When Rainbow Railroad first started in 2006, the volunteer-run organization focused on helping LGBTQI+ people from Jamaica, a country then referred to as “the most homophobic place on earth.”
Twenty years later, both the organization and the demand for our work have evolved. Today, Rainbow Railroad is an international human rights organization that supports forcibly displaced queer and trans people worldwide, far beyond just the Caribbean. At the core of this work is our response to global requests for help.
Regions in Need: Where Requests for Help Come From
In 2025, Rainbow Railroad received 20,215 requests for help from individuals in over 170 countries — the highest in the organization’s 20-year history and a 51% increase from the year prior.
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The bulk of these requests came from North America (33.4%) — nine in ten of which originated in the United States. That was followed by the Middle East and North Africa (26.2%), Sub-Saharan Africa (17.3%), and Asia (15%). In addition to the US, Uganda, Pakistan, Egypt, and Afghanistan were among the leading sources of requests for help.
Read More: The Anti-Homosexuality Act Now: The Path Forward for LGBTQI+ Rights in Uganda
People in the US often pointed to their fear of future persecution, and the rise of anti-LGBTQI+ laws as reasons for their outreach. By contrast, those living in countries like Uganda request help because of the ongoing criminalization they face due to their sexual orientation or gender identity through laws such as the 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act — one of the most extreme pieces of anti-LGBTQI+ legislation passed in recent years.
Who They Are
Young people notably made up the majority of requests for help we received in 2025. People aged 18-25 represented 40% of all the requests we received, closely followed by people in the 26-35 age group.
There are many drivers of displacement that force queer and trans people to request help. Political instability or armed conflict, for instance, are two major factors to keep in mind. More than two-thirds of requests came from citizens requesting help from within their country of citizenship. Still, more than 6,000 requests came from people who were asylum seekers, registered refugees, or had some other status — meaning they had already fled their home in search of safety. International relocation was the primary support service requested from individuals, followed by shelter and housing assistance.
The global queer forced displacement crisis is accelerating at an unprecedented scale as safe pathways to safety continue to vanish. From Jamaica to Uganda, LGBTQI+ individuals are facing escalating state-sponsored persecution and violence. Rainbow Railroad remains committed to assisting LGBTQI+ people in need, but the roadmap to safety has become increasingly complex as governments retreat from refugee protection. We call on our global community of supporters, partners and policymakers to confront the growing crisis of queer forced displacement, expand pathways to safety, and ensure LGBTQI+ people are not left with nowhere to turn.
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