Global Health Visions is committed to co-creating fundamental systems-level change in order to realize a more just and equitable world – a world in which all people are able to realize their fundamental human rights. GHV recognizes that the achievement of equity for LGBTQIA+ people is an essential step in actualizing that world.
In the United States (and beyond), we have witnessed a gradual shift in LGBTQIA+ acceptance in recent decades. Public opinions on marriage equality, anti-discrimination legislation, and parenting rights have continued to trend positively, buoyed largely by an increase in accurate LGBTQIA+ representation in movies, television, and other forms of media. While support for cisgender gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals has more than doubled since the early-2000s, many inequities persist, particularly for those that identify as transgender and/or gender non- conforming (TGNC).
Transphobia, emboldened by a rise in far-right political rhetoric, has now reached the level of a public health crisis.
It is estimated that 30% of TGNC Americans have experienced workplace discrimination, 30% are currently living in poverty, and 50% have been victims of verbal, physical, or sexual violence based on their identity. Most staggering, it is estimated that nearly 40% of TGNC individuals have attempted suicide in their lifetimes, nearly nine-times the national average.1 These realities are further compounded within communities of color, as TGNC POC face intersectional stigma and discrimination at alarming rates.2
In the United States, easy access to firearms contributes to more than 10,300 hate crimes each year and triples the risk of death by suicide, two statistics that disproportionately impact TGNC individuals.3 Additionally, 75% of the homicides committed against the TGNC community involve the use of a firearm.4 The lack of swift and definitive action by American politicians further enables and escalates this national gun violence epidemic.
Every day, 110 Americans are killed with guns.5 With each passing day, as policymakers fail to enact effective gun safety legislation, they become increasingly complicit in these preventable deaths. Gun violence – and the lack of reasonable gun control regulations in the United States – is a public health crisis with deadly consequences for LGBTQIA+ communities.
At GHV, we believe that our success is contingent upon a diverse workforce, which has informed our approach to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. We aim to dismantle barriers for disenfranchised communities at-large, support grassroot efforts to alleviate systemic oppression, and give deference to lived experiences. These components are imperative in the fight to achieve sustainable and equitable outcomes.
Pride Month is an opportunity to recommit to long-term LGBTQIA+ equity. At GHV, we pledge to continue this work until we see the change that is needed. In active pursuit of our beliefs, and in honor of Pride Month, GHV invites you to join us in donating to Gays Against Guns. This organization, comprised of committed LGBTQIA+ people and allies, is working to nonviolently end gun violence by putting pressure on those who support and enable it – all with the goal of ensuring the safety of all individuals, particularly those with marginalized identities.
GHV recognizes the phenomenal contributions of LGBTIQA+ individuals to the world and will continue to stand together and fight for the safety and equality of all people.
1 https://transequality.org/sites/default/files/docs/usts/USTS-Executive-Summary-Dec17.pdf
2 Ibid.
3 https://everytownresearch.org/report/remembering-and-honoring-pulse/
4 Ibid.
