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Pathways to safety are disappearing for LGBTQI+ people around the world. In 2025, the Canadian government introduced two separate pieces of legislation that target asylum seekers. The names of these bills reveal the government’s intention; C-2 the Strong Borders Act, which was eventually abandoned after public pressure, and the second, C-12 the Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act which became law.The Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act undermines access to asylum, and makes the process of claiming asylum more difficult for LGBTQI+ claimants. The Act limits the right to claim asylum by imposing a one-year bar on the ability to secure a hearing before the independent Immigration and Refugee Board. It also imposes harsh penalties for failing to meet deadlines in the immigration process, putting vulnerable LGBTQI+ people at risk.Our data shows the impact these and other laws around the world are having on LGBTQI+ people seeking safety. We received 20,215 requests for help in 2025; more than 7,000 of these requests came from countries where it is extremely difficult or impossible to find pathways to safety.In 2024 we supported 242 people through our Emergency Travel Support program. In 2025 that number dropped to 85, representing a 65% decline, and only 8 of those people were able to leave countries where routes to safety are extremely difficult to map. We are also seeing a worrying number of requests for help from within the European Union. Despite the EU’s public commitment to international human rights, LGBTQI+ refugees in the bloc are facing serious protection gaps, an issue we are actively monitoring.Across the international landscape, Canada’s new laws are not unique. By mid-2025 the UNHCR was reporting that policy changes by several countries were expected to lead to further substantial reductions of new asylum applications. Because of these policy changes, reported statistics on individual asylum applications are likely to become less reflective of the true number of people who need to access asylum globally.Historically, the United States was the world’s leading resettlement country, accepting more refugees in most years than all other resettlement countries combined. In January 2025, the administration suspended the United States Refugee Admissions Program. For fiscal year 2026 (October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026), the US will reduce resettlement numbers by 94%, to 7,500 people, and most slots will be allocated to white Afrikaners from South Africa. Although the administration later decided to lift a previous asylum adjudication pause, the landscape remains uncertain, making life even more challenging and precarious for LGBTQI+ people seeking asylum.The UK has also proposed aggressive reforms to their immigration system.Proposals to make refugee status temporary, limit the number of safe pathways, and create fast-track removals will have a major impact on asylum seekers in the country. These reforms are said to have been influenced by Denmark’s already harsh asylum system, and may be even more restrictive. Germany likewise implemented significant changes in 2025, contributing to the gradual erosion of the asylum system and running counter to the spirit of The 1951 Refugee Convention. German policy has also wavered on issuing humanitarian visas for Russians and Belarusians facing political persecution at home.Offshoring Agreements and Shrinking Access to SafetyAnother disturbing trend in 2025 that will negatively impact LGBTQI+ people seeking pathways to safety is the “offshoring” of refugees. The Netherlands and Uganda made one such deal, under which the Dutch government would send claimants to Uganda. The Dutch government has said that they would not send LGBTQI+ claimants to Uganda, which is cold comfort for LGBTQI+ people fleeing persecution. This follows Australia’s enhanced legal rules for paying third countries to accept people Australia intends to deport. This legal change caps 25 years of Australian involvement in extended off-shore detention.All these changes point to the incoming European Pact on Migration, which will introduce new restrictions across the European Union. The Pact includes provisions that, once implemented, will severely curtail human rights. These new rules will make it harder for individuals to access the right to seek asylum, as well as making it easier to rush decisions on asylum applications. This will disproportionately impact LGBTQI+ asylum seekers, and will increase instances of detention. Human Rights Watch has expressed that these changes encourage EU states to return people to transit countries outside the EU where they could face abuse or chain refoulement. While the EU may identify a country as “safe” for refugees, safety may not apply equally to LGBTQI+ refugees.A System Built to Exclude: The EU Pact