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In many countries around the world, LGBTQI+ people face extreme levels of violence and ostracization from their families, the state, and their communities. Rainbow Railroad responds directly to the intersection of global forced displacement and LGBTQI+ persecution, helping at-risk LGBTQI+ people move to safer countries.  But, what happens after Rainbow Railroad facilitates the journey of an LGBTQI+ person to a safer country like Canada? While the immediate threat to their safety may be gone, there are new challenges associated with resettling.Often first among these are feelings of isolation and loneliness, and concerns about accessing stable housing. Finding stable housing is essential for a newly arrived refugee because it provides a foundation for the rest of their life. But there are many barriers including the high cost of housing and landlords requiring credit checks or previous landlord references, which refugees are often unable to provide. Finding safe and stable housing is often the first step in a life-long journey. That’s why Rainbow Railroad is proud to work with Refugee Housing Canada, an innovative startup based in the Greater Toronto and Vancouver Areas which connects newly arrived refugees to community members who can provide stable and affordable housing.Here’s how it works: People with spare bedrooms to rent sign up to be hosts on the Refugee Housing Canada website. They create an online listing, which includes photos, the house rules, room availability, and rent price. Meanwhile, resettlement agencies, like Rainbow Railroad, give refugees access to the online platform, where they can match with a host.Only refugees who have been resettled through Rainbow Railroad or other partner agencies can access listings on the website, ensuring that all candidates for housing on the platform are vetted and verified. Homeowners can open their homes and hearts to those in need, while refugees can rest easy knowing they have a temporary and welcoming home while they start their new life in Canada.Everyone deserves access to safe, stable, affordable housing, and Refugee Housing Canada helps to foster supportive communities for newcomers by connecting them with housing.If you live in the Greater Toronto or Vancouver Areas, you can learn more about the program and sign up to be a host here.

Civil society organizations call on states to create more dedicated pathways and programs to help LGBTQI+ people who are at risk of persecution, including humanitarian and development funding as well as resettlement pathways. Building sustained relationships with LGBTQI+ civil society and leveraging the expertise of LGBTQI+-led organizations is key to accessing and identifying at-risk LGBTQI+ forcibly displaced persons in need of durable solutions.  With more than 110 million displaced people in the world, we are collectively experiencing a global refugee crisis of unprecedented scale. We are also witnessing an ongoing injustice that is a compounding risk factor for LGBTQI+ people: 63 states around the world criminalize same-sex intimacy and, as a result, at-risk LGBTQI+ people often face systemic barriers to accessing safety within the existing global refugee and asylum system. For LGBTQI+ individuals, drivers of displacement such as conflict, climate disaster and political instability bring pre-existing persecutory conditions sharply into focus. In countries of origin, transit and host countries, LGBTQI+ communities are exposed to hate-motivated violence from state and non-state actors, as well as discrimination when crossing international borders and hostility when accessing basic services. Existing protection mechanisms fail to effectively respond to the unique vulnerabilities experienced by LGBTQI+ people, often rendering available pathways to safety inaccessible to people with diverse sexual orientation, gender identities and sex characteristics.  UNHCR’s 2021 Roundtable Summary Conclusions note that forcibly displaced LGBTIQ+ people “experience multiple, compounding and intersecting  stigmatizations  and  abuse,  including…  stigmatization  related  to both their  diverse SOGIESC and their migration status”. The conclusions also note that LGBTIQ+ people continue to face “similar or higher risks of homophobic, biphobic, transphobic and endosexist violence from both  nationals  of  the  host  country  as  well  as  from  other  displaced  people,” which are further exacerbated by “xenophobic hostility, misogyny, irregular  migration  status,  socioeconomic  marginalization,  isolation  from  traditional  support networks and trauma-induced physical and emotional duress.” Despite growing international recognition of the pressing needs of LGBTQI+ forcibly displaced people, these voices continue to be excluded and deprioritized within mainstream humanitarian spaces. The Global Compact on Refugees, while affirming protections related to age, gender, disability and diversity, failed to affirm protections for LGBTQI+ persons or to recognize their unique vulnerabilities - in fact, the term LGBTQI+ was not used at all in the document. In multilateral