Wherever you are in the world, I hope you are able to rest and take care of yourselves and your loved ones today.

I woke up this morning with the results of the U.S. elections —and the long months of disinformation, hateful rhetoric, and violence—weighing heavily on my heart. I imagine that, like me, many of us are facing the day with great trepidation and dread – we don’t know what exactly lies ahead but instability, conflict, and unrest seem to be in the cards.

In the face of my fears and grief for the inevitable upcoming chaos, I keep returning to the one thing that grounds all our work at the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice: community.

I am filled with deep gratitude that every day I get to work at the Astraea Foundation, to work towards advancing justice for all, and moving resources to the most imperiled among us. I am proud that I lead a fund that is centered on our LGBTQI+ communities, and that our communities and our shared values will continue to ground our work even as authoritarianism thrives in fear and chaos. I take the dangers facing LGBTQI+ communities very seriously, and we are prepared. Now is the time for us to pool our energies and take action.

As a funder of LGBTQI+ communities in all regions of the world, the Astraea Foundation is keenly aware of the far-reaching impacts that this election will have and has already had. I also recognize that political repression is not new to LGBTQI+ activists and our communities. This isn’t our first time working in hostility and chaos, and we are ready to resist.

The Astraea Foundation will continue to work alongside grantees to build power and create sustainable change so that our communities can thrive. We will continue to push liberation forward, support our grantee partners, and hold true to our intersectional feminist values at every turn. The work we do every day is vital, and this difficult moment only strengthens our resolve to keep the fight moving forward.

I am deeply thankful for your steadfast support, dedication, and commitment to the Astraea Foundation’s mission. We will only get through the coming years together, and I’m ready to fight with you for progress, no matter what the future may bring.

With uncertainty and rising challenges ahead, we rely on you, our community, more than ever. Thank you for your support.  

In Solidarity,

Joy Chia

Executive Director