New York Archives - Page 2 of 14 - Astraea Lesbian Foundation For Justice

Meet Our Newest International Fund Grantee Partners

We are proud to announce our latest cycle of International Fund grantee partners with new groups from Kazakhstan, Guatemala, Honduras, and Ukraine. This year so far, we have awarded over $1.2 million to 64 groups in 38 countries. The International Fund supports grassroots groups led by LGBTQI+ communities working for progressive social change, addressing oppression based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity and expression who are also simultaneously advancing the work of racial, economic, and gender justice.

All around the world, LGBTQI+ people are experiencing the impacts of fundamentalist, conservative, fascist, nationalist, white supremacist, far-right, anti-gender, and anti-rights forces. Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice is proud to announce our latest cycle of International Fund grantee partners with new groups from Kazakhstan, Guatemala, Honduras, and Ukraine. This year so far, we have awarded over $1.2 million to 64 groups in 38 countries. The International Fund supports grassroots groups led by LGBTQI+ communities working for progressive social change, addressing oppression based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity and expression who are also simultaneously advancing the work of racial, economic, and gender justice.

The Astraea Foundation’s International Fund covers six regional portfolios: Africa, Asia & the Pacific, Caribbean, Europe, Caucasus & Central Asia, Latin America; and South West Asia with grantmaking spread across two cycles. Organizations to support in this cycle were selected across four of these regional portfolios: Africa; Europe, Caucasus & Central Asia; Asia & the Pacific; and Latin America.

The many incredible grantee partners in our current International Fund grant cycle include:

Swaziland – Lesbian Bisexual Queer Rights Swaziland (LBQRS) was formed as a support group for lesbian women who are survivors of corrective rape and lesbian women who were forced into marriages. LBQRS engages with traditional and community leaders in rural areas to strengthen the voice of LBQ women in rural Swaziland, support survivors of corrective rape, and ensure that rural perspectives are included in the broader LGBTQI+ movement.
Kazakhstan – Kazakhstan Feminist Initiative (Feminita) was established in 2014 as a grassroots collective of activists dedicated to women’s rights, with a particular focus on lesbian, bisexual, queer, and trans women and women with disabilities. Their efforts foster transformation across social, political, economic, and cultural areas. In 2024, Feminita will be hosting the 3rd European Lesbian* Conference (EL*C) in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Thailand – Thai Transgender Alliance (Thai TGA) was founded in 2010, and advocates for the quality of life and rights of transgender and gender-diverse people through public advocacy, research, education, network building, and media advocacy strategies. Recently, Thai TGA has focused on capacity building to develop leadership among younger activists from trans-masculine and non-binary communities.
Guatemala – Mujeres con Capacidad de Soñar is a group of women and non-binary people with disabilities and allies founded in 2018. Mujeres is a space for self-support and self-help with a focus on supporting young indigenous women with disabilities. They work to increase access to sexual and reproductive rights and promote awareness of oppression in terms of sexuality and gender identity. Members value the space to explore their identities and some now openly introduce themselves as part of the LBT community.

With the aim of supporting LGBTQI+ rights across the globe, the International Fund selects grassroots LGBTQI+ movements focused on context-specific tactics, cultural change, and liberation. Through flexible, trust-based, and feminist funding principles, the International Fund continues to support lesbians, bisexual and queer women, non-binary and transgender people, intersex people, and allied communities to challenge oppression and claim their human rights.

2023 Cycle A International Fund Grantee Partners*

*Note: We do not publicize a number of our courageous grantee partners because of security threats they face in their local contexts, so organizations may be missing from this list.