fora, states often sacrifice LGBTQI+ rights for political considerations, disregarding the urgency of addressing the persecution and violence facing LGBTQI+ people. Politicization of LGBTQI+ rights severely compromises our ability as a global community to address forced displacement crises, when allied states do not hold persecutors to account for fear of offending them in diplomatic spaces. For example, in Uganda, there is an ongoing assault on LGBTQI+ human rights. In May, the President signed the Anti-Homosexuality Act into law and made Uganda the 12th country in the world to legalize the death penalty as a punishment for same-sex intimacy. Targeted violence and persecution is one of the root causes of the LGBTQI+ forced displacement crisis which the Global Refugee Forum seeks to address. Meanwhile, Uganda is co-chairing the Global Refugee Forum. The UNHCR and member states' decision to allow Uganda to remain a co-chair of the Forum undermines the advocacy of persecuted LGBTQI+ Ugandan activists who are calling for global public pressure on Uganda to overturn this hateful and discriminatory legislation. Since passage of the law, LGBTQI+ Ugandans have been arrested, evicted and subjected to bias-motivated violence. Ugandan activists have made clear requests to the global community to put pressure on Uganda, calling on governments to issue visa bans for human rights violators, provide nimble emergency funding to local organizations, create flexible humanitarian pathways for at-risk LGBTQI+ persons in Uganda, and hold the Ugandan government to account in multilateral spaces.The immense challenge of navigating a hostile and exclusionary global landscape can only be met by an equally powerful force of collective queer resistance. By necessity of survival, LGBTQI+ individuals and organizations have become incredibly adept at harnessing the vitality and creativity of their communities to rise up against oppressive systems and generate alternative solutions for finding protection and freedom. In order to be effective, any strategy to address the crisis of forcibly displaced LGBTQI+ people must first be grounded in the cultivation of strong, trust-based partnership networks with local civil society organizations, to identify the urgent needs of highly vulnerable populations, generate responsive pathways to safety, and build a sustainable movement for international LGBTQI+ solidarity. The Joint Refugee Statement at the Global Refugee Forum recognizes the “life-threatening circumstances faced by individuals from marginalized groups, such as the LGBTIQ+ community”, calling on states and protection actors to see refugees as “human beings with unique identities, needs, and diverse backgrounds”, taking a tailored approach which considers “unique and diverse needs, aspirations and capacities of” LGBTIQ+ people, among others.Recognizing the unique expertise of LGBTQI+ global civil society, Rainbow Railroad will build the conditions to establish an International LGBTQI+ Forced Displacement Coordination Initiative. The Initiative will serve as an international platform to develop solutions for LGBTQI+ persons who are impacted by the global migration crisis. The Initiative will convene LGBTQI+ civil society, community organizations, academics and key government stakeholders for research and policy development, and provide a forum for coordinating crisis response efforts in real time. This platform has emerged as a direct response to the need to organize and mobilize to influence the global refugee and asylum system which continues to make trade-offs against the lives of LGBTQI+ forcibly displaced persons. The Initiative is also the product of collective advocacy by global LGBTQI+ civil society organizations which advocated for UNHCR to convene the 2021 Global Roundtable on Protection and Solutions for LGBTIQ+ People in Forced Displacement. The Initiative implements key recommendations from the Roundtable, including the recommendation to “invest in a robust, centralized, international multi-stakeholder network to regularly share data, research, programmatic best practices, and solutions for LGBTIQ+ persons of concern” and to establish “formal global structure, networks, and funding mechanisms by which members of humanitarian, human rights, and allied communities can exchange information, collaborate, coordinate, and hold each other accountable on collectively protecting and supporting LGBTIQ+ people in forced displacement and statelessness.” This centralized advocacy body will work with states to increase refugee intake, and adopt rapid intervention and protection pathways. States must continue progress made in LGBTQI+ rights, and invest in resettlement while upholding the right to seek asylum. Recently, several countries have taken key steps forward in their commitment to LGBTQI+ human rights, while also recognizing that sustained relationships with LGBTQI+ civil society and leveraging expertise of LGBTQI+-led organizations are key to accessing at-risk LGBTQI+ forcibly displaced persons. The Canadian government has partnered with Rainbow Railroad to create a dedicated resettlement pathway for LGBTQI+ refugees, both