on MigrationRainbow Railroad received 269 requests for help from the 27-country EU bloc last year. This is a 49% increase over 2024, when we received 181. Two thirds of these requests came from asylum seekers, temporary residents, registered refugees and people with no legal status. Individuals living in this context have expressed fears about their urgent needs for support; one individual shared “I have felt ignored, exposed, and treated as a number rather than as a human being. My real and urgent needs for protection and healthcare were ignored.”Behind the language of efficiency, solidarity, and border management is a system built to exclude, detain, and deport. The Pact will make seeking pathways to safety across the EU more difficult and dangerous for LGBTQI+ people. The Pact weakens the procedural rights of asylum seekers; for instance, trans people will be systematically exposed to detention, where they will be segregated based on the gender markers on their official documents, leading to heightened vulnerability, discrimination, as well as physical, mental and sexual abuse. One family impacted by the Pact shared the following: “We traveled through Czechia but did not apply for asylum there. We applied for asylum in Denmark, but our case was rejected under the Dublin Regulation. Denmark plans to deport us to Czechia, even though we face real danger there (we have received threats and cannot rely on protection from Czech authorities). We suffer from serious mental health conditions: PTSD, OCD, hallucinations, borderline personality disorder, severe anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. We are under medical treatment, and doctors have confirmed that deportation would place us at extreme risk.”These developments are part of a broad global trend towards restricting access to asylum and externalizing refugee protection. These policies are being advanced despite, and in contravention to, the obligations states have under the 1951 Refugee Convention. Returning a LGBTQI+ asylum seeker to a country that criminalizes and persecutes LGBTQI+ people is a clear violation of the principle of non-refoulement.Policies shaping the treatment of LGBTQI+ claimants across the EU demand scrutiny. The Pact is a clear assault on the EU’s foundational values of human dignity, human rights, and freedoms. Rainbow Railroad will continue to document, monitor, and speak out on the impact of the EU Pact on Migration, and the risks it poses to LGBTQI+ people.Read more of our insights in our 2025 Annual Report: Understanding the State of Global LGBTQI+ Persecution. 

This Pride season, our corporate partners have turned visibility into meaningful action for LGBTQI+ people at risk globally.Throughout June and July, Pride campaigns across Canada and the U.S. raised critical funds, increased awareness of Rainbow Railroad’s work, and engaged employees and customers in our mission, with several campaigns continuing through the end of summer.Together, these efforts have raised over $1 million, and we’re incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make them possible.A special thank you to:LCBOFor the 5th year in a row, Rainbow Railroad once again joined LCBO’s annual Love Pairs With Everything Pride campaign. Customers across Ontario were invited to donate at checkout throughout June in support of five LGBTQI+ organizations.The Beer Store For the sixth consecutive year, The Beer Store returned as a Pride partner. From June 8 to July 15, customers across Ontario could donate at checkout or contribute their empty-container returns, with proceeds supporting Rainbow Railroad’s programs and mission.Bank of Montreal (BMO)Celebrating five years of partnership, BMO’s Rainbow Deposits campaign is once again turning rainbows into real impact. For every rainbow photo uploaded, BMO donates $1 to Rainbow Railroad. Better yet, the campaign is still running through August 31.IKEA US & CanadaFor the third year in a row, IKEA Canada and IKEA U.S. celebrated Pride in support of Rainbow Railroad through their beloved Rainbow Cake campaign, with proceeds from sales throughout June and July supporting our work.Digital ExtremesRainbow Railroad partnered with Digital Extremes for the 5th year in a row. They celebrated Warframe Pride 2026 with Pride-themed in-game activations and a special Kaithe Plush campaign, with 100% of Digital Extremes’ net proceeds supporting our work.TelusTELUS team members and customers rallied behind Rainbow Railroad this Pride, through TELUS corporate stores in June to help LGBTQI+ people around the world find safety.A number of our partners continue to have campaigns and activations running throughout the rest of Pride season.Keep an eye out for campaigns featuring Rainbow Railroad as a charitable beneficiary and, when you can, show these incredible partners some love. Their continued commitment helps make our work possible, during Pride and throughout the year.