Africa:

Artists for Recognition and Acceptance AfRA, Kenya

Elles Cameroon, Carmeroon

Empowered Ladies Initiative for Equality, Kenya

Jinsiangu, Kenya

Ladies’s Voice, Togo

LBQ Education Health and Advocacy, LEHA, Kenya

Lesbian Bisexual Queer Rights Swaziland, Swaziland

Mothers Haven

Parents, Families & Friends of the South African Queers, South Africa

QET Inclusion, Cote d’Ivoire

West African Trans Forum, West Africa

Asia & the Pacific:

Asia Feminist LBQ Network, Regional

Point of View, India

Thai Transgender Alliance (Thai TGA), Thailand

Sompurna, Bangladesh

Europe, Caucasus & Central Asia:

European Sex Worker Alliance, Regional

Feminita, Kazakhstan

Labris Belgrade, Serbia

LBQ Central Asian Network, Central Asia

Lesbian* Resistance, Georgia

LGBIQA Association Okvir, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Ride Side NGO, Armenia

Trans-Fuzja Foundation, Poland

Latin America:

Brújula Intersexual, Mexico

Cattrachas, Honduras

Chola Contravisual, Peru

Diversidades Trans Masculinas, Peru

Mujeres con Capacidad de Soñar a Colores, Guatemala

Taller de Comunicacion Mujer, Ecuador

Announcing Our Newest U.S. Fund Grantee Partners

The Astraea Foundation is proud to announce our latest round of U.S. Fund grantee partners with $1.4 million in 23 grants going to groups across the U.S. and its claimed territories. Our U.S. Fund supports LGBTQI+ Black and Indigenous communities with flexible, multi-year core support for new grantee partners focused on housing and land acquisition, and climate justice.

The Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice is proud to announce our latest round of U.S. Fund grantee partners with $1.4 million in 23 grants going to groups across the U.S. and its claimed territories. Our U.S. Fund supports LGBTQI+ Black and Indigenous communities with flexible, multi-year core support for new grantee partners focused on housing and land acquisition, and climate justice.

Against the backdrop of growing anti-gender violence, more drastic and frequent disasters due to climate change and rampant environmental racism disproportionately impact LGBTQI+ people of color. Our Black and Indigenous communities face increasing violence, uncertainty, and exhaustion. The Astraea Foundation’s U.S. Fund remains rooted in supporting front line communities who will interrupt systems of oppression and build toward a future where our communities will thrive. It is with that guiding principle that the U.S. Fund is partnering with 22 new grantees to support their work on housing and land acquisition, and climate justice.

Four U.S. Fund grantee partners doing this work include:

Georgia – Trans Housing Atlanta Program (THAP) is a community-led organization founded and organized by Black trans and non-binary Atlantans. Since its inception in 2014, THAP has been dedicated to offering direct housing, emergency shelter assistance, rental and utility aid, and other crucial resources to support the sustainable housing and income of trans and nonbinary individuals in the region.
Florida – The McKenzie Project Inc. (TMPI) caters exclusively to the needs of Black trans and nonbinary people in South Florida by facilitating meaningful conversations about climate and environmental justice, and climate disaster preparedness. They seek to mitigate the effects of increasingly severe weather events and provide responsive support to community members.

Missouri – Our Spot KC provides safe, accepting, and affirming services, programming, and resources to empower the LGBTQ+ community in Kansas City. LGBTQ+ people represent approximately 50% of people experiencing being unhoused in Kansas City. Our Spot KC provides housing, case management, systems navigation support, and mental health services as a baseline safety net for Kansas City’s LGBTQ+ community to thrive and continue to strengthen our movements.
Puerto Rico – Albanistería en la Brega Inc. is a Puerto Rican queer women-led non-profit organization that develops DIY and cabinetmaking skills in women (all women), non-binary folks, and girls with the purpose of empowering its participants. It breaks traditional cultural beliefs in the division of labor by sex and reduces the gap in access to non-traditional jobs for women.

The Astraea Foundation’s U.S. Fund advocates for liberation by centering the grassroots leaders closest to both the problem and the solution. For more than 45 years, the fund has focused on the intersections of racial, gender, economic, and reproductive justice movements, centering Black and POC leaders. Now more than ever, the fight for housing and land acquisition, and climate justice needs urgent support, and we are proud to expand the resources available to this critical work.

