New Resource for Donors, Funders, and Activists 

As a global organization, the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice regularly supports research into regional landscapes to encourage connection among LGBTQI+ activists and communities. To assess and describe the state of activist movements across Central Asia and the South Caucasus, four researcher-activists conducted ethnographic observations and in-depth interviews with 97 LGBTQI+ activists in seven countries, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.  

Mapping LGBTQI+ Activism in Central Asia & the South Caucasus explores the diverse approaches employed by activists and groups involved in LGBTQI+ advocacy and community mobilization. The findings emphasize the crucial role of LGBTQI+ organizing in the fight for liberation. They also provide insights into the challenges activists face in terms of registration, funding, relationships with donors, state, and other actors, as well as the impact of socio-political contexts on activism. 

Please click the links to view the Executive Summary and Highlights.

Thank you to the researchers, Milena Abrahamyan, Saltanat Shoshanova, Mohira Suyarkulova, and Nukri Tabidze, the contributing activists and organizations, and our generous donors for making this research possible. 

Convening Activists and Strengthening Movements

Funding global grassroots movements is just one aspect of the fight for freedom. The Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice regularly brings grantee partners together to build community, decrease burnout, and support leadership longevity. When activists and organizers have time to reflect, collaborate, and share strategies, our movements are stronger. Activist Convenings are uniquely co-designed with grantee partners and local LGBTQI+ organizers so they can share experiences, grow with one another, heal in community, and foster joy.

“It gives me power and inspiration [being] here, and I’m very grateful and happy to see how different movements, for example, transgender movements and feminism movements, are coming together and work in cohesion and coherence with each other.” – Trans activist on the Activist Convening in Tblisi

This February, the Astraea Foundation held a 2024 Activist Convening: Central Asia & the South Caucasus in Tbilisi, Georgia for over 60 LGBTQI+ grantee partners and activists. Participants from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan gathered for this multi-day event, fostering an activist-centered-and-driven experience in a safe, caring, inclusive, and accessible space with live interpretation and translation.

A heartfelt thanks goes to our partners, Association for Progressive Communications and Women’s Fund in Georgia, for their support and leadership in bringing this convening to life, as well as the activist advisory board, team of facilitators, language and healing justice practitioners, participants, and supporters who help make transformative events like this possible.

The Astraea Foundation looks forward to future participatory, activist-led convenings in service of queer healing, strategy sharing, and our collective liberation. 

(Graphic by Salome Zhvania)