Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • The Group Turning Religious Leaders into LGBTQ Rights Crusaders

    Persons Marginalized and Aggrieved in Kenya works with religious leaders over the course of many years to build empathy and understanding towards the LGBTQ community. Faith leaders are often not immediately aware of the goal, but PEMA’s continuous and carefully orchestrated engagement allows them to gradually build relationships, hear personal stories from real people, and learn to preach tolerance. PEMA has worked with 619 religious leaders, 246 of which are currently active, and runs a Training of Trainers program where “converted” religious leaders train their colleagues to increase LGBTQ acceptance.

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  • 'A long time coming': House of Tulip puts trans and gender-nonconforming New Orleanians in control of their housing

    House of Tulip is a community land trust that offers affordable housing to transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. After securing seed-funding, the group raised over $400,000 with a GoFundMe campaign that was amplified by social media and national article features. The Trust first rented and later purchased homes to offer zero-barrier housing and office space that serves as a community resource center. The Trust was started by two Black trans women who understood the community’s experiences and the barriers they face. People stay as long as they need and staff helps them pursue other life goals.

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  • Police banned from participating in NYC Pride events and march through 2025

    NYC Pride, which commemorates a LGBTQ+ uprising against police harassment and brutality, banned police participation in its events. About 200 NYPD members from the Gay Officers Action League typically participate in the pride march. However, since police presence for some LGBTQ+ people, including people of color and trans people, causes fears of violence rather than security, private companies will provide first response and security and volunteers will be trained in de-escalation tactics. The NYPD will be at least a block away and only intervene if necessary. The policy will be reviewed again in 2025.

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  • ‘What difference would that make?'

    A participatory budgeting pilot in ten Chicago Public Schools empowers students to influence change by deciding how small grants, typically $1,000 to $2,000, should be spent for school improvement. Students brainstorm ideas, construct persuasive proposals, and vote on which to implement, providing valuable lessons in civic participation. The proposals revealed student needs that staff hadn’t previously considered. Ultimately, grants supported gender-neutral bathrooms, locker room shower curtains, a peer mentoring program, and spaces for students to reflect and decompress when feeling overwhelmed.

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  • Raipur's pioneering transgender police constables

    The state police in Raipur, India, is recruiting transgender candidates to its ranks for the first time. 13 out of the 97 trans women who applied were accepted to the program. The Indian transgender community faces severe discrimination which inhibits their ability to access professional opportunities.

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  • Fighting Gentrification

    When gentrification made housing unaffordable for many people in Houston's historically Black Third Ward neighborhood, local activists sought remedies beyond standard federal tax incentives for affordable housing. A city-sponsored Community Land Trust developed a plan for more affordable housing. At the same time, a development catering to low-income, older LGBTQ residents, adjacent to the Third Ward, got developed on donated land. Charlotte has many similar challenges, making Houston a model for what is possible.

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  • Freedom Fund: Bringing Justice to Incarcerated LGBTQ Individuals

    The 2020 social justice uprisings drew attention, and donations, to bail funds, which use donations to bail people out of jail while their criminal charges or immigration cases are pending. One fund that benefited from this trend is the LGBTQ Freedom Fund, which focuses its financial aid and related social and educational services on LGBTQ people, given their high risks for incarceration and mistreatment in the criminal justice system. Since its 2017 founding, the fund has helped post bail for people in 15 states and its fund has grown to several million dollars.

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  • ‘Make no mistake': Drag queens are leading a racial reckoning in Chicago's famous LGBTQ neighborhood

    The Chicago Black Drag Council launched after a series of protests that called on Chicago’s LGBTQ neighborhood to address racial discrimination and oppression. A handful of businesses quickly agreed to a live-streamed town hall to discuss ways to increase inclusivity. As a result, a prominent host of popular drag shows was ousted for racial discrimination and the business chamber dropped the neighborhood’s nickname, “Boystown,” from marketing materials because it is not inclusive. The Drag Council has also raised tens of thousands of dollars in cash and supplies to support Black- and trans-led initiatives.

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  • More Than 1,000 Open Prostitution Cases In Brooklyn Are Going To Be Wiped From The Files

    The Brooklyn district attorney is prosecuting few prostitution cases and has dismissed 262 cases that he and sex worker advocates say are a byproduct of law enforcement unfairly targeting trans women and women of color. The DA is working toward dismissing more than 1,000 cases and declining to prosecute all new cases. While legislative action is needed to achieve full decriminalization and to void the 25,000 criminal records that date to 1975 in Brooklyn, the DA exercised his discretion based on the harm done by arresting women for sex work and on related loitering charges.

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  • For Some Transgender People, Pandemic Paves Path To Transition

    In Connecticut, the adoption of telehealth services during the coronavirus pandemic has eliminated a number of barriers many transgender people seeking to transition. Even though programs and clinics existed prior to the pandemic, the option to use telehealth instead allows patients to "seek care from wherever they want, wearing whatever they choose, presenting however they feel comfortable."

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