LGBTQ+ groups at risk of closure as USAID freeze adds to cuts

Julia Ehrt (she/her) is the executive director at ILGA World and Gabriel Galil (any pronoun) is an interim programme manager at ILGA World,  working on United Nations advocacy, Human Rights Council and the Universal Periodic Review.

On January 20, lightning struck. 

The U.S. president issued his executive order freezing aid for 90 days, leaving human rights, social justice and humanitarian movements aghast, followed by the notice of termination of many civil society organisations’ grants. 

Two months after the funding freeze, the catastrophic consequences of it are still developing. 

As a global federation of LGBTQ+ organisations, ILGA World has also been heavily hit. But the true victims are organisations from the Global South, for whom domestic resourcing is extremely limited – or non-existent.

Studies launched to understand the scale of the damage are now all showing the same result: One year from now, the LGBTQ+ movement will look considerably different.

It will be less vibrant, smaller, poorer, and with diminished ability to resist and document human rights violations on grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics. 

Every week, we receive reports from member organisations being forced to close operations. A study from Outright International, published three weeks after funding cuts were first announced, revealed that 58% of organisations surveyed across 35 countries already had to lay off staff and/or stop programmes entirely.

The sudden U.S. cuts immediately disrupted programmes that combat and document violence against LGBTQ+ persons, or those providing life-saving services to our communities, including HIV prevention and treatment to key populations. 

But they do not exist in a vacuum. In November 2024, the Netherlands - the biggest government donor to the LGBTQ+ movement -  announced a 70% cut of their development funding for NGOs. 

Since then, several other countries have announced a reduction in their foreign assistance contributions imminently or within the next 12 months, including the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Belgium, and France. 

The impact on civil society will be devastating, the impact on the most marginalised people of society even more so.

It goes without saying that the financial blow to our movement comes at a time when LGBTQ+ social and legal victories are being tested by the rise of far-right and authoritarian movements and governments.

Opposition to feminism, sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice, and freedom for LGBTQ+ persons is nothing new. But the rise of extremely well-funded anti-rights organisations has fuelled the fire.

These groups are now using their influence within the White House and other governments to spread their reactionary rhetoric, and succeeding.

During his first days in office, Trump issued several executive orders directly targeting trans and intersex people under the false pretence of “defending women". 

This is not only extremely harmful for U.S. communities but will also embolden anti-gender actors elsewhere. 

Make no mistake: rhetoric like that is always the fuse to an explosive, underlying agenda that aims to leave social minorities behind — including migrants, women and girls, racialised persons, Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities.

The U.S. government has also announced its withdrawal from the Human Rights Council and the World Health Organization (WHO). It is undeniable: we have fallen into a dreadful time. 

But we cannot give in to fear: We have important work to do. 

The achievements of the past decade on gender equality, bodily autonomy, the rights of LGBTQ+ people and government accountability must be, and will be, defended.

We must protect and strengthen multilateralism, democracy, and civic space. Government donors and private philanthropy must step up before human rights and humanitarian systems collapse. 

But most of all, LGBTQ+, feminist and human rights movements need true solidarity among themselves, and from others. We cannot abandon each other. 

We must be hopeful. We have always had to fight hard for our victories and, even when we are exasperated and want to scream “just leave us alone,” we must weather the storm. 

Because we are fighting for everyone. A world based on solidarity, empathy, and equal opportunities will always be stronger than one forged over hate.