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2023 U.S. Fund Grantee Partners*

*Note: We do not publicize a number of our courageous grantee partners because of security threats they face in their local contexts, so organizations may be missing from this list.

Housing and Land Acquisition:

The Acorn Center for Restoration and Freedom, Georgia

Baltimore Safe Haven, Maryland

Casa Al-Fathiha, Illinois

Our Spot KC, Missouri

THIS Houston

The Knights and Orchids Society, Alabama

Trans Housing Atlanta Program, Georgia

Zami Nobla, Georgia

Climate Justice:

Albanisteria en la Brega, Puerto Rico

Espicy Nipples, Puerto Rico

Birthmark Doula Collective

The Black Feminist Project, New York

The Black Mycelium Project, North Carolina

Center for Embodied Pedagogy, Puerto Rico

Community Movement Builders, Georgia

Eagle Bear Cultural Center

Earth Guardians

Earthlodge Center, California

Mariposas Rebeldes, Georgia

Sovereign Earth Works, Washington DC

Tender Fruits Collective, Vermont

The McKenzie Project, Florida

Celebrating our 2023 Intersex Human Rights Fund grantees

Image Credit: Aude Nasr / @ahlan.my.darlings

This Intersex Awareness Day, the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice is proud to announce our 9th annual cycle of grantee partners as part of the Intersex Human Rights Fund (IHRF). This year was the IHRF’s biggest yet, awarding nearly $600,000 in grants to 62 groups in more than 50 countries, and over $210,000 in additional support for movement-building and capacity-strengthening work, such as intersex regional convenings and workshops. The IHRF supports organizations, projects, and campaigns led by intersex activists working to ensure the human rights, bodily autonomy, physical integrity, and self-determination of intersex people. When we celebrate the activists working on the ground for intersex rights, we increase their visibility as part of our LGBTQI+ communities.

The violent and entrenched anti-gender practice of government policies and laws shaped by the sex and gender binary has devastating consequences for intersex bodies. As one of the only philanthropic funds exclusively supporting intersex people and advocacy, the Astraea Foundation is proud to work with our 2023 grantee partners fighting for intersex freedom.

We are steadfast in our support of our intersex siblings. Four of our most recent grantee partners working for intersex rights are:

Tanzania – Tanzania Voice of Humanity (TVH) is the only intersex-led group in Tanzania, that actively promotes intersex rights through public awareness initiatives and facilitating connections between medical and non-medical institutions. Their work includes documenting the mistreatment of intersex people and sending advocacy letters to the Ministry of Health of Tanzania.

Australia – Intersex Human Rights Australia (IHRA) works to strengthen regional and international intersex networks and advocates for intersex rights, including submitting reports to governing bodies. IHRA engages their community with trainings, screenings, and panel discussions IHRA also organizes Family Day, a day of activities for intersex people and their families.

Ecuador – Colectivo Intertulias was founded in Ecuador in 2014 as a space for solidarity and peer support for intersex people. They support the development of policy proposals furthering intersex rights, and raise awareness about the barriers intersex people experience when trying to access public accommodations and exercise their human rights.

Asia – Intersex Asia is a regional network of intersex activists, organizations, and communities in Asia, including China, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. They support regional organizing and learning, and collaborated with the Asian Development Bank to develop an intersex inclusive safeguard policy focusing on LGBTQI human rights.

When we support intersex communities, we fight anti-gender policies and norms. When we celebrate intersex people, we ensure they are not invisible.

This Intersex Awareness Day, the Astraea Foundation is excited to collaborate with Aude Nasr, a freelance illustrator based in Marseille, France. To learn more about Aude, please visit @ahlan.my.darlings on Instagram.

2023 Intersex Human Rights Fund Grantee Partners*

*Note: We do not publicize a number of our courageous grantee partners because of security threats they face in their local contexts, so organizations may be missing from this list.

