Grantee News

The Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and Constitutional Law in Uganda speaks out against the draconian Anti-gay Bill in the Ugandan Parliament.  Astraea stands with our grantee and civil society partners in our deepest objection to the bill.  Astraea recognizes this bill as a crucial human rights issue and supports Ugandan-led solutions to defend civil society, honor democracy, and celebrate diversity.
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Astraea grantee partners across China had an exciting 2009, which was recently chronicled by the China Daily, the official English media outlet of Chinese government. Many events featured in the Daily’s timeline were organized by Astraea grantee-partners including Common Language, les+, Chinese Lala Alliance and China Queer Independent Films. [More]

Astraea grantee partners Audre Lorde Project, Queers for Economic Justice and the Sylvia Rivera Law Project working with Housing Works secured a crucial victory today in New York's Human Resources Administration (HRA).  After six years of advocacy, the HRA has approved a new procedure to end discrimination and harassment of transgender and gender-non-conforming New Yorkers who utilize the welfare system.

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Astraea grantee partners including Lesbian & Gay Equality Project, Engender and Intersex South Africa added their support to a joint press statement decrying the controversy surrounding Caster Semenya's gold-medal win. [More]

Astraea grantee partners around the world are charting the course for a global social-justice-feminist movement.  On nearly every continent, in myriad languages and cultures, they are collectively seizing opportunities and laying the groundwork for LGBTI people to live freely and safely.  Today's TIME Magazine story investigates changing tides in Asia and highlights Sunil Pant, longtime grantee partner-turned-legislator in Kathmandu, Nepal. [More]

Astraea celebrates the Delhi High Court ruling overturning the ‘Sodomy’ Law.  The Court ruled that Penal Code Section 377, enacted during British Colonial Rule, was unconstitutional and violated international human rights conventions.  We applaud our grantee partners and the myriad and creative ways they work to advance justice for LGBTI people in India. [More]

The San Francisco Chonicle featured longtime Astraea grantee partner, Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (QWOCMAP) as they ramped up for their fifth Queer Women of Color Film Festival, held June 12-14 in San Francisco's Brava Theater. QWOCMAP promotes the creation, exhibition and distribution of new films and videos that address the vital social justice issues concerning women of color and their communities, authentically reflect their life stories, and build community through art and activism. Most of the films of the weekend were produced though their free training program for queer women of color. [More]

Astraea Grantee Partner, FIERCE, has been making incredible progress. Their White Paper, created in collaboration with the Urban Justice Center, is the first-ever from a queer youth organization in New York City. It aims to ensure the needs of the entire community are being met—particularly those who are most vulnerable during the economic crisis—in the redevelopment of a section of piers on the New York City waterfront. The Paper was officially released at a public event to a crowd of over 100—elected officials, community organizations, service providers, LGBTQ youth, West Village residents and the press. A key goal of FIERCE’s campaign is a 24-hour LGBTQ youth center on the pier. Astraea is proud to have signed on to the Paper. [More]