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Tag archives for LGBT

Raising Trans Visibility – On Paper, In Person, Online

Gender DynamiX participants march in the Cape Town Pride in 2013. P​hoto: Gender DynamiX​

On Transgender Day of Remembrance we reflect on the lives lost to transphobia, but we also find hope in the organizations and individuals who are fighting for trans rights. Through the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, USAID is proud to help trans rights defenders through CommsLabs.

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Ensuring LGBTI People Have Right to Vote in Guatemala

In January, two researchers traveled to Guatemala to identify barriers the trans community faces in being able to participate in elections. / Aden Tedla

This year, Guatemala will be electing a new president. USAID is working to make sure lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons are empowered with the right to participate and vote.

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Teaching Tolerance: A Lesson for Kosovo’s Educators in LGBT Awareness

The municipality of Dragash/Dragaš in southern Kosovo is home to a diverse community of 33,590 people, including 12,000 members of the Bosniak and Gorani minority communities. Strong Muslim faith unites this community, which is an example of ethnic tolerance for the country. / USAID

USAID-sponsored LGBT sensitivity training for school principals “tickles” a few minds and opens a dialogue in Kosovo’s most traditional communities about the school’s role in setting the societal standard for inclusiveness.

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The Economic Case for LGBT Equality Worldwide

Dr. Claire Lucas, USAID’s senior adviser on partnerships, addresses the audience at the launch of the joint Williams Institute-USAID report on LGBT inclusion and economic development. Seated, left to right: Carla Koppell, chief strategy officer, USAID; M.V. Lee Badgett, report author and research director, Williams Institute; and Brad Sears, executive director, Williams Institute. Photo credit: Matthew Corso/USAID

It has long been suspected that LGBT discrimination stifles innovation, curbs economic growth and locks people into the devastating cycle of extreme poverty. A new report proves it.

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“Being LGBT” in Asia

USAID’s “Being LGBT in Asia” initiative has just released its eighth series of comprehensive country reports. They examine the LGBT experience across Asia, highlighting the various stages of social acceptance, tolerance and challenges that LGBT people experience across the continent.

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Moving Forward with USAID’s LGBT Vision for Action

A gay rights activist holds a rainbow flag during a Rainbow Pride rally in Kolkata on July 15, 2012.

While June’s Pride month celebrations have ended, we have many reasons to keep the celebrations going – with release of the USAID LGBT Vision for Action, concretely demonstrating support for the human rights of LGBT persons around the world.

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New Report Highlights the Hardships and Hard-Won Victories for LGBT People in the Europe and Eurasia Region

As the recent winter Olympics in Sochi illustrated all too well, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Russia face tremendous hurdles in their everyday lives, including openly hostile laws and an extremely difficult working environment for the grassroots organizations that advocate for social change in the face of grave personal risks. The situation in Russia is unfortunately not unique, with LGBT people facing increasing hostility, discriminatory laws, and escalating threats of violence in many countries around the world.

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Let’s Stand Up For Inclusion, Not Exclusion

The stigma and discrimination faced by people living with HIV/AIDS continues to be a roadblock for access to critical prevention and care. Yet every day I see significant steps that are being taken to overcome this obstacle, especially efforts led by USAID.

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LGBT Rights in Jamaica: A Conversation with Maurice Tomlinson

Photo of Maurice Tomlinson. Credit: Maurice Tomlinson.

Regina Jun, Gender Advisor for the Bureau of Latin America and the Caribbean, spoke with Maurice Tomlinson, who is an Attorney-at-Law, law lecturer on sexual rights, and HIV/AIDS advocate.

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USAID leads on LGBT Inclusivity: Sharing Best Practices with the Private Sector and NGOs

USAID has made bold institutional changes to policies, operations, and programming to advance the human rights of LGBT people abroad. Read more >>

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