#OutrightProud - Fighting for LGBTIQ rights in Web3 and beyond
Pride was born as an act of resistance stemming from the Stonewall uprising in New York City in 1969. Today, Pride is celebrated by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ) communities around the world as a reminder to the public, and to ourselves, that queer people exist and will not be silenced in our quest for safety, dignity, and full equality.
In our most recent Pride Around the World report, Outright International identified 102 countries worldwide where Pride and other LGBTIQ visibility events were held in 2022, with at least 63 countries holding Pride events both within and outside the capital city. As our communities globally have always known, Pride is a protest and there remains much work to be done:
More than 500 anti-LGBTIQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures around the US — banning gender-affirming care for transgender people, preventing trans kids from playing sports, restricting trans people’s access to public restrooms, prohibiting the teaching of LGBTIQ issues in schools, severely limiting or banning drag performances, and much more.
Although homosexuality is already criminalized, Uganda’s President recently signed a heinous new law with extended prison sentences for same-sex relations and the death penalty for certain offenses. Unfortunately, Uganda’s legislation is part of a growing trend in Africa.
We are witnessing increased crackdowns in (among other places) Turkey, Russia and China, where one of the country’s most established queer organizations, the Beijing LGBT Center, was recently forced to close its doors.
The list goes on — but there is also much to celebrate! For example:
In 2022, four countries decriminalized same-sex relations (Singapore, Antigua & Barbuda, Saint Kitts & Nevis, and Barbados).
In the past few weeks, the Supreme Court of Namibia recognized same-sex marriages conducted abroad, Taiwan granted same-sex couples full, equal adoption rights, and Estonia’s Parliament voted to become the first Central European country to approve marriage equality.
In Louisiana, state Senators rejected a bill to ban gender-affirming care for trans youth. California passed state bills to protect LGBTIQ youth in the foster system and expand access to fertility care for queer people. And trans youth held a prom in front of the US Capitol to protest anti-trans legislation & celebrate trans joy.
Finally, the movement for queer liberation is burgeoning everywhere. Outright International’s “Right to Register” research has documented the emergence of thousands of LGBTIQ groups across the globe.
While LGBTIQ+ people may be under attack around the world, we will *not* go back. Outright believes that we must stand together against violence and persecution targeting our community, whether in Uganda, Russia, Turkey, or Florida. Equally important, we see a pivotal opportunity to radically accelerate social and legal change to improve the lives of queer people globally - but we need more allies to join with us in supporting the activists and advocates who are spearheading this progress. Simply put, the global LGBTIQ movement is vastly under-resourced. Less than half of all charitable giving to LGBTIQ groups goes to organizations outside of the US & Canada – and only 5% of all foundation giving to human rights causes globally goes to LGBTIQ issues.
Over the past two years, we have forged many new friendships and partnerships in the web3 space with dozens of artists, creators, builders, founders, collectors, and others who share our vision and want to help us amplify, advocate, celebrate and support the global LGBTIQ movement. Thanks to these donors, educational platforms like Crypto Altruism and philanthropy partners like The Giving Block, Endaoment and Crypto for Charity, we have been able to respond to the crisis in Ukraine, launch our new LBQ Connect program, support local partners in the Caribbean, and much more. Just as valuable have been the many friends who have shared our work and calls to action, helping us raise awareness and galvanize allies around the world.
This June, we launched our #OutrightProud campaign to share stories of celebration and calls to action from around the world. Join us to celebrate the strength, resilience, and joy of LGBTIQ people; to speak out against the attacks on our communities; and to support queer people, activists & organizations locally & globally - in web3 and beyond.
This article was authored by Katie Hutlquist (she/her), Outright’s Director of Leadership Giving. Previously, she was a Board Member and West Coast Director for Outright. Katie has over 25 years of experience in nonprofit management and fundraising in the social justice sector.
Help Outright International and our partners around the world push for change so that all LGBTIQ people everywhere can live with dignity and free from violence.
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