through direct NGO referral, and in partnership with a broader coalition across LGBTQI+ civil society to create dedicated LGBTQI+ private sponsorship resettlement slots. At the UNHCR High Level Officials Meeting, the United States committed to “establish new referral and sponsorship pathways for LGBTQI+ and other vulnerable refugee groups.” The US has begun working with LGBTQI+-led organizations to create new mechanisms for NGO referrals and private sponsorship, currently in the pilot stage. Other states are also exploring the possibility of dedicated pathways or quotas for LGBTQI+ refugees, including through partnership with LGBTQI+ civil society. Amidst the increased creation and use of complementary pathways, states must continue to affirm the principles of vulnerability-based resettlement and the additionality of complementary pathways, to ensure that the fundamental right to seek asylum is protected from erosion. Leveraging the expertise of LGBTQI+-led organizations - and in particular refugee-led LGBTQI+ organizations -  is key to assessing and identifying at-risk LGBTQI+ forcibly displaced persons in need of durable solutions, whether through resettlement or complementary pathways. As a coalition of LGBTQI+ and allied civil society organizations, we stand ready to elevate the voices of LGBTQI+ persons with lived experience of forced displacement, strengthen the work of LGBTQI+ activists leading advancements toward equality, and to partner with states to support those most at-risk in our communities. We call on states to create more dedicated pathways and programs to help LGBTQI+ people who are at risk of persecution, through funding for essential services and accessible resettlement pathways. States should invest in sustained partnerships with LGBTQI+ civil society to increase protection and safeguarding efforts of LGBTQI+ persons experiencing forced displacement.Presenting SignatoryRainbow RailroadJoint Civil Society Organization SignatoriesAccess Chapter 2Adhikaar AotearoaAfghanistan LGBTIQ+ OrganisationThe African Centre for Refugees in Ontario CanadaAGIR MontrealAlliance for South Asian AIDS PreventionAman LaraAmerica Diversa IncAmnesty International AustraliaANKH Association (Arab Network for Knowledge about Human Rights)APCOM FoundationArc EssentielASEAN SOGIE CaucusBlue Diamond SocietyCalgary Refugee HealthCanadian Centre for Gender and Sexual DiversityCapital Rainbow RefugeCentre de Recherche et de Documentation en Approches Genre CREDAGColours CaribbeanCorporación Caribe AfirmativoCouncil for Global EqualityCuso InternationalDerechos Humanos y Diversidad Asociación CivilDiálogo DiversoEgale CanadaEgides - Alliance internationale francophone pour l'égalité et les diversitésThe Enchanté NetworkEqual Asia FoundationEQUAL GROUNDFierté Canada PrideFrom Borders to BelongingForcibly Displaced People NetworkFondation ÉmergenceFondation MassimadiFundación Arcoiris por el respeto a la diversidad sexualFundación Colectivo Hombres XX, A. C.Fundación IgualdadHelemHIV Legal NetworkILGA AsiaILGA- LAC ArgentinaILGA WorldImmigration EqualityInstituto sobre Migracion y Refugio LGBTIQ para Centroamerica IRCA CASABIERTAKudwaKyivPride CanadaLesbian and Gay Federation in Germany (LSVD)Lithuanian Gay LeagueMicro Rainbow International FoundationMOSAIC MENAMorgane Oger FoundationMovimiento de Integración y Liberación Homosexual (Movilh)Namibia Diverse Women's Association (NDWA)Niskanen CenterOCASI- Ontario Council of Agencies Serving ImmigrantsORAM - Organization for Refuge, Asylum and MigrationOTD ChilePolonia InclusivePride at Work Canada/Fierté au travail CanadaPride TorontoPromsexProud To Be TransRainbow AfghanistanRainbow Refugee SocietyRainbow Faith and FreedomRed nacional de apoyo a personas migrantes y refugiadas LGBT MéxicoRed Regional de Protección a Personas LGBTIQ+ Refugiadas y Migrantes en las AmericasRefugee Council USARefugio LGBT CASA FRIDAReportOUTRFSL -The Swedish Federation for LGBTIQ RightsSASOD GuyanaSynergía - Initiatives for Human RightsWILPF CanadaWUSC (World University Service of Canada)UK Black PrideUnited Church of CanadaVenezuela Diversa

In May of 2023, the Ugandan President signed the Anti-Homosexuality Act into law, codifying one of the most extreme pieces of anti-LGBTQI+ legislation in the world.In recent months, Rainbow Railroad has experienced an alarming surge in requests for help from the LGBTQI+ community in Uganda.We’ve also received a spike in requests for assistance from our partners on the ground in Uganda, including under-resourced organizations and shelters in rural Uganda, which have received little to no international attention. We’re also seeing a worsening trend of community rejection — including evictions, violent arrests, and loss of employment — as a major safety concern for LGBTQI+ individuals. You can read more about one of our partner organizations in Uganda, Mbarara Rise Foundation, here.November 28, Giving Tuesday, all donations made to Rainbow Railroad will be directed to our work in Uganda, supporting the vital services of these organizations.We ask for your support as we stand in solidarity with LGBTQI+ Ugandans. Please give generously.

