress, prompting Tillery to publish a long Facebook post to air her grievances with the board and denounce what she described as an “unjustified termination” and “a breach of my contract.”
Court says state health-care plans can’t exclude gender-affirming surgery
The decision came from a set of cases out of North Carolina and West Virginia, where state officials argued that their policies were based on cost concerns rather than bias. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit rejected that argument, saying the plans were discriminating against trans people in need of treatment.
LGBTQ Social Justice
A decade of failure at the African Commission on Human and People's Rights
African human rights commission says it opposes anti-LGBT bias but keeps discriminating
Ugandan activists appeal ruling that upheld Anti-Homosexuality Act
Sexual Minorities Uganda Executive Director Frank Mugisha and Jacqueline Kasha Nabagesara are among the activists who filed the appeal.
The EU masters double-speak in Uganda
Is the Union transitioning to its post-human rights iteration?
Activists demand EU sanction Uganda over Anti-Homosexuality Act
Convening for Equality Uganda on Tuesday in a letter they sent to Urpilainen asked the EU to review all funding to Uganda and “pause or reprogram any funds that go via government entities.” The protesters on Thursday also demanded European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen “to hold Ugandan President Museveni’s government accountable for this attack on human rights.”
Tanzanian LGBTQ+ activists map the road ahead
Impact of colonial-era laws on LGBTQ+ Tanzanians cannot be overstated
New World Bank US executive director: LGBTQ rights are human rights
“It’s about protecting LGBTQI+ rights in and outside of World Bank operations and projects and supporting LGBTQI+ people and rights inside and outside of our projects through inclusion. It’s using our voice and vote at every chance that we get to advance LGBTQI+ people.”
LGBTQ Equality Maps Updates: April 2024 | by Movement Advancement Project | Apr, 2024 | Medium
In this rapidly changing landscape, MAP’s LGBTQ Equality Maps provide a detailed snapshot of the current state of LGBTQ laws and policies in the United States. See below for state-level policy updates as of April 5, 2024.
United Methodist Church Reverses Ban on Gay Clergy - The New York Times
church leaders also voted to allow L.G.B.T.Q. weddings.
LGBTQ+ Employees Can’t Be Misgendered or Denied Bathrooms at Work, New Federal Rules Say | Them
New guidance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission strengthens protections for transgender and nonbinary employees in American workplaces for the first time in 25 years.
Biden administration announces changes to Title IX and protections for LGBTQ+ students - News Is Out
The report also highlights that those who commented or complained to the DOE shared that they did not feel Title IX investigators and school administrators took their complaints seriously.
The DOE acknowledged that “discrimination or hostility toward LGBTQI+ students, parents, guardians, caregivers and family members can deny students’ equal access to educational opportunities.”
Biden Administration Strengthens Health Care Protections for LGBTQ+ Americans | Them
New rules prohibit discrimination by doctors, Medicaid and health insurance plans — but make religious exemptions easier to obtain.
DeSantis: Florida ‘will not comply’ with new Biden Title IX rules | The Hill
“These final regulations build on the legacy of Title IX by clarifying that all our nation’s students can access schools that are safe, welcoming, and respect their rights,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement.
"Florida Has A 1st Amendment Problem" - Judge Rules Trans Teacher Can Use "Ms."
A Federal Judge has ruled that a trans woman teacher forced to go by "Mr." can return to going by "Ms." and use female pronouns in the classroom.
Many Trans Americans Are Living in Fear. But LGBTQ+ Advocates See a Reprieve in Statehouses | Them
The number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills being signed into law has shifted in the last year, leaving advocates feeling “cautiously optimistic” over a turning of the legislative tide.
Hobbs vetoes Republican anti-trans, Ten Commandments in schools bills
Hobbs, who has made it clear that she’ll use her veto power on any bills that don’t have bipartisan support — and especially ones that discriminate against the LGBTQ community — vetoed 13 bills, bringing her count for this year to 42
Arizona governor signs repeal of 1864 abortion ban
But even after Hobbs' signature, the road ahead on how and what abortion restrictions will be enforced in Arizona remains complicated: The ban is still bound to go into effect for a period of time due to unique aspects of Arizona law.
Great Apes & Gibbons
Meet the 2024 Goldman Environmental Prize Winners
This year’s winners include two Indigenous activists who stopped destructive seismic testing for oil and gas off the Eastern Cape in Africa, an activist who protected a forest in India from coal mining, an organizer who changed California’s transportation regulations, a journalist who exposed links between beef and deforestation in Brazil, an activist who blocked development of a coal mine in Australia, a professor of philosophy of law who led a campaign that resulted in legal rights to an ecosystem in Spain.