African Intersex Movement

Regional

Argentina Intersex

Argentina

Asociación Peruana de Personas Intersexuales

Peru

Associação Brasileira de Intersexos (ABRAI)

Brazil

Bilitis Resource Center Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Brújula Intersexual

México

Campaign for Change

Nepal

Círculo Violeta

Puerto Rico

Colectivo Intertulias

Ecuador

Collectif Intersexe Activiste – OII France (CIA-OII France)

France

Comunidad De Lesbianas Inclusivas Dominicanas (COLESDOM)

Dominican Republic

Egalite Intersex Ukraine

Ukraine

Fundacja Interakcja

Poland

Groupe Intersexe Désirs (GIDE)

Democratic Republic of the Congo

iCon UK

United Kingdom

InterAction – Association Suisse pour les Intersexes

Switzerland

Intersex Advocate Trust Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

Intersex Anatolia/ Intersex Turkey/ Intersex Shalala

Turkey

Intersex Asia Network

Regional

Intersex Canada

Canada

Intersex Community of Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

Intersex Denmark

Denmark

Intersex Greece

Greece

Intersex Human Rights Australia

Australia

Intersex Ísland – félag intersex fólks á Íslandi

Iceland

Intersex People’s Human Rights – ISIO Finland

Finland

Intersex Persons Society of Kenya (IPSK)

Kenya

Intersex Philippines

Philippines

Intersex Society of Zambia

Zambia

Intersex South Africa (ISSA)

South Africa

Intersex Trust Aotearoa New Zealand (ITANZ)

New Zealand

Intersexesiste

Italy

Intersexioni

Italy

Intersex-Nigeria

Nigeria

IntersexualesChile

Chile

Intrepida Foundation

United States

IVIM/Organization Intersex International Germany (OII Deutschland)

Germany

Malawi

Kenya

Ghana

Croatia

Mulabi – Espacio Latinoamericano de Sexualidades y Derechos

Costa Rica

Organization Intersex International-Chinese (Oii-Chinese)

Taiwan

Organization Intersex International Europe (OII Europe)

Regional

OII Sverige

Sweden

Potencia intersex

Argentina

Rainbow Identity Association

Botswana

Rede Jacob – Apoio a Familia e Pessoa Intersexo

Brazil

Roma Women of Vojvodina

Serbia

Tanzania Voice of Humanity

Tanzania

Trans Smart Trust

Zimbabwe

Verein Intersexuelle Menschen Österreich (VIMÖ)

Austria

Vivir y Ser Intersex

México

XY Spectrum

Serbia

What is “anti-gender?”

The Astraea Foundation’s 2023 report, “Global Resistance to Anti-gender Opposition, LGBTQI+ Activism in Colombia, India, Kenya, Peru, and Serbia” provides an illuminating look into the activism in five countries, bringing to light how anti-gender governments and policies manifest in all parts of the world.

After years of research and collaboration, Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice has published our latest report, “Global Resistance to Anti-gender Opposition, LGBTQI+ Activism in Colombia, India, Kenya, Peru, and Serbia.” The report provides an illuminating look into the activism in five countries, bringing to light how anti-gender governments and policies manifest in all parts of the world.

What is “anti-gender?” Anti-gender is an umbrella term describing ideologies that work to revoke and prevent the rights of LGBTQI+ people and criminalize their lives. Anti-gender actors work to deny access to fundamental human rights and primarily target women, trans, nonbinary, and intersex people.

“We dream of living in a world with social justice. We reach out to other movements and we see cis-heteropatriarchy replicated there. That is a shock. But it is still good that our horizon is to make that fair world a reality for all.” – Colombian activist

Our latest report gives a snapshot of what activists on the ground experience in their fight for liberation and their priorities for achieving that goal. The four main categories of needs identified are:

Financial resources
An enabling environment
Additional skills, knowledge, and strategies
Strong movements and inter-movement solidarity

In addition to the full report, you can also read an executive summary and a one-page overview with highlights from each section, all on our website. “Global Resistance to Anti-gender Movements” is a collaboration between LGBTQI+ activists in Colombia, India, Kenya, Peru, Serbia, and the United States through surveys, focus groups, and community scholarship.