In addition to providing emergency travel support to individuals fleeing persecution, Rainbow Railroad operates five programs, including Partnership Development. Through this program, we work closely with human rights defenders and grassroots organizations to provide direct support to LGBTQI+ communities on the ground. One of these organizations is Mbarara Rise Foundation (MRF). MRF was founded in 2016 to address discrimination, violence and persecution faced by LGBTQI+ individuals in rural communities in western Uganda. They promote social change, equality, and acceptance, and offer a range of essential services tailored to the needs of the LGBTQI+ community in Uganda. These services include legal aid, HIV-related support and counseling, healthcare access, advocacy, safe housing and relocation, and economic empowerment skills programs.Real Raymond, MRF’s Executive Director, reflects on the ups and downs of operating the organization: “We face a combination of challenges and rewarding moments. The difficult parts primarily revolve around the persistent discrimination, persecution and violence faced by LGBTQI+ individuals in Uganda. It is heart-wrenching to witness the hardships LGBTQI+ individuals endure due to societal prejudice and discriminatory laws. Additionally, working in an environment where our mission is met with resistance and hostility can be emotionally taxing. However, we’re never deterred by these challenges. We also witness the transformation and positive impact of our work on the LGBTQI+ individuals we support. These success stories serve as a guiding light and inspire us to continue our work. The resilience and strength of the LGBTQI+ community in Uganda are a constant source of inspiration for us.” MRF continues to advocate for legislative change and empower LGBTQI+ individuals to be a catalyst for social change, contributing to a more inclusive and accepting society in Uganda.To LGBTQI+ individuals facing difficulties, Mbarara offers a message of solidarity, resilience, and hope: “You are not alone and your identity is valid. Reach out for support and find allies who will stand by your side. There is strength in our community, and together, we can create positive change. Your well-being and happiness are worth fighting for, and brighter days are ahead.”“And to those who support Rainbow Railroad, we, at MRF, extend our deepest gratitude and appreciation. Your support of Rainbow Railroad is a lifeline for LGBTQI+ individuals in Uganda and around the world. You are making a tangible difference in the lives of those who need it most. Your commitment to our cause is a beacon of hope, and we thank you for your unwavering solidarity and generosity. Together, we are working towards a world where love, acceptance, and equality prevail.” This Giving Tuesday, November 28, all donations to Rainbow Railroad will be directed to our work in Uganda, including our support of partner organizations like MRF. Donate here. 

