Today on International Lesbian Visibility Day, The Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice celebrates its origin in lesbian-led organizing as well as the contributions from our lesbian and queer-led grantee partners. For Lesbian communities, visibility can come with risks. Whether on social media, while traveling, or even running errands, to be visibly queer is to be vulnerable. Despite this, there are people across the world who are not only visible, but have chosen to lead the charge toward equity and inclusion through organizing and empowering their local communities. Historically, visibility has been part of The Astraea Foundation’s ethos, coming out as a lesbian organization in 1991. This International Lesbian Visibility Day, The Astraea Foundation is uplifting grantee partners led by LBQ+ people fighting for civil protections in their communities.

*We recognize ‘lesbian’ as both a sexual orientation and political identity; that it must include trans, intersex, bisexual, and queer women who identify as such or feel connected to lesbian activism, while respecting that the full spectrum of people who experience gendered oppression includes trans men, non-binary people, and more.

• Latin America – Grupo Latinoamericano de Estudio Formación y Acción Feminista (GLEFAS), founded in 2007, sparks dialogue and political action within the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) lesbian feminist movement. GLEFAS supports the formation of collectives across the LAC region, as well as collects and preserves the history of indigenous and black lesbian activists from the global south. Their network is formed by activists, academics, and collectives from Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Colombia, and Spain.
• Jamaica – We-Change Jamaica is a women’s-rights organization promoting gender equality & increased participation of LBQ+ women in social justice advocacy. We-Change Jamaica focuses on  sexual and reproductive health, reproductive justice, economic empowerment and holistic wellness. This includes hosting town hall events featuring presentations and discussions on the state of LBTQ and women’s rights in Jamaica.
• Serbia – Rromnjako ilo improves the lives of women in Serbia by challenging sexual taboos, promoting diversity, and advocating against early forced marriages to young people. Additionally, the organization seeks to increase the visibility of LBTI Roma women in Europe and internationally.

• Singapore – Sayoni is an intersectional queer feminist group working to build community and advocacy at local, regional and global levels. Sayoni organizes events, promotes research, and develops campaigns to support LBQ+ women in Singapore.
• U.S. (Atlanta, Georgia) – Zami Nobla operates Biggers House, a communal living and gardening space whose goal is to provide permanent, accessible, and affordable housing to Bblack lesbian elders living on fixed income, ages 55 and up. Biggers House also includes community gardens for residents, Zami Nobla members, the LGBTQ community, and the Westlake neighborhood.

The Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice is proud to work with all our grantee partners in the fight against oppression. It’s through their work that LBQ+ people all over the world will see a decrease in the risks of broader visibility.