The report would not have been possible without the many researchers, writers, reviewers, and translators who collaborated with the Astraea Foundation. A special thank you to the activists who participated in this research through surveys, focus groups and interviews. This report would not exist without their devotion to the movement and social justice. We especially would like to thank Alejandra Sardá-Chandiramani and Hakima Abbas, two researchers with long histories of activism, for their collaboration and support in looking into the impact of the anti-gender opposition on LGBTQI+ activism globally.

Read or Download:

Full Report | Report Summary | Report Overview

Mother’s Day 2023: Honoring Our Legacy

We invited our co-chair, Susana Fried, to share some reflections on our founding mothers for this year’s Mother’s Day. Motherhood takes all shapes, from chosen family, to raising children, to starting impactful movements, motherhood is grounded in care, love, and freedom.

This Mother’s Day, I would like to honor, respect, and celebrate The Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice’s 45-year history, our founding mothers, and all those who created, continue to nurture, and grow the Astraea Foundation of today.

Because of the foresight of a small group of spirited and determined women, we can support queer movements around the world with flexible, unrestricted funds. These women made clear their dedication to ensuring that women’s movements prioritize the needs of lesbians and women of color by declaring that “if it is going to exist, we will need to fund it ourselves.” This groundwork now enables us to support queer, feminist, anti-racist movements worldwide. Indeed, we are proud to be one of the first women’s funds in the world and the only one wholly devoted to advancing the rights of LGBTQI+ people globally. When we, as a community, consider the steps that come after this one, it is vital to be anchored in our history in order to plan for our future. Today, when we think about the next steps, we are thinking about the Astraea Foundation’s founding mothers.

This work is urgent – now more than ever. With anti-rights/anti-gender movements increasingly well-financed and globally networked, we’re seeing a proliferation of discriminatory laws, policies, and practices that normalize and advance criminalization and violence against LGBTQI+ communities and restrict reproductive rights and health. The growth of authoritarian, conservative forces especially target structurally excluded women, girls, trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming people, and reinforces the most restrictive and punitive structures of power and privilege. In this context, the Astraea Foundation’s work and the work of our grantee partners is critical.

Today, we especially remember Achebe (betty) Powell. Achebe was one of the spirited and determined women who, sitting around a kitchen table in 1977, brought the Astraea Foundation into being. We very recently lost Achebe to COVID-19, which serves as a harsh reminder that COVID-19 is still killing us – and that it is killing some communities more than others. Achebe was formidable: she was the first Black lesbian to serve on the board of directors of the National Gay Task Force and was co-chair of that board for several years. She attended the historic meeting of lesbian and gay leaders at the Carter White House in 1977. She was a highly sought-after trainer on diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism in the United States. And she was also “a pioneer in connecting United States work on intersectionality, inclusion, and diversity to transnational conversations on gender, race, class, and culture.” https://www.middlechurch.org/honoring-achebe-powell/

With her roots in the civil rights movement, Achebe was full of insight, love, critical awareness, and keen humor. She had a profound passion for nurturing vibrant, inclusive, queer, anti-racist feminist groups that operate with an intersectional perspective. For me, Achebe was not just a close friend but also an integral member of my chosen family. It is still difficult for me to imagine life without her, so whenever I think about her, I envision a bright new star emerging in the night sky. It is a privilege for me to serve as a co-chair, with Bookda Gheisar, on the Astraea Foundation’s board of directors, and I do it in her honor and loving memory.

Achebe was also fluent in French; I’ll pay tribute to her vision and commitment by closing with, “la lutte continue.”

In Solidarity,
Susana Fried, Board Co-Chair

Visibility Matters: International Lesbian Visibility Day 2023

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.

45 Years of Joy in Resistance: Our 2022 Annual Report is here!

Our 2022 Annual Report celebrates Astraea’s 45th anniversary! We center the joy, community, hope, and resistance of our collective movements’ past and present to look toward our future.

The Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice is thrilled to release our Annual Report for our 2022 fiscal year. Entitled 45 Years of Joy in Resistance, our 2022 Annual Report celebrates the Astraea Foundation’s 45th anniversary with stories of our grantee partners, photography from our archives, and showcases the impact of donations from supporters like you.

Over the last 45 years, Astraea’s staff and partners have witnessed ups and downs, celebrations and disagreements, and both joy and struggle. Many of these memories weren’t captured on film, but they’ve added up to help build resilient, intersectional movements in feminist philanthropy. Astraea continues to ground our philanthropy model on supporting grantees with unrestricted and flexible resources, which allow movements to build capacity and strengthen their resiliency when responding to community needs, especially as the rise of populist anti-gender movements continue to threaten LGBTQI+ lives around the world.

We are proud to share that in 2022:

Asraea disbursed more than $5.9 million in 2022 to 230 grantee partners through 263 grants
Over 86% of our grantees received general operating support grants, allowing for flexibility
83% of our international grantmaking went to organizations in countries with obstructed, repressed, and closing civil societies

We hope you will enjoy learning more about our approach to this work in our annual report. Sincere gratitude to all of our supporters, donors, allies, and staff members, without whom this work would not be possible.

Download and read the report.

We are Resilient: Trans Day of Visibility 2023

Trans Day of Visibility is not just about celebrating our trans family and communities, but about acknowledging the continuous fight for equality, safety, security, and justice. Today and every day, Astraea is proud to amplify trans voices, and stand in solidarity with our trans communities.

Resilience. Resilience, like visibility, can be challenging and complicated. We so often find resilience out of necessity. We find resilience when we face a rise in dangerous rhetoric and policy as we are in this moment. Right now in the U.S. there are 435 anti-LGBTQI+ bills working their way through legislation–the majority of which specifically target trans communities. Globally, conservative government-sanctioned criminalization and discriminatory politics and practices normalize violence towards trans communities. In moments like these, visibility feels scarier and resilience is harder to summon.

But we also get to choose resilience. We are resilient when we center care and softness, and when we build bridges and solidarity. As always, our grantees are creating change through grassroots movements and building a new political reality that is inclusive, respectful, and safe for all community members. They are doing groundbreaking work in increasingly hostile environments. As we celebrate this year’s Trans Day of Visibility, we are holding multiple truths and finding resilience in community.

Today, we are honored to share the resilient, caring, intentional work of some of our trans-led grantee partners:

West Africa Trans Forum (West Africa-Cameroon): West African Trans Forum (WATF) is a network of transgender people and groups led by trans, intersex and non-conforming folks. Their mission is to address violence, stigma and discrimination against trans people in West Africa and Cameroon through regional advocacy and awareness raising, ensure trans-specific healthcare and HIV care and treatment through sensitization of healthcare workers and key state and non-state actors, and to improve the capacity of individuals and organizations through capacity and movement strengthening initiatives. This year, to mark TDoV, they are hosting a webinar entitled Inclusion and visibility of Trans* people in West Africa; how far have we come?

MUDE – Movimiento de Mujeres Unidas, Diversas y Empoderadas (Colombia): MUDE organizes a community of cis and trans women and their children. Through their program TRANSformanfo realidades [TRANS-forming realities], they have designed a safe space for the exchange of trans experiences and tools for the enforceability of rights. In recent months they launched their first Afrofeminist and Antiracist School as well as healing circles for all women.