Trans Awareness Week November 13-19We observe Transgender Awareness Week at Rainbow Railroad to promote greater acceptance, visibility, inclusivity, and social change for the transgender community. In order to understand and address the challenges the global trans community faces, it is critical to centre the lived experiences of its members. In 2023, the number of requests for help from trans individuals Rainbow Railroad received doubled.Julia is one of the trans individuals Rainbow Railroad supported this year. Growing up in Tunisia, she faced bullying and harassment because of her identity. At only 18 years old, she was imprisoned because a piece of her ID did not match her gender expression. As a result, she spent over a year in prison without facing a fair trial.Julia is a multi-talented artist and creator. In 2018, she founded “Alwani,” which means “My colours'', in Arabic, an organization dedicated to advocating for the LGBT community in Tunisia. As a result of her activism, Julia was invited by the Arab Institute for Research and Publishing in Lebanon to help update their guide on gendered vocabulary in the Arabic language.2022 was a turning point for Julia when members of an extremist group attacked both her and her mother. Through a recommendation of a friend, she reached out to Rainbow Railroad. The decision to leave Tunisia was not easy. She would have to leave her family behind and face financial insecurity from her resettlement. However, she felt she had no choice but to leave, describing her mental state as “in constant fear and expecting harassment at every corner, or worse, the police dragging me down to the station.”Julia sought refuge in Madrid. She describes her three-day wait at the airport as a positive experience. Contrary to all her expectations, she was well taken care of, fed and given a phone to call home. The Red Cross provided her with a wheelchair because of complications she suffered throughout her travels. On June 14, 2023, Julia, at 28 years old, was granted asylum in Spain and started her new life in Madrid.A resettlement organization, Rescate, supported Julia with housing in Spain and helped her learn Spanish. When asked how she adjusted to her new life in Madrid, she remarks, “I feel at peace, safe and secure. That is what changed for me — not the change in geographic location. My mind is no longer busy looking for ways to run for safety or thinking of how to prepare for the worst scenario possible.”Her days in Madrid are occupied with participating in different activities through Rescate, learning Spanish and enjoying her hobbies of cooking and drawing.Her current motto in life is: “I learn something new every day and every day is the best day of my life”.“I tell my Tunisian LGBTQ+ folks not to despair and not to give up, and not to tire; to work toward your clear goals and realize them. Don’t hesitate to ask for help from community organizations or lawyers, and be who you are and live for what your souls yearn for, not for others. And don’t forget to dance to life’s ever-changing tunes.”“I thank everyone who supported and supports Rainbow Railroad. And I tell them that their donations helped me reach safer shores and their donations are helping many others like me from the LGBTQI+ communities all over the world.”  In 2023, Rainbow Railroad successfully relocated hundreds of individuals like Julia, while providing vital support to thousands of others through shelter, emergency financial assistance, crisis response support, and other programs. Help make our work possible by making a donation today at rainbowrailroad.org/donate.

As the Afghanistan response enters its third year, research suggests that the risks to LGBTQI+ persons posed by the Taliban regime continue largely unabated while the availability of pathways to safety for LGBTQI+ Afghans is stagnating. More broadly, the humanitarian situation facing LGBTQI+ Afghans is gradually shifting from a complex emergency to a protracted situation. At this stage, given the lack of a clear endgame for the crisis due to the seeming durability of Taliban governance, there is a pressing need to bring together intervening organizations to assess the humanitarian response to-date, the current state of play, and determine next steps from a coordinated perspective.To that end, ILGA ASIA and Rainbow Railroad co-hosted a Strategic Convening on Afghanistan LGBTQI+ Human Rights and Humanitarian Response on 5-6 July 2023. This hybrid convening gathered stakeholders from Afghan-led organizations and LGBTQI+ organizations from the US, UK, Germany, Pakistan and Thailand. The agenda was organized around a set of thematic areas and structured through a set of focused discussion questions geared toward aligning on a strategic direction for the response.The conclusions and recommendations emerging from this convening have been published in a report entitled "Strategic Convening on Afghanistan: LGBTQI+ Human Rights & Humanitarian Response". The full report can be accessed below, and is also available for download here.