When I Am Free, Rainbow Railroad's annual benefit concert, returns this year to honor its founder and former Board Chair, Bruce Koff. The event also launches the annual When I Am Free fundraising campaign in the Greater Chicago area, raising critical funds to help LGBTQI+ people fleeing anti-LGBTQI+ persecution find safe pathways to freedom.This year's event features the return of Tony-nominated actress and two-time Best Jazz Vocalist winner Ann Hampton Callaway, backed by the Ramsey Lewis Legacy Band. The evening will also include remarks from Rainbow Railroad's leadership and members of our community.When I Am Free is also an opportunity to celebrate and thank our Chicago community for its continued support.You can learn more about the event, or purchase tickets, here. A limited number of VIP tickets are available for purchase.Join us on October 10 for an evening of exceptional artistry for an exceptional cause!Rainbow Railroad is grateful for the support of the "When I Am Free" Host Committee: Jim Cundiff and Dale Woods, Mark and Jim Desky, David Kleinman, Bruce Koff and Mitchell Channon, Susan Page, Joli Robinson, Patrick Sheahan, Darrell R. Windle and David Samber, and Margie and Mark Zivin.

Rainbow Railroad submitted the below comment in response to the U.S. State Department’s proposed updates that would impact gender-diverse refugees seeking safety.

When the US moved to dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in January 2025, its impact reverberated across the globe.  For years, the US’s commitment to its global leadership was stewarded, in part, by its financial contributions to projects that were critical to fighting poverty and inequality. But the current administration’s so-called “America First” policies have turned their back on millions who benefitted from those contributions, leading to the systematic destruction of international assistance. The foreign aid cuts most significantly affected marginalized groups, including individuals living with HIV, which LGBTQI+ people are disproportionately burdened by. About 41 million people currently live with the disease, with 1.2 million people acquiring HIV in 2025. This decision, driven by anti-gender, anti-rights, and anti-trans ideology, marked the beginning of a global purge of support for those in need, and in particular LGBTQI+ people. Since then, other governments have followed. The Netherlands scaled back support for LGBTQI+ rights through their missions, contributing to an estimated shortfall of 55% for embassy grants to local LGBTQI+ organizations. Switzerland slashed millions in funding for UN agencies, including UN AIDS. The UK’s £40 million pledge to support global LGBTQI+ rights feels at risk. All these policy decisions happen as private funding from corporations similarly contracts, leading to increased demand for our financial support. Our Grassroots Mobilization Fund received 178 applications last year, a 305% increase from 2024. Our new Crisis Response Fund saw a similar demand with nearly 600 applications. In total, these two funds represented over CAD $18 million in requests. Unfortunately, we were only able to meet 6% of the organizational support requests we received. Read more of our insights in our 2025 Annual Report: Understanding the State of Global LGBTQI+ Persecution. 

When Abraham Lincoln stood at Gettysburg in 1863, amidst the throes of the Civil War and eighty-seven years into the country’s making, he described a nation “conceived in liberty,” and called for, in that moment of crisis, a “new birth of freedom.” The promise that freedom is not a privilege but a right is the story America has told about itself for 250 years. But today, that promise is broken. For the second year in a row, the US has topped the list of countries where LGBTQI+ people are requesting help. More than 6,000 individuals (mostly US citizens) reached out to Rainbow Railroad in 2025, with the majority seeking international relocation support. Their fears are well-founded. Anti-LGBTQI+ laws have been introduced across state legislatures at record-high rates since 2022, with transgender people being disproportionately targeted in these political attacks. As of January 2025, that anti-trans backlash has expanded at the federal level via executive orders targeting trans people’s access to healthcare, legal recognition, and public life. Our data reflects the human impact of these policies: trans women are now the largest demographic contacting Rainbow Railroad for support.For two decades, our organization has prioritized supporting people living in one of the over 60 countries that criminalize same-sex intimacy in law or in practice. Where possible, we supported these individuals to relocate to nations that uphold the human rights of all people, including the United States. However, America’s reputation as a nation committed to protecting human rights is in grave danger. Our data shows that LGBTQI+ people in the US are deeply concerned about their safety and want to relocate