The Foundation of Transgender Alliance for Human Rights (Thailand): Thai Transgender Alliance, or Thai TGA, supports transgender and gender diverse people in Thailand to have a better quality of life and works to advance the human rights of transgender people through policy advocacy, research, public education, network building and media advocacy strategies. In the past five years, they have led a national effort to secure legal gender recognition for trans people in Thailand. Recently they underwent a consultative process with trans, non-binary and intersex people in Thailand in order to advocate for the introduction of the Gender Recognition Bill. They have prepared a draft bill as well as a policy brief from the consultations.

inTRANSitive (Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.): inTRANSitive’s mission is to improve the lives of Trans Arkansans through education, organizing and celebrating their resilience. They are the only Trans migrant-led organization in the state. Their work focuses on anti-violence, immigration, and community building. Their anti-violence work focuses on providing education to direct service organizations on how to serve Trans survivors and helps to hold these organizations accountable as they implement anti-violence practices. They also provide support to Trans survivors escaping violent situations and host community events to incorporate education around healthy relationships.

TransWave Jamaica (Jamaica): TransWave Jamaica is led by trans people working to advance the health, welfare and well-being of the transgender and gender non-conforming community in Jamaica and in the Caribbean. Founded in 2015, Transwave Jamaica started as an advocacy initiative in the form of a blog. Their mission has developed to promote change which results in the social inclusivity, recognition of rights, and legal protection of the transgender and gender non-conforming community. In February 2023, they hosted a trans health and wellness symposium. Recent publications include the Human Rights Violation Report and the Case for Gender Recognition Legislation in Jamaica.

Today and every day, Astraea is proud to support and celebrate trans-led organizations, trans activists, trans communities, and trans resilience.

This Trans Day of Visibility (TDoV), we are proud to have collaborated with artist, Acacia Rodriguez, to create this brilliant illustration. Acacia can be found at IG: @BBKashe & AcaciaRodriguez.com

Honoring Black Communities, Grantees, and Thought Leaders

As February ends and we wrap up Black History Month, we want to take a moment to honor and uplift Black leadership and Black communities across the U.S. and around the world. We also want to acknowledge that one month is never enough and is not representative of the profound impact that Black organizing has on our collective liberation.

Astraea was founded on the principles of intersectionality. Today, Black LGBTQI+ movements continue to organize under dangerous and violent conditions but continue to fight structural barriers. We are honored to be grounded in our imperative to identify and resource radical movement leaders pursuing freedom and equality.

As an institution, we remain committed to our anti-racist journey. It is our commitment to center Black leadership not only in our grantmaking but in how we operate internally and how we advocate in philanthropic spaces.

This month we celebrated the work of six incredible grantees and activists. Check out some highlights below and follow the links to learn more about our grantee partners leading this incredible work.

This is, of course, only a small sample of leaders on whose shoulders we stand.

Achebe Powell – We are deeply saddened to share that one of our founding mothers, Achebe Powell, passed away this month. Achebe was a Black, lesbian, feminist, social justice activist, educator, and friend. Achebe was among the small group of multi-racial, multi-class, feminist activists who came together in 1977 to create a new way of bringing resources to movements led by lesbians and women of color, to, in her words, “generate the justice that our communities need, right here, right now.”
ZAMI NOBLA (National Organization of Lesbians on Aging) is a Black-led and founded organization, deeply rooted in Atlanta, Georgia. Their programming and campaigns highlight the unique intersections of being Black, elder, and disabled.
House of Tulip is one of our many incredible grantee partners doing vital community-building work. They provide zero-barrier housing, case management, linkage to care, and community programming to trans and gender non-conforming people in need of a safe place to stay while growing the supply of affordable housing in New Orleans. Beyond this, members of HoT staff also created the TGNC Peoples COVID Crisis Fund of Louisiana to help trans and gender non-conforming people in Louisiana pay for food, medication and housing during the pandemic.
Baltimore Save Haven (BSH) is a Black trans, former sex worker, and LGBTQ- led organization that focuses on supporting the trans community, specifically those who are low-income and poor, engage in sex work, substance use, and currently face housing insecurity. They believe that every trans, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (TLGBQ) person should be able to live healthy, self-determined, and self-sufficient lives free from stigma, violence, and oppression. They achieve this by providing compassionate harm reduction and upward mobility services, advocacy, and community engagement that is respectful, non-judgmental, and affirms and honors individual power and agency.