On October 26, 1996, intersex activists from around the world gathered in Boston, Massachusetts, outside the annual American Academy of Pediatrics conference for the first public demonstration by intersex people in North America. Since then, this day has been observed annually to raise awareness of the issues intersex individuals face, promote understanding and acceptance, and advocate for their rights and access to respectful and supportive healthcare practices.Intersex people are born with natural variations in their biological sex characteristics — simply put, their bodies fit outside the strict male/female binary. It's important to recognize that intersex is a natural part of human diversity — not a medical condition to be changed or fixed. Medical practitioners' failure to comprehend and recognize this has led to traumatizing situations for intersex individuals, especially minors who undergo surgeries without proper explanation of their characteristics. Over the years, the internet and social media helped break the silence surrounding intersex issues, allowing intersex individuals to connect, share their stories, and ultimately find solidarity. Between 2021 and 2022, Rainbow Railroad saw a 78% increase in requests for help from intersex individuals. So far in 2023, more than 400 intersex individuals have reached out for assistance.Intersex activist, psychotherapist, American jazz singer and actress, Eden Atwood, recounts her journey as an intersex individual: “I didn’t feel the same as everybody else. I was never told as a child and teenager why I didn't get my period. When the results of my blood test arrived, it was met with silence by my mother and the medical practitioner at Mayo Clinic in the late 80’s.” “Growing up intersex was isolating and painful because of how I was treated by the medical community. It damaged my view of myself. I already had a very difficult relationship with my mother and used to fake a variety of illnesses to get her attention. When I was told I had “precancerous twisted ovaries” I thought, oh god, I did this to myself. I faked so many illnesses I made myself deathly ill. Of course none of that was true. I was not deathly ill nor had I done anything to myself. Being intersex today is still isolating, but I no longer have shame about myself or my body. Nothing in my life has ever been so painful as carrying deep shame. Unraveling that shame has been profoundly difficult. Living my life without a secure attachment to either of my parents made my life very lonely and often very painful.”Eden transformed her pain into purpose and started to support others in their own journey of embracing the whole of who they are which she describes as the source of their joy. Atwood and their former partner founded The Interface Project to share the lived experiences of intersex people as an act of love for themselves and their community.Music is their outlet and singing their story empowers them to be present and show up as the forgiving and compassionate self that aspires to artivism: “I always believe in art and its power to educate, heal, incite and inspire. Music is always true north for me. It reminds me of who I am, where I have been, and keeps me moving in the direction of love.”Eden continues to advocate for intersex rights and is currently part of a lawsuit in Montana, USA opposing Senate Bill 458 that seeks to legally define binary biological sex. By observing Intersex Awareness Day, we continue to foster understanding, challenge harmful stereotypes, and promote respect for the diverse experiences and identities within the intersex community. It also celebrates the strength and resilience of intersex individuals and helps create a world that respects and values everyone's unique journey. 

The Global Compact on Refugees, by which governments made commitments for refugee solutions, made little mention of LGBTQI+ persons.In 2021 UNHCR hosted a Global Roundtable on LGBTQI+ forced displacement. The convening, which took place virtually with 13 sessions over three weeks, marked a significant milestone in addressing the gaps faced by LGBTQI+ refugees, asylum seekers and people on the move. Rainbow Railroad was a co-facilitator and key participant in the convening which resulted in 33 important recommendations constituting a foundational roadmap for further action for UNCHR, governments and civil society in regard to the protection of and solutions for LGBTIQ+ forcibly displaced and stateless persons throughout the world.Read the recommendations here.

We’re highlighting insights from our 2022 Annual Report, Understanding the State of Global LGBTQI+ Persecution. To read more of our insights, you can access the full report here.Insights: Failed Travel and Barriers to Seeking AsylumBetween 2018 and 2022 we noted over 30 cases of  “failed travel” for individuals as we attempted to move them to safer locations. Due to systemic barriers in global border infrastructure, certain groups are disproportionately targeted for denial of boarding. The term “failed travel” refers to situations in which airline officials, private security guards, and other non-state agents prevent the cross-border movement of persons seeking access to asylum. Airlines are incentivized to reject travelers from boarding, even those with legal documents, because governments impose steep fines or suspend airlines’ licenses if the state ends up deporting someone who is later deemed inadmissible. Airlines do not have the training, capacity or authority to ensure that people will not be harmed if they are denied boarding. Denials by carriers are applied selectively and inconsistently, allowing some individuals to pass through airports freely while prohibiting others from boarding flights. This system lacks safeguards to ensure that people are protected from discrimination, including discrimination based on national, ethnic, or racial origin and gender identity and expression.There are many settings in transit countries outside of airports where LGBTQI+ people seeking safety face additional barriers.  LGBTQI+ refugees who are living in camps in countries that are not supportive of their rights face systemic discrimination, including barriers to accessing refugee status determination, as well as violence and harassment from local communities and other refugees. Humanitarian protection agencies, which are responsible for identifying the most vulnerable and connecting them with pathways to refuge, can miss necessary cultural and linguistic norms to meaningfully understand LGBTQI+ related persecution or even subject LGBTQI+ people to discrimination. LGBTQI+ persons coming from contexts where their diverse SOGIESC is a factor in their persecution may not readily identify themselves as LGBTQI+ due to their fears of being threatened with violence if their identities are known. Rainbow Railroad works closely with LGBTQI+ host community and asylum seeker networks, mapping LGBTQI+ inclusive service providers and community spaces so that we can respond to urgent protection needs, including food, medicine and safe shelter. We also advocate with governments to open pathways to find durable solutions for those who are most vulnerable. We need to work both within and outside of the international protection system to leverage creative solutions which build on the resiliency and courage of our case individuals.To read more of our insights, you can access the full report here.

