A study commissioned by an international LGBTQ funding group has revealed that Jamaica has managed to absorb most of the HIV and health-related funding targeted towards the Caribbean. The funding, in recent years, was provided primarily by human rights and LGBTQI donors.
Based on an assessment that was carried out by Initiatives for Human Rights (“Synergía”) in 2018, it was noted that HIV has historically been the entry point for civil society organisations seeking to push sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression (SOGIE) in the region; however, fresh concerns are being raised.
These concerns were highlighted in a report Synergia had compiled for the Arcus Foundation, which finances LGBTQ initiatives globally. The report, “The Safety, Legal Protections, and Social Inclusion of LGBTQ People in the Caribbean in 2018,” made some startling revelations.
“Because most organisations studied have been receiving HIV funding, their work has primarily focused on HIV prevention and health service provision; yet, they have been weak in their human rights–based approach. HIV funding generally supports organisations working with key populations. Relative to SOGIE-related work, this limits funding to groups that address the needs of gay men, trans individuals, and other men who have sex with men (MSM). As reported by a number of regional experts who were interviewed, HIV grants also normally require that the recipients collaborate with government. This requirement can limit the extent to which grantees can challenge government, especially in regard to human rights violations and abuses,” the study revealed.
“Moreover, while HIV funding remains central to many LGBTQ organisations, opportunities to attain this more restrictive avenue of support are shrinking. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) has been one of the largest HIV funders in the region, yet its eligibility policy does not allow for sustained funding to upper middle-income countries. GFATM’s gradual withdrawal from funding in the Caribbean, coupled with challenges in transitioning to domestic financing of the HIV response, stands to significantly limit the work of LGBTQ groups,” the organisation stated.
The findings were to inform the Arcus Foundation’s grant-making strategy in the Caribbean by identifying and recommending ways in which Arcus could most effectively support civil society organisations on the ground. In 2023 alone, the foundation awarded over US$15 million in grant funding to organisations working to advance “social justice” for LGBTQ people around the world.
According to the report, a number of donors are supporting SOGIE’s work in the Caribbean. This includes the Astraea Foundation; USAID; UNDP; and the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor through the Global Equality Fund.
“There are several civil society organisations in the Caribbean working on sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression (SOGIE) issues. These groups initially were funded primarily through HIV/AIDS programmes. A number of these organizations work at the country level, whereas others have a regional or sub-regional focus. Organizations with a regional focus include: Caribbean Vulnerable Communities, the Caribbean Forum for Liberation and Acceptance of Genders and Sexualities, and the United Caribbean Trans Network. ECADE [Eastern Caribbean Alliance for Diversity and Equality] is a newly established network focusing on SOGIE advocacy and litigation in Eastern Caribbean countries and territories,” a section of the report stated.
Recently installed US president Donald Trump had ordered an abrupt halt on federal grants and loans on Monday (January 27) The Office of Management and Budget issued a memo to all federal agencies directing them to “temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance” that could conflict with President Trump’s agenda. Trump had said his administration will only recognise two genders.
“It means no more funding for transgenderism and wokeness across our federal bureaucracy and agencies,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday.
A US judge has since temporarily halted Trump’s order to freeze in response to a lawsuit filed by a group of organisations representing grant recipients.
Arcus had also asked Synergía to conduct specific research on the role of religion in the Caribbean. The church has been seen by LGBTQ groups as a major barrier in getting rid of sodomy laws in the region. Although some religious leaders in the Caribbean, including some who attended a conference organised in Jamaica in 2017, had made statements against sodomy laws in the Caribbean, it was observed that anti-LGBTQ groups with close ties to some Caribbean governments were pushing back at efforts to decriminalise.
Based on its research, Synergía recommended that Arcus adopt a funding strategy for the Caribbean that prioritises a mix of both countries and themes. On a thematic level, focus needs to be placed on marginalised groups within the LGBTQ movement. These include trans people and lesbian, bisexual, and queer women across all countries of the region.
On a country level, Synergía recommended that Arcus pumps funding into Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, initially.
“Despite their differences, these nations have seen recent positive developments in advancing SOGIE issues. In both countries, LGBTQ civil society organizations are strong in building alliances and partnerships with other mainstream human rights organizations or groups working in other human rights issues. Litigation has yielded positive results in both countries, and civil society groups have also designed robust strategies to effect legal and policy change beyond decriminalization. Transgender groups have become organized or are emerging, and are in a critical phase where capacity-building and funding can ensure that they retain their own voices, separate from gay-led groups,” it said.