abroad, though most of these requests were driven by a fear of future persecution – a divergence from requests received from other regions, where individuals tend to seek assistance after experiencing violence. Their ability to claim refugee status remains limited by the 1951 Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees – which mandate asylum seekers to prove that they cannot live safely in any part of their home country.We see the real fear and uncertainty LGBTQI+ people across the US are living through. While a number of states and cities offer protections for LGBTQI+ people, different LGBTQI+ individuals' experiences of safety are affected by their unique intersecting identities. It is important to understand that there are vast inequalities in access to safety even within a single country. LGBTQI+ people requesting help continue to cite community and family-based rejection, housing instability, and mental health concerns as top concerns for their safety, health, and welfare.We also acknowledge that this moment did not begin – and will not end – with this administration. The United States first appeared among the top 10 countries where LGBTQI+ individuals were sending requests for help four years ago. At that time, the bulk of those requests came from noncitizens. Notably, a significant number of these requests were received in the days following the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade, suggesting that the withdrawal of the federal right to abortion provoked broader fears about threats to human rights.For those outside the US looking to it for safety, the door has been closing. Today, the country’s historic role as the world’s leading resettlement nation is collapsing. Under the previous administration, the US brought more than 100,000 refugees into the country each year. Now, that number hovers around 7,500. Forcibly displaced trans and queer people remain disproportionately impacted by the administration’s sweeping restrictions on immigration. Last year alone, the US narrowed existing legal immigration pathways and slashed funding to programs supporting asylum seekers, all while moving to launch the largest deportation campaign in US history. In just the last month, the Supreme Court delivered a decision that clears the way for the administration to revive a harmful policy of turning away asylum seekers at the US-Mexico border before they can access the asylum process. For many LGBTQI+ refugees and asylum seekers, their identity alone was grounds for imprisonment or death in their home country. Being turned away at the border or sent to third countries where they face violence and persecution does not offer safety – it compounds the danger they were already running from.These policies are a manifestation of a political tactic that asks us to see each other not as people united in a shared struggle for freedom, but as adversaries competing for it. We reject that vision of the United States. We reject the premise that this country belongs to some and not others. This country has been continually strengthened by generations of immigrants whose contributions, in culture, labor, and community, have shaped this nation’s identity. No version of America exists without them. From Italy to Venezuela, we know that there is a home for people from all corners of the globe here. On the 250th anniversary of the nation, we call for Lincoln’s renewal once more. We remember that progress does not come without pushback. Twenty-two years ago, Massachusetts became the first state in the US to enact marriage equality. It took eleven more to accomplish that nationwide. Freedom, in this country, has never been distributed equally, and it has never arrived without a fight. The question this 250th anniversary raises is not whether America has lived up to its founding promise – but for whom that promise has been kept, and for whom it remains unfinished. LGBTQI+ people navigating forced displacement are part of that answer. This year, we call on the United States to remember its roots, and return to its core principles of liberty and equality for all. 

This May, Rainbow Railroad and international partners from 30 countries gathered in Bangkok to launch the Queer Forced Displacement Network (QFDN), a new member-led network meant to confront one of the most urgent and least resourced crises: queer and trans forced displacement.For too long, asylum systems have been designed without LGBTQI+ people in mind, creating gaps between the needs of these people and the aid they can access.  