There are nearly 110 million people forcibly displaced worldwide as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations and climate disasters. The population of forcibly displaced people worldwide includes LGBTQI+ refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced people and stateless people seeking protection from discrimination, abuse and persecution.In 2021 UNHCR hosted a Global Roundtable on LGBTQI+ forced displacement, and made 33 significant recommendations with regards to the protection and solutions for LGBTQI+ forcibly displaced persons throughout the world. One of them specifically recommends that UNHCR, "Establish a bilateral network, led by LGBTIQ+ people with lived experiences in forced  displacement, that  is  funded  by  UNHCR,  organized  at  the  global  level,  and  includes  space  for  these  individuals  to  come  together  to  interact  with  one  another  and  with UNHCR leadership."In this report, Rainbow Railroad proposes strengthening the global response to these serious challenges through an International LGBTQI+ forced displacement network which will engage people with lived experience, governments, civil society and academics, in research, advocacy and policy development.Rainbow Railroad, along with international partners, will build a critically needed long-term platform to support LGBTQI+ persons in forced displacement and to advocate for improved protection outcomes and access to durable solutions.In addition to generating lasting research and policy solutions, the network would provide a forum for different actors to mobilize and coordinate humanitarian response efforts in real time when crises occur.You can read the full report outlining the goals of the LGBTQI+ forced displacement network below, or download the report here.

We’re highlighting insights from our 2022 Annual Report, Understanding the State of Global LGBTQI+ Persecution. To read more of our insights, you can access the full report here.Human Rights Defenders Increasingly at RiskHuman rights defenders (HRDs) often work in dangerous circumstances and, in some cases, are forced to flee themselves. HRDs work locally, trying to advocate for changes to the laws and policies that criminalize and persecute LGTBQI+ persons, and are sometimes targeted by state actors as a result of their work. Recognizing this, the Canadian government established a dedicated refugee stream for human rights defenders for resettlement to Canada, one of the only countries in the world to make this kind of pathway available. Rainbow Railroad advocated for the creation of this novel pathway since inception, and as one of the only organizations with the capacity to refer LGBTQI+ human rights defenders, we have had the opportunity to refer seven cases for relocation to Canada through the HRD stream. Due to the unpredictability of government crackdowns and other regional circumstances, we cannot always anticipate when it will be necessary for HRDs to leave their work and seek refuge in another country. A group of HRDs may emerge as needing urgent protection; to prepare for this possibility, our team closely monitors evolving threats to HRDs around the world. A significant number of our cases involve case work done by trusted individuals who have long-term relationships with Rainbow Railroad staff, including HRDs who share information to verify requests for help. We also draw on the technical expertise of our dedicated staff of caseworkers, including several human rights defender colleagues who have lived experience of forced migration and/or persecution based on their LGBTQI+ identities.Limited Pathways to Safety for At-Risk LGBTQI+ PersonsIn 2022, 4% of all requests for help that Rainbow Railroad received had no route to safety and limited options for support through other channels. Our capacity to provide support to at-risk LGBTQI+ persons is limited by geopolitical factors, such as contextual risks, legal restrictions, and a lack of passport mobility.In 2021, we identified the top ten countries of nationality with the highest disparities between the number of requests we received and the number of individuals we were able to provide with Emergency Travel Support (ETS), where people are forced to remain due to barriers to movement. These countries were: Algeria, India, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Lebanon, Pakistan, Nigeria, Syria, Morocco, and Turkey. In 2022 data, two new countries appeared, Kenya and Jordan, replacing Somalia and Morocco. The replacement of Somalia and Morocco on this list is not because the situation has improved in either country, but because the situation in other countries has worsened - Somalia and Morocco still lack routes to safety.SyriaPakistanIranNigeriaLebanonJordanAlgeriaSaudi ArabiaIndiaKenyaRecognizing the systemic gaps that prevent at-risk LGBTQI+ individuals from relocating, Rainbow Railroad reaches those most in need through other channels, such as safehouses, partnerships, and advocacy work. For instance, requests from Nigerians increased by 30% in 2022 (288 total requests), and Rainbow Railroad supported local organizations that addressed basic needs, provided psychosocial and sexual health programming to individuals, as well as conducting human rights and advocacy work. Similarly, in Lebanon, Rainbow Railroad supported two organizations working on research and advocacy to identify gaps within support for the LGBTQI+ community in the country.Rainbow Railroad continues to advocate for a direct referring partnership with governments, including the government of Canada and the government of the United States, to be able to prioritize providing routes directly to safety for those from these countries. To read more of our insights, you can access the full report here.