Black history is very much a part of our present. Which is why we are honored to be partnered with these incredible Black-led organizations who are continuously leading in our shared pursuit of justice and equality. Each of these grantees continues to create a lasting impact on our movement spaces and communities. We hope that you will join us in recognizing and supporting their work.

We Exist in Multitudes: Uplifting Intersex Movements in 2022

Every year on Intersex Awareness Day (October 26th), Astraea Foundation takes time to celebrate our grantee partners from around the world. At Astraea, we know that intersex people have no borders and exist in multitudes, but these vast experiences often go unrecognized or underrecognized.

Image Credit: Aude Nasr / @ahlan.my.darlings

2022 marks the 8th annual cycle of Astraea’s grantmaking with the Intersex Human Rights Fund (IHRF). This year, we are celebrating the diverse beauty within intersex movements and the progress they have made in securing justice, while also reflecting on serious challenges intersex people experienced in many regions.

Through the IHRF, Astraea responds to significant gaps in philanthropic funding for intersex movements by resourcing activism, building the capacity, raising visibility, and driving resources to intersex groups.

The IHRF’s eighth round of grantmaking totaled $522,000 in grants in 2022. Since IHRF seeks proposals from intersex activists who have never applied for a grant or received foundation funding before, it allows us to expand our reach to more and more corners of the world where the potential for intersex activism has yet to be tapped and connected to a global movement. IHRF now supports intersex movements in a quarter of the world’s countries, as the funding went to 56 groups, including 11 new and 45 renewals in 47 countries. During this funding cycle, we expanded our reach to Tunisia, the Dominican Republic and Indonesia, for the first time.

We have seen great strides and challenges from our grantee partners, leading campaigns to challenge social norms, change policy, and actualize inclusion, for example:

Intersex Persons Society of Kenya (Nairobi, Kenya) began in 2016 to provide support, create awareness and gather data to establish the identifiable presence of intersex persons in Kenya. They succeeded in having the “intersex” category included in the national census in August 2019. And this year, Kenya became the first African country to require intersex children to be treated with dignity and have equal access to essential services like medical treatment and education.
IntersexualesChile (Chile) was founded in 2016 with the main goal to support intersex people, as well as supporting families in making decisions regarding health, life, and well-being. IntersexualesChile believes that corrective and aesthetic surgeries only end up hurting a person physically, psychologically and socially. In addition to directly helping families, the organization works to ensure that Chile complies with legal stipulations that genital surgery cannot be performed on intersex babies.
Intersex Greece (Cyclades, Greece) is an inclusive, national organization for intersex people living in Greece, no matter their nationality, economic status or any other diversity. They aim to create awareness and inclusion for intersex people and advocate for legal protections. We at IHRF are celebrating a major win in 2022 as the country banned cosmetic (non-medically necessary) genital surgeries on intersex children.
Damino (Tunisia) began in September 2021 amid challenges and discrimination against intersex individuals. It is difficult to be an intersex person in Tunisia and to connect with other intersex individuals, so the group became a safe space for intersex activists. They are considered to be a pioneer in their field, as they are the first group that focuses primarily on intersex rights in Tunisia. They are working to stop the violations and crimes against intersex babies through enacting new laws.

Please join us in celebrating all our incredible 2022 Intersex Human Rights Fund (IHRF) grantee partners building towards more inclusive and just futures for intersex people, and for us all!

This Intersex Awareness Day, we are excited to have collaborated with Aude Nasr, a French-Lebanese freelance illustrator and photographer currently based in Marseille, France. To learn more about Aude and her work, please visit her website and Instagram.

2022 Intersex Human Rights Fund Grantee Partners*

*Note: We do not publicize a number of our courageous grantee partners because of security threats they face in their local contexts, so organizations may be missing from this list.

African Intersex Movement

Regional

Argentina Intersex

Argentina

Associação Brasileira de Intersexos (ABRAI)

Brazil

Asociación Peruana de Personas Intersexuales

Peru

Bilitis Resource Center Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Brújula Intersexual

México