Jon Steinberg and Josh Graff are the generous sponsors of the Steinberg-Graff Fund for International LGBTQI Rights which supports LGBTQI organisations campaigning for legal reform and human rights protections in some of the places where it’s hardest to be LGBTQI.
Jon joined Google in 2012 and is now Director of Policy Campaigns, leading advocacy efforts on technology regulation. Previously, he worked in public affairs at Portland and served as Deputy Communications Director for US Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, with experience on high-profile political campaigns, including those of John Kerry and Hillary Clinton.
Josh joined LinkedIn in 2011 and is now Vice President & Managing Director for EMEA & LATAM, overseeing member growth, strategic partnerships, and the global Enterprise sales team for LinkedIn’s advertising business. A passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, he has been recognised as a leading LGBT+ champion and serves as Executive Sponsor for LinkedIn’s LGBT+ Employee Resource Group, among other advocacy roles.
Here, we speak to Jon and Josh about their commitment to supporting LGBTQI human rights activism and how they came to set up the Steinberg-Graff Fund for International LGBTQI Rights.
Why are you passionate about LGBTQI rights and equality?
As part of the generation who saw our rights transformed over the past twenty-five years, from the end of Section 28 to marriage equality, we are committed to supporting groups that are working to bring that kind of transformational change to their own local communities.
Were there any stand-out moments that made you care about LGBTQI rights and equality globally?
The more we learned about the immense funding coming from the West to support those who campaign against our community’s core rights and freedoms, the more we felt a responsibility to support those who stand up for our rights everywhere.
What inspired you to set up the Steinberg-Graff Fund for International LGBTQI Rights?
We wanted to give to LGBTQI causes outside the UK, notably in countries with repressive policies and practices. However we struggled to find a single charity that enabled individuals to give in one place to support this type of worldwide activism. And then we were introduced to GiveOut through the inimitable Suki Sandhu, and was inspired by their work, by their support of grassroots initiatives, and by the stories of the brave activists defending their communities and campaigning for equality. It’s human nature to want to help others and to support your community, and it’s certainly gratifying that GiveOut makes this possible.
How have you leveraged your network to grow giving for the LGBTQI movement?
We’ve educated friends and family about the important work that GiveOut supports, and leveraged our social platforms and workplace communities to drive awareness and encourage contributions to our Fund.
Why is it important to you to mobilise the community and allies in the UK to support LGBTQI rights around the world?
Because as has often been said, none of us are free until all of us are free.
Jon Steinberg and Josh Graff are doubling the impact of their support through the LGBTQI Solidarity Fund, an exciting initiative by GiveOut to mobilise the UK LGBTQI community and allies to come together to show our collective support for LGBTQI communities worldwide. With support from foundations and the UK government through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), GiveOut is building a pool of match funding to double the impact of donations by individual and corporate donors.