We’re highlighting insights from our 2022 Annual Report, Understanding the State of Global LGBTQI+ Persecution. To read more of our insights, you can access the full report here.Rising Threats in the United StatesIn 2022, the United States emerged at #8 on our list of countries where the highest number of requests for assistance originate.  Notably, a significant number of these requests were received in the days following June 24, 2022, when the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, suggesting that the withdrawal of the federal right to abortion provoked broader fears about threats to human rights. While the majority of the requests from the US in 2022 originated from US citizens (60%), 40% of requests were from nationals of 42 other countries, mainly requesting assistance in making asylum claims in the US. Rainbow Railroad affirms the United States as a global leader in refugee resettlement and advocates for increased resettlement of refugees to this country, including LGBTQI+ refugees. However, it is critical to recognize that, like many other countries around the world, there are significant regional and local inequalities in access to safety for LGBTQI+ persons across the United States. Although the Respect for Marriage Act protects marriage equality at a federal level, 2022 saw state legislatures introduce 315 discriminatory anti-LGBTQI+ bills. Although only 29 passed into law, this represents the largest wave of anti-LGBTQI+ legislation in recent US  history. At the same time that LGBTQI+ rights were being eroded, pandemic-era border restrictions continued to inflict significant harm on asylum seekers, effectively closing the US southern border to those seeking refuge. Although the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced their decision to repeal sweeping pandemic-era border restrictions  under Title 42, court injunctions kept the policy in place.  These policies continued in spite of scathing dissent from public health experts and immigrant rights groups. LGBTQI+ people seeking asylum are particularly vulnerable and face higher rates of violence and persecution in transit and in their home countries. The additional burden of the Title 42 expulsion order places them in grave danger at the southern border. South-South Migration As countries in the global north continue to see an increase in anti-migrant and anti-LGBTQI+ legislation, Rainbow Railroad has sought out alternatives to global north resettlement. We have noted a positive response to our facilitation of ‘South-South Migration’. For example, through partnerships with the organization AMAL in Argentina and PASSOP in South Africa, Rainbow Railroad continues to pilot and build new routes and more durable pathways to safety in the ‘Global South’ for LGBTQI+ refugees. To elaborate on the importance of increasing avenues for ‘South-South’ Migration, we interviewed Mariano Ruiz, Projects Coordinator for AMAL in Argentina.“Most countries in Europe are turning to the right and so we need more countries accepting newcomers, especially countries that approve progressive laws in which LGTBQI+ people can develop and express themselves freely. Argentinian society is quite open for immigration. We are a country made up of immigrants. The objective of AMAL is to make integration smoother. Thanks to the support of Rainbow Railroad we have the ability to have a stronger programmatic structure, resources, provide psychological and psychiatric support, general resettlement assistance, and things like Spanish classes for LGBTQI+ forcibly displaced persons and refugees.” “When people get to the border they don’t see anything else but the States. We wanted to be able to screen people at the southern border because of the effects of Title 42, where we could instead offer suitable candidates alternative routes to safety - one of which was Argentina where we could provide them support and housing and a sponsorship group.”When asked why he is committed to this work, Mariano responded, “Before working with refugees I was doing activism. That person that is migrating today, tomorrow could be me.”  To read more of our insights, you can access the full report here.