COVID-19: thank you for supporting the global lgbtqi movement

Thanks to the generosity of GiveOut's supporters, we have now raised over £40,000 for our COVID-19 LGBTQI Global Solidarity Fund. So far this has enabled us to provide grants to seven partner organisations working to support and protect LGBTQI people around the world during this crisis. This includes one group that will remain anonymous as they are working in a highly sensitive and restrictive context. Here are some updates on their crucial work. 

Access Chapter 2, South Africa

Access Chapter 2 works to protect and promote the human rights of LGBTQI people, women and girls in South Africa. Cases of COVID-19 in South Africa have been increasingly steadily, exacerbating existing challenges in the country. For example, lockdown measures have caused the already high unemployment rate to increase, and the country has seen higher levels of gender-based violence and hate crimes during the pandemic. Exacerbating this, in townships and rural areas, many people do not have access to reliable sources of water and cannot afford to purchase sanitiser and other personal protective equipment.

At the start of the lockdown in South Africa, Access Chapter 2 conducted a survey of over 1000 LGBTQI people to investigate how COVID-19 was impacting the community. This found that many LGBTQI people are struggling to access health services due to fear of stigmatisation and abuse, and are struggling with unemployment and increased rates of domestic violence. In response, Access Chapter 2 has been working on the frontline of the pandemic to ensure that LGBTQI people are included in the response to this crisis. With GiveOut’s support, Access Chapter 2 is engaging in contact tracing work, supporting LGBTQI people to access information and services, and advocating for LGBTQI human rights during the pandemic. 

ASEAN SOGIE Caucus, Southeast Asia

ASEAN SOGIE Caucus (ASC) is a network of LGBTQI human rights organisations working across Southeast Asia. GiveOut is supporting ASC to make small grants to grassroots LGBTQI groups across Southeast Asia as they adapt to this crisis. With many activities cancelled or suspended, this vital support will ensure that the LGBTQI movement in region remains resilient. 

Lini Zurlia, ASC’s Advocacy Officer, has told GiveOut that trans communities in Southeast Asia have faced particular challenges during the pandemic. With many trans people relying on daily wages, lockdown measures across the region have resulted in the devastation of livelihoods. Furthermore, trans organisations are among the most underfunded in the global LGBTQI movement, meaning that emergency support is hard to access. In response, ASC provided a small grant to a group of trans individuals in Thailand who have come together to start a small food delivery business, ensuring a reliable income while also providing a vital service to the wider community. 

Other groups receiving support from ASC include Rainbow Six and Rainbow Alliance LGBT Youth in Myanmar, San Julian Pride in the Philippines, and Sangsan Anakot Yawachon in Thailand, which works with LGBTQI youth from indigenous communities.

Find out more about ASC’s vital work in GiveOut’s new podcast below.

TransWave, Jamaica

TransWave is Jamaica’s first non-profit organisation dedicated solely to promoting the health and wellbeing of trans, gender non-conforming and intersex communities. GiveOut is supporting the organisation’s Trans Emergency Fund, which is being used to provide direct financial support and care packages of essential items to trans people in need during the crisis. 

"It started with persons reaching out saying they were in process of being kicked out of their homes, or they had no food to eat," explained Renae Green, Associate Director of TransWave. To understand the scale of the problem, TransWave launched a survey in partnership with three other organisations. This found that COVID-19 has impacted 7 in 8 LGBTQI Jamaicans, with 25% having lost their job as a result of the pandemic and unable to pay rent and other bills. With GiveOut’s support, TransWave is providing care packages of essential items including flour, rice, canned goods and toiletries for those most in need in the community. The organisation has already distributed over 40 care packages across nine parishes, and aims to provide an additional 200 people with assistance using GiveOut’s grant.  

The Commonwealth Equality Network

The Commonwealth Equality Network (TCEN) is a network of LGBTQI organisations working across Commonwealth countries. With a grant to the Kaleidoscope Trust, GiveOut is supporting TCEN’s work across the Commonwealth to ensure that LGBTQI human rights are protected during this crisis. 

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Kaleidoscope Trust conducted a consultation with TCEN members, gathering the testimony of 41 LGBTQI individuals from 34 member organisations, covering 37 Commonwealth countries. This highlighted the detrimental impact of COVID-19 on LGBTQI people, with 85% of those interviewed expressing concern about the wellbeing of their service users, and their organisation’s ability to deliver meaningful interventions during the pandemic. Additionally, 81% were concerned about their current and projected losses of income. 

The Other Foundation, Southern Africa

The Other Foundation works to advance equality and freedom in Southern Africa through supporting LGBTQI and feminist organisations with funding, resources, and training. GiveOut is supporting The Other Foundation with a grant towards their emergency relief programme. Under this programme, the organisation is supporting LGBTQI groups to purchase equipment to work remotely and safely, document human rights abuses, and launch COVID-19 response initiatives. 

With significant variation in need and context across Southern Africa, The Other Foundation is supporting grassroots organisations in their work with local LGBTQI communities. For example, governments in Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe amongst others, have announced that organisations must have masks and temperature checking devices as a condition for operating as lockdown restrictions ease. As a result, The Other Foundation has supported several LGBTQI groups to purchase Personal Protective Equipment to allow them to resume their essential services. Using GiveOut’s grant, the organisation will be able to further expand this support. 

United Caribbean Trans Network, Caribbean

The United Caribbean Trans Network (UCTRANS) is a network of trans activists and organisations across 10 Caribbean countries. GiveOut is supporting UCTRANS to deliver emergency supplies to trans individuals, including food, masks and hand sanitisers, and phone cards to stay in contact in the event of illness, human rights abuses or other difficult circumstances during the pandemic. Under the programme, the organisation is currently supporting trans people living in Barbados, The Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, Jamaica, Guyana, Belize, and Antigua. 

Across the Caribbean, many trans people are immersed in a cycle of exclusion and poverty due to a lack of legal recognition of gender identity which limits access to healthcare and formal work. Due to this, trans people are more likely to rely on informal employment, tourism and sex work, meaning their livelihoods have been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions. At the start of the pandemic, UCTRANS released a statement to regional governments outlining the importance of supporting trans and non-binary people at this time. Through ensuring that trans people have access to essential supplies and emergency financial assistance, UCTRANS is using GiveOut’s grant to protect some of the most marginalised members of the LGBTQI community.  

GiveOut is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (Registered Charity Number 1176434).