Jane Goodall at 90: On fame, hope, and empathy
In the conversation, Goodall delves into the evolving consciousness regarding environmental degradation and the loss of biodiversity, while stressing the importance of fostering hope amidst the doom and gloom often associated with these issues.
Borneo and Sumatra megaprojects are carving up clouded leopard forests
An orangutan in Malaysian Borneo’s Sabah state. One of many species that would benefit from improved road mitigation measures, such as canopy overpasses.
No ‘Hippie Ape’: Bonobos Are Often Aggressive, Study Finds - The New York Times
male bonobos acted aggressively on a regular basis. Unlike male chimpanzees, who started their days in a mellow mood, the male bonobos seemed to wake up ready for a fight.
Congo Basin communities left out by 'fortress conservation' fight for a way back in
The contentious “fortress conservation” model remains popular with some governments in Central Africa, but conservation leaders are shifting their opinion, signaling a desire to move toward inclusive and rights-based approaches to protected areas and ecosystems, including in declarations such as the Kigali Call to Action.
Philanthropy
Decades in the Making, a New Alliance Is Bringing Together Funds from the Global South | Inside Philanthropy
the Alianza Socioambiental Fondos del Sur, or the Socio-Environmental Funds of the Global South. With members spread from the Amazon basin to the cape of Africa and the remote corners of Indonesia, the alliance aims to be a collaborative force and united front for a world-spanning group of funds that move money to local people.
New online tool is first to track funding to Indigenous, local and Afro-descendant communities
It’s already highlighted several trends, including that disbursements globally have averaged $517 million per year between 2020 and 2023, up 36% from the preceding four years, but with no evidence of increased direct funding to community-led organizations.
With a Big Commitment, Ford Looks to BUILD Gender and Reproductive Justice | Inside Philanthropy
UltraViolet, which promotes gender justice, is the most recent organization on that list. BUILD will invest $4 million in the organization over the next five years.
Foundations lag in giving to LGBTQ causes :: Bay Area Reporter
Carter, who recently joined the board of directors for the LGBTQ funders advocacy group. "Despite incredible efforts to bring more foundations into this space of funding LGBTQ services, it has not done much to actually shift their funding toward queer and trans communities."
This Real Estate Mogul Is Funding Psychedelics Research to Support the LGBT+ Community | Inside Philanthropy
Then there’s entrepreneur Robert Ansin, president and founder of MassInnovation LLC, a sustainable development company. He established his foundation, Healing Hearts Changing Minds, in 2022 to build bridges between “those who seek healing and those who’ve found it through psychedelic assisted therapy.” Specifically, the foundation is working with the LGBTQIA+ population and describes itself as the only private foundation in the psychedelic space solely focused on this community. Late last year, the foundation announced $550,000 in grants to train LGBTQIA+ psychedelic therapists and facilitators to become healers in their communities.
Your Questions About Demographic Data Collection, Answered - The Center for Effective Philanthropy
A separate CEP analysis of grantees’ gender identity data collected through the Grantee Perception Report found that while men and women respondents provided comparable ratings across various aspects of their engagement with funders (an encouraging finding!), those who identify as nonbinary, gender nonconforming, or who selected multiple gender identities provided lower ratings on a range of topics in our grantee perception surveys.
Collecting demographic data: Nonprofits value transparency but need support
Respondents also surfaced several incentives that would increase their willingness and ability to share demographic data via Candid. At the top of the list was evidence of how sharing this data will increase their visibility to potential funders and supporters. Research has shown that earning a Seal of Transparency can increase a nonprofit’s ability to attract and reach potential supporters.
The Artificial Intelligence Revolution Arrives in Philanthropy
“With cost no longer the primary barrier to entry, nonprofits and foundations who invest the necessary time and capacity into exploring these new tools and commit to using them responsibly will benefit the most from this emerging technology.”
Responsible AI Adoption in Philanthropy - Project Evident
the “Responsible AI Adoption in Philanthropy” guide provides pragmatic guidance and a holistic evaluation framework for grantmakers to adopt AI in alignment with their core values. The framework emphasizes the responsibility of philanthropic organizations to ensure that the usage of AI enables human flourishing, minimizes risk, and maximizes benefit.