United Against Injustice: Standing with LGBTQI+ Refugees in the Face of Growing Threats

As the new U.S. government takes shape, we are bracing for an uphill fight to defend the safety and dignity of at-risk LGBTQI+ refugees and asylum seekers. This new era of leadership threatens to erode the progress LGBTQI+ and immigrant rights groups have made in securing pathways to protection for LGBTQI+ refugees.

Within 24 hours of taking office, President Trump signed an executive order that suspended the U.S. Refugee Admission Program, halting the processing of LGBTQI+ refugees already approved for resettlement, and leaving vulnerable and displaced queer and trans individuals stranded in dangerous and precarious conditions.

It is critical that we leverage our strength, resilience, and expertise as a community to act swiftly and decisively to lead long-term sustainable initiatives that safeguard the rights and protection of forcibly displaced LGBTQI+ people. Access to safety — a fundamental human right — is being politicized. And, we refuse to stand by. The fight to protect LGBTQI+ refugees and asylum seekers is more urgent than ever. As James Baldwin said: “There is never a time in the future in which we will work out our salvation. The challenge is in the moment; the time is always now.”

Over the past two years, we’ve galvanized the LGBTQI+ and ally community, and cultivated partnerships with grassroots organizations, volunteers and local governments to expand our Communities of Care program across the U.S., building safer, welcoming communities for LGBTQI+ people affected by forced displacement. Together, we created pathways to safety and belonging for LGBTQI+ refugees and asylum seekers, providing them with the resources they need to thrive. These networks have transformed lives, creating safe havens for LGBTQI+ individuals fleeing persecution. But this progress is under attack. And, we have made a commitment to mobilize significantly more volunteers this year, increase access to resources for grassroots organizations holding the line for LGBTQI+ refugees and asylum seekers, and build a firewall of support around our community.

The new administration’s anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTQI+ agenda will make it harder than ever for queer and trans newcomers to find safety and belonging in the US. We cannot let this happen.

Here’s how we can make an impact together:

• Demand Protection for Refugees & Asylum Seekers: Vulnerable LGBTQI+ people can’t access safety if the programs don’t exist. Urge leaders at every level of government to uphold the rights of refugees and asylum seekers, and resume Welcome Corps, a program that leverages the support and commitment of private citizens, not ‘taxpayer resources’. Solidarity makes a difference in the lives of people and communities that have been under attack.
• Volunteer with Communities of Care: Be part of the fight by welcoming LGBTQI+ newcomers and helping them access the resources and social integration they urgently need. So many lives have been transformed because of the kindness and commitment of volunteers in our community. To learn more and get involved, email [email protected].
• Fuel the fight: Your donation powers vital programs like Communities of Care. Without critical funding, we cannot sustain the resources and advocacy that LGBTQI+ refugees and asylum seekers need.

The stakes have never been higher. Anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTQI+ policies will endanger lives and dismantle the progress we’ve fought so hard to achieve. This is a moment of reckoning, and we must act with urgency.

The Time Is Always Now. Together, we can resist injustice, protect the most vulnerable, and ensure that every LGBTQI+ person has the right to live safely, freely, and with dignity.

Join us.