The QFDN was created to change that, says co-chair Ryan Figueiredo: "I've spent years working in one of Asia's busiest transit corridors, where LGBTI people arrive having escaped one danger only to wait, sometimes for years, in another. Displacement doesn't just move us; it reshapes who we are and how we find each other. This network exists because the people who understand that best are the ones who have lived it, and we intend to be in the room where the decisions get made about us."In a powerful show of global solidarity, more than 70 human rights defenders, civil society leaders, researchers, government representatives, and forcibly displaced people gathered for a three-day conference convened by Rainbow Railroad, with organizing support from Bangkok-based partner Equal Asia Foundation. A network to address an urgent protection gapAcross the world, LGBTQI+ refugees and migrants face unique vulnerabilities. Over 60 countries criminalize same-sex intimacy, posing direct risks to their life because of who they are. These policies may also exist in tension with the 60 active state-based conflicts worldwide, contributing to the record number of LGBTQI+ people forced to flee. The need to address this issue has rarely been more pressing. As anti-LGBTQI+ laws spread and displacement rises worldwide, the people most affected are often the least visible in the systems meant to protect them. That urgency was felt directly at the conference: in a keynote at the main stage, Cicer, founder of CAN-Myanmar, spoke to the grave human rights violations facing LGBTQI+ communities in Myanmar, in a reminder of why a coordinated, global response cannot wait.Two years in the makingThis network is the culmination of the Queer Forced Displacement Initiative (QFDI), a two-year effort led by Rainbow Railroad that included a series of regional roundtable consultations in five displacement corridors: Mexico, South Africa, Thailand, Türkiye, and Kenya. An academic symposium additionally helped participants harness the knowledge around issues of LGBTQ+ forced displacement. "By uniting queer migrant voices across every region, we are transforming our shared struggles into an unstoppable, global mandate,” co-chair Eric Ssali said. “We are proving that our solidarity can move across borders just as powerfully as we do."Those conversations brought frontline organizations and displaced people together to map where protection breaks down and to ask a simple question: what would it take to do this work together? The findings and recommendations became the mandate for the network launched in Bangkok.What happened in Bangkok? The conference opened with a grassroots assembly to center the voices of those with lived experience and refugee-led organizations. The following day, the circle widened to include remarks from the Canadian Parliamentary Secretary, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Rob Oliphant and Canadian Ambassador to Thailand H.E. Ping Kitnikone. Expert panels on state accountability and crisis response were also held, along with a closing fireside chat with acclaimed dancer and artist Ahmad Joudeh on the power of art and movement as tools for liberation.On the final day, the network formally launched. Founding members endorsed the network's founding declaration, which was agreed to be named the Chao Phraya Principles on the Protection of LGBTQI+ Persons in Forced Displacement. The name refers to the river that flows through Bangkok to the sea, to represent the journeys of movement, crossing and arrival of asylum seekers and refugees. The Principles set out 11 commitments grounded in international human rights law. Members also welcomed three interim co-chairs and held the QFDN's first working session, adopting a shared purpose and an initial structure to carry the network forward.Shared Leadership, lived experience The network will be guided through its founding year by three Interim Co-Chairs, with Rainbow Railroad serving as convening chair and secretariat:Mariana de la Cruz (she/her), Executive Director of Casa Frida (Mexico)Ryan Figueiredo (he/they), Founder and Executive Director of the Equal Asia Foundation (Thailand)Eric Ssali (they/them), Executive Director of The African Sunbird Network (South Africa)“For LGBTQI+ people forced to flee, protection can't wait for the next emergency. This network turns the everyday lessons of frontline work into action that moves across borders as fast as our communities are forced to.”  - Mariana de la Cruz, Interim Co-chair of the QFDN What’s nextThe launch in Bangkok was just the beginning. In the months ahead, co-chairs and members will operationalize the network's regional structure, develop its membership and onboarding framework, and finalize the governance documents that will give the QFDN its permanent form. Rainbow Railroad remains committed to supporting the network as it grows into a more permanent, member-led structure meant to advance the safety and dignity of LGBTQI+ people forced to flee, wherever they are.How to engageSign up here to receive updates on the QFDN including how to become a member.  https://www.rainbowrailroad.org/queer-forced-displacement-initiative 

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. 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 UgandaPeople 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.Subscribe to our newsletter below to learn more about our work. Want to help? Click here to donate today. 

