Queer Forced Displacement Network
Building a coordinated global response to LGBTQI+ forced displacement
What is the Queer Forced Displacement Network?
The Queer Forced Displacement Network (QFDN) is an international coalition of people with lived experience of displacement, and the organizations and institutions working alongside them. Together, we are mobilizing our collective power to advance safety, protection, and durable solutions for LGBTQI+ refugees, migrants, and displaced people worldwide.
QFDN was launched in May 2026 following two years of global consultations led by Rainbow Railroad, findings from which created the foundation for the network today.
Read the findings from the roundtable consultations here.
During this initial phase of the network, Rainbow Railroad serves as Convening Chair and Secretariat, working alongside three Interim Co-Chairs from civil society and refugee-led organizations in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
Why This Network Is Needed
Across the globe, LGBTQI+ people are forced to flee their homes because of persecution, violence, or laws that criminalize who they are. These dangers continue through every stage of their displacement journeys, including in the very places they turn to for refuge. Too often, asylum and humanitarian systems overlook, shut out, or cause further harm to LGBTQI+ individuals seeking protection.
This is happening as the ground shifts beneath us. Anti-gender and anti-rights movements are reshaping laws and public attitudes towards LGBTQI+ people worldwide, driving more people to flee their homes. At the same time, migration itself is under attack, with many countries tightening their borders, rolling back the right to seek asylum, and weaponizing xenophobia against migrants.
A crisis this large demands a response of the same scale — led by the people most affected, and built to last over time. The QFDN exists to meet this moment: transforming the systems that harm and exclude, and demanding dignity, safety, and rights for LGBTQI+ displaced people everywhere.
A Different Kind of Response
The QFDN’s approach is grounded in recommendations from the global consultation series, held in key displacement corridors in Mexico, South Africa, Thailand, Türkiye, and Kenya. Across five roundtables, an academic symposium and a global conference, experts in the field of LGBTQI+ forced displacement, including grassroots defenders, civil society leaders, government representatives, UN agencies, academics and people with lived experience identified what the QFDN must do to be effective as a platform.
Read the cross-regional findings from the roundtables here.
Building on those findings, the QFDN:
- Treats lived experience as expertise: LGBTQI+ displaced people and frontline organizations play a central role in the network’s decision-making and strategic direction.
- Works across sectors: The network identifies and brings together stakeholders committed to this struggle, creating space for meaningful, sustained collaboration between them.
- Coordinates existing efforts: The network is a platform to strengthen and connect the work that members and movements are already doing across regions, focusing on gaps no single member can fill alone. It does not duplicate members’ work or compete with them for funding, visibility, or recognition.
- Builds shared infrastructure for advocacy, research, emergency response, and knowledge exchange within and across borders.
The QFDN’s work is also guided by the Chao Phraya Principles on the Protection of LGBTQI+ Persons in Forced Displacement, a new global declaration endorsed in May 2026 by founding QFDN members. Grounded in international human rights laws and frameworks, the Principles set out how governments, international organizations, civil society, and other actors must act to protect LGBTQI+ people throughout the continuum of displacement — from the moment they flee, through transit and asylum journeys, and within reception and integration settings.
Read the Chao Phraya Principles on the Protection of LGBTQI+ Persons in Forced Displacement: [English] · [Français] · [Español] · [العربية]
The Principles are a living document which continues to be refined and strengthened through feedback received from stakeholders and network members.
Where the Network is Now
As a newly launched network, the QFDN is currently focused on putting the key systems in place to deliver on its commitments and sustain its work over the long term.
To do this, the QFDN has adopted an interim shared leadership model, consisting of Rainbow Railroad (Convening Chair and Secretariat), and three Interim Co-Chairs, serving an initial term until October 2027:
- Mariana De la Cruz (she/her), National Director of Operations, Casa Frida (Mexico)
- Ryan Figueiredo (he/him), Founder and Executive Director, Equal Asia Foundation (Thailand)
- Eric Ssali (he/they), Executive Director, The African Sunbird Network (South Africa)
Together, they are working to establish decision-making processes that center lived experience, create regional coordination mechanisms, expand membership and geographic reach, and advance the findings and recommendations of the global consultations. Over time, the network will transition to a permanent governance structure led by its members.
Get Involved
The Queer Forced Displacement Network is only as strong as the people and organizations who build it. QFDN membership is open to LGBTQI+ and refugee-led organizations, grassroots groups, and allied agencies; individuals with lived experience of forced displacement; researchers and academics; governments, international organizations, and other institutional actors working on this issue.
Applying to join the QFDN:
- Read the QFDN Membership Information Sheet, which sets out the network’s purpose, who can join, and what membership involves.
- Complete the membership application form to share more about your work and why you wish to join the QFDN.
- Wait to hear from us: Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so that new members can be vetted and the safety and security of the network can be maintained. Eligible applicants will be contacted to confirm membership.
For how we store and protect your information, see our Privacy and Data Collection Policy here.
Questions? Contact us at [email protected]
Key Documents
The Chao Phraya Principles
The Chao Phraya Principles on the Protection of LGBTQI+ Persons in Forced Displacement: [English] · [Français] · [Español] · [العربية]
Summary findings from the roundtable consultation series:
Regional roundtable reports:
Research
Additional Reading
UNHCR: 2021 Global Roundtable on Protection and Solutions for LGBTIQ+ People in Forced Displacement - Summary Conclusions - This event produced 33 significant recommendations, including calls for the creation of this multi-stakeholder network
Acknowledgements
The two-year consultation phase that led to the launch of the network in May 2026 was funded by Rainbow Railroad, with contributions from Global Affairs Canada (GAC), the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