Before boarding the plane to the Netherlands, Nazhyme recalls feeling tense about many things, including, most significantly, whether his daughter could tolerate the more than 12-hour journey ahead. But miraculously, he slept. “It was almost like sleeping while holding my breath, as if I was trying to store rest in my body while everything inside me was still tense,” Nazhyme, who is transmasculine, says. “I did not know when I would feel safe enough to rest again, so I took it then.”Nazhyme relocated to the Netherlands in 2024 to escape persecution in his home country of Jamaica. He initially reached out to Rainbow Railroad two years earlier, after his gender identity and activism started to pose a risk for his family, escalating to the point where he had to abandon his house and move from Airbnb to Airbnb. While he is thankful for the support US-based nonprofits provided during this time of immediate need, it was clear to him that his family needed to leave to ensure his children had the stability they deserved. “The months leading up to my relocation were intense, emotional, and filled with both urgency and uncertainty,” he says. “I was trying to hold everything together while preparing for a future I could not fully see, but knew I had to step into.”  Life in the Netherlands Now that he has a residence permit, Nazhyme feels hopeful about the opportunity to build a home in a place where he can continue his advocacy work — this time without the same risks. The freedom to work in and for the LGBTQI+ community is Nazhyme’s favorite thing about the Netherlands thus far. “I get to be a part of change. I get to go inside different asylum centers and speak to refugees about their trauma and help them to understand what their triggers are,” he says. “Jump[ing] back into volunteering fills me, it keeps me going.”Some of the highlights of the past year include conducting workshops on the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia for the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers, participating in a Trans Day of Visibility event, and representing other asylum seekers like himself. There are also tender interactions that have moved him to tears: being shown a private restroom when he felt conflicted about what bathroom to use, the kindness he was met with upon his asylum declaration, and more. “Resettlement is not just about relocation,” he says. “It's about rebuilding a sense of self, safety, and belonging. And sometimes, it starts with something as simple as someone noticing you, understanding you, and quietly showing you where you belong.”Reflecting on His LGBTQI+ Ancestors For Nazhyme, Pride evokes feelings of “joy, shared community, and belonging.” Seeing it as a space where he’s not only “accepted” but “celebrated,” Pride functions as a feeling and space where he remembers that he can exist fully and apologetically. Rainbow Railroad’s theme for this year’s Pride campaign, Solidarity in Pride: Then. Now. Always., deeply resonates with him. He reflects on the freedoms that he is able to have thanks to the strides made by those that came before him. “There were people who believed I deserved to be here, to be safe, to be seen, and to be loved. Some of them gave their lives to make that possible,” he says. Looking ahead to the future, he commits to creating a world that is more compassionate and resilient than what he inherited. You can help Rainbow Railroad support other families like Nazhyme's this Pride. Consider donating to us this month as we continue to support generations of LGBTQI+ people to come. 

Rainbow Railroad is proud to announce the launch of its new Client Portal. With this tool we are improving the way we communicate with the people we support.This new Client Portal reflects our commitment to the dignity, safety, and agency of every LGBTQI+ person. The Portal is designed to be accessible and easy to navigate in five languages – English, French, Spanish, Russian, and Arabic. It gives clients direct access to their case status and information, makes it easier to communicate with our team, and adapts to individual circumstances, providing tailored information and resources. Now people will be able to see their cases managed in real time. This transparency will be critical to the people we serve and can reduce fear and uncertainty in times of crisis.This is more than just a technology upgrade. We know that LGBTQI+ people fleeing persecution face overwhelming uncertainty – waiting to hear about their case, not knowing what comes next, and being afraid of getting lost in systems beyond their control. The people we support are taking control of their own lives, and they deserve transparency and ownership over their cases. We have built this tool with strong security protections to safeguard sensitive personal information. Access to information is power, and Rainbow Railroad’s Client Portal is one more way we are working to put that power in the hands of the people we serve. Special thanks to the WES Mariam Assefa Fund for your generous support in making the Client Portal possible and recognizing the value and importance of this work.

For Courtney Allain and the Get REAL team, the annual collaboration between Rainbow Railroad and the Get REAL Movement, both of which support LGBTQI+ individuals, felt like a “natural choice” given the organizations’ overlapping core values.That may be why the Get REAL Movement is partnering with Rainbow Railroad for the fifth year in a row for a virtual 5K fundraiser. “[Rainbow Railroad’s] focus on helping people escape life‑threatening persecution felt like a powerful extension of our own work to combat discrimination and build empathy through education,” said Allain, a chapter and events manager at Get REAL. “It felt less like ‘fundraising’ in the traditional sense and more like being part of something with purpose, alongside a bunch of other people who care.”  Read More: Your Fundraising Questions, AnsweredThe Rainbow Road 5K will help queer families in Canada and across the globe feel safe in workplaces, classrooms, and more. Get REAL works towards that goal by establishing workshops to fight against 2SLGBTQ+ discrimination, racism, and bullying. The organization has raised more than $30,000 for Rainbow Railroad over the last half-decade. This year, they’re hoping to go even farther and meet that $50,000 benchmark. The collaboration helps bring light and fun to organizations that take on tough work. “Supporting a serious cause doesn’t have to feel heavy all the time—it can be fun, it can build community, and it can bring people together in unexpected ways,” says Allain, who points to a fundraising team that decided to kayak in Lake Ontario from Toronto to support the cause.  Now more than ever, it's important to show how similar causes can lift each other up, instead of “competing for audiences, dollars, time, and exposure,” she adds. “I don’t think safety should be a privilege—I think it should be a right,” says Allain. “I hope our fundraising efforts help move us closer to that, while also helping people recognize that what feels “normal” or “safe” for them isn’t the reality everywhere.”The 5K will officially take place on Friday, June 26th, though participants can choose to take part in the fun at any point before then. Want to join in on the fun? Sign up for the Rainbow Road 5k or consider hosting your own fundraiser for Rainbow Railroad, today.

When Russ and Brad first met in 2003, the year was marked by a landmark Massachusetts Supreme Court ruling that made the Northeastern state the first in the US to legalize marriage equality. But despite that triumph, the decision generated a political storm of anti-LGBTQI+ sentiment that extended from coast to coast. Brad and Russ felt that firsthand when, a half-decade later, a California ballot initiative swiftly reversed a similar court decision, effectively banning same-sex marriages in the Golden State. “We got married the year it became legal in California,” says Russ. But, “for the next few years, it was actually technically illegal in California. Though we were still married, it was unclear what our legal status was.” That experience, and their identities as two gay men, have largely shaped how the married couple shows up for their community — including as volunteers with Rainbow Railroad. Channeling Frustration to Action: Community Support Teams Today, Brad and Russ encompass two-fifths of Team Hollywood Depot, a US-based Community Support Team (CST). CSTs provide asylum seekers in the US and Canada with integration support for six months, serving individuals in their local region. The program’s operation in the US has filled a critical need in a region where LGBTQI+ refugees, newcomers, and asylum seekers have faced particular barriers to safety. The couple believed that the community would continue to face this problem regardless of the outcome of the 2024 presidential election. “The Trump administration was running and ramping up, and it kind of looked obvious that regardless of the outcome of the election, a lot of attention would be given to asylum seekers,” Russ says. That has proven true. Since January 2025, the United States has dismantled much of its asylum system and currently leads the list of countries where people are requesting help from Rainbow Railroad. That includes hundreds of non-citizens who are currently living in the US, but originally hail from countries such as Venezuela, Honduras, and Guatemala. Living in a predominantly immigrant community, coupled with their own history of giving back to the LGBTQI+ community, made signing up for a CST the next natural step.  They were then matched with Noah (whose name has been changed for safety reasons) — a newcomer who spent months in ICE detention. Together, Brad and Russ have been able to channel their frustration into action, remain educated about what the actual asylum process looks like, and work to create positive experiences for those who have come to the US in search of a better life. “I was aware of a certain level of dysfunction in the American immigration system, but boy, did I really underestimate how dysfunctional this system is,” says Brad while reflecting on what he’s learned from volunteering with Rainbow Railroad thus far. “So many of the hurdles and difficulties and challenges seem so arbitrary. So many of them are so cruel.” Generating Hope, Joy, and A New Outlook On Life in the USWatching Noah experience firsts in the country with so much "effervescence," they say, has given them both joy and perspective. “The fact that we're here… and frustrated with our country, thinking, ‘Why would anybody want to come here right now?’ And he's here, he's happy to be here, knowing all the risks and challenges there are politically and socially right now, but also knowing that it's worse back home is sad, but also gives me a little bit of hope.” says Russ. Being able to experience other firsts alongside Noah also feels significant. Brad points to many shared moments together: eating Korean barbecue, spending Christmas together, and even going to the beach in the middle of winter — despite the cold and foggy weather. While their six month volunteer experience is soon coming to an end, Brad and Russ look forward to continuing to show up for Rainbow Railroad, and other organizations close to their heart. Russ says: “This is one of those areas where you still can make a positive difference in terms of connecting and building community for those who… do need to be integrated into the world not just legally, but also socially and culturally, to help them understand the communities they are now being a part of.”Their relationship with each other and Rainbow Railroad mirrors the longevity and strength of the LGBTQI+ community worldwide, and Rainbow Railroad’s Pride theme this year, Solidarity in Pride: Then. Now. Always. —---Rainbow Railroad launched our Community Support Team program in direct response to the dismantling of the US asylum system under the current administration. Help us continue our work and presence in the US by donating this Pride.