As the Trump White House unleashes an assault on the rights of LGBTQ youth, a new report is detailing how queer and transgender young people can thrive when living in a state with a strong nonprofit ecosystem focused on their needs. Its authors hope it will provide a powerful message for why philanthropists should be investing in the country's LGBTQ youth, estimated to number around 3.2 million between the ages of 8 and 18.
Titled "Washington Youth Initiative report: Supporting Spaces of Joy, Belonging, and Leadership for LGBTQ+ Youth," the 42-page document was compiled by the Pride Foundation that supports LGBTQ groups throughout the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation provided $1.6 million for the two-year pilot project, which provided financial support to 20 organizations across the Evergreen State and allowed more than 1,940 LGBTQ+ youth to take part in leadership development opportunities and other programs.
"Right now, in the face of escalating attacks on LGBTQ+ communities – especially trans and nonbinary youth – it is more critical than ever to invest in the safety, joy, and leadership of young people," noted Katie Carter, who is queer and CEO of the LGBTQ philanthropic organization, in announcing its release.
But as the report highlights, programs than can be "lifesaving" for LGBTQ youth "have long been subject to deep underinvestment." According to the advocacy group Funders for LGBTQ Issues, just 25 cents out of every $100 awarded by U.S. foundations in 2022 went to services specifically for LGBTQ+ communities and issues. Those focused on the needs of transgender, gender-nonconforming, and nonbinary individuals received just 4.6 cents of every $100 spent.
Via the Allen family funding, the Pride Foundation was able to provide $169,000 for professional development that benefited more than 235 staff members at 19 different agencies. Another $214,000 went toward leadership development for 1,940 LGBTQ+ youth.
The foundation put special emphasis on nonprofits providing services to LGBTQ Black, Indigenous, and youth of color as well as those living in more rural areas of Washington state. The agencies selected had budgets of $750,000 or less, or had no more than five fulltime staff.
A 'blueprint'
Considered "a blueprint" for how to support LGBTQ+ youth, the report documented how queer and trans young people can thrive despite the discrimination and harassment they may face when provided with access to safe spaces, supportive networks, and community-driven programs. With BIPOC LGBTQ+ youth, in particular, they reported feeling invisible in mainstream LGBTQ+ spaces due to their unique experiences often being overlooked, leading them to call for events and programs where diverse identities are celebrated and that promote cultural competency and allyship.
"While this initiative is an important step forward, it is also a call to action," stated Olivia Thai, a program officer with the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. "LGBTQ+ youth deserve access to the resources and safe spaces that will allow them to live safe, joyful lives. We hope funders recognize this and move to join us in supporting the critical work being done in Washington and beyond."
The project was initiated amid a wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation in statehouses across the U.S., much of it focused on stripping away protection for queer youth and restricting gender-affirming care for trans and nonbinary young people. It poses challenges for LGBTQ youth "navigating an increasingly hateful world," as one youth participant noted during the needs assessment conducted for this project.
Speaking to the Bay Area Reporter by phone Carter said of the various executive orders signed in recent weeks by President Donald Trump, it is important for leaders of agencies providing services to the LGBTQ community not to jump the gun in thinking they must immediately adhere to them. They are meant to "scare" people into thinking as such, said Carter.
"We all have to be very careful to not be obeying in advance. Executive orders are not law," said Carter, qualifying that she isn't a lawyer or giving legal advice. "We need to also urge the institutions that are being impacted by these to read them very closely and to make sure they have to change something they need to do."
To Carter, much of what has come out of the White House is illegal, and she is hopeful legal challenges to them will be upheld by federal courts.
"He is doing everything he can to erase LGBTQ people from this country. He did it on his very first day with his executive order where he tried to erase transgender people out of existence" said Carter, referring to Trump's order to end "gender ideology" at government agencies. "That does not change the fact that trans people exist."
And Carter added, "We will continue to fight to have our stories, our histories be a part of the true story of this country."
CA fight
Among those leading the legal fight is California Attorney General Rob Bonta, one of 22 state attorneys general who filed suit in the in United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island to halt Trump's order to freeze federal funding, resulting in a temporary restraining order being issued January 31 that prohibits federal agencies from taking any action that would "pause, freeze, block, cancel or terminate" such funding. As the Political Notes column previously reported, SAGE, the national nonprofit focused on LGBTQ elder Americans, is a plaintiff in a similar lawsuit that also resulted in a judge restricting Trump's order from taking effect as that case its litigated.
Should the Trump administration be allowed to carry out the funding freeze, it would have an "astronomical impact on LGBTQ youth-serving organizations," Carter pointed out to the B.A.R.
"They need federal funding to exist," she said. "Otherwise, they will be devastated and could be forced to close their doors or could be forced to shutter for good as a result of the freeze on federal funding, which was a thoroughly illegal thing for the Trump administration to do. The federal executive branch does not have the power to do that."
Other legal fights are being waged against Trump's other anti-LGBTQ executive orders. Last Tuesday, Bonta held a news conference pledging to uphold the rights of trans and gender-nonconforming students in the Golden State against the attacks from the White House. His office reissued various guidelines it has published regarding LGBTQ rights for queer and trans youth at schools and in medical settings.
"California's schools are and will remain a welcoming, inclusive and safe place for all regardless of your sexual orientation, gender identity or immigration status," said Bonta. "The federal government does not dictate what we teach and does not write our curricula. We do that here in California."
Bonta has also pushed back against Trump's executive order banning trans women from playing on women's athletic teams, saying the state's schools cannot discriminate against such athletes. He also issued a warning to hospitals throughout California and federally-funded health care providers they are obligated under state law to provide gender-affirming care after a Los Angeles hospital said it was halting such care for trans minors due to another directive signed by Trump.
"While the president has displayed a repeated disregard for the U.S. Constitution unfortunately, we still need to begin with the fact that the right to education and equal protection under the law is protected under the law by U.S. Constitution," said Bonta. "The California constitution in addition provides a separate strong protection making it clear that transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals are a protected class who cannot be discriminated against."
Washington state report's findings
As for the new report released by the Pride Foundation, it purposefully has no photos of any of the LGBTQ youth who participated in it due to the political fights being waged against their rights. Among its findings were that Washington state's LGBTQ+ youth, particularly BIPOC and trans youth, have a hard time accessing resources to assist with their housing and mental health care needs, as well as leadership opportunities. The youth also told the report's authors they felt it was important for them to have "spaces that foster radical joy, connectedness, and belonging," which the report noted underscores "the importance of by-and-for LGBTQ+ programming."
"Mental health support is what staff at these organizations said they needed to better support the young people," said Carter. "I wouldn't say it was a surprise to me but affirming what we already know. Mental health is something our young people are struggling with for all the reasons we know why."
At the same time the report also demonstrates there is an ethos of "provide it, we will use it" among LGBTQ youth when it comes to programming and services. Whether it be skill-building and resource-sharing opportunities, mentoring programs, or support groups/group therapy, mental and emotional wellness workshops, the youth surveyed for the report repeatedly said they wanted to take advantage of such offerings.
"I never want us to paint LGBTQ young people as only victims of this administration. Our young people are organizing and doing incredible work to fight for themselves, for one another, and our community," Carter told the B.A.R.
The report also shines a light on the needs of the staff at agencies providing services to LGBTQ youth amid "the ongoing anti-LGBTQ+ backlash." Funders need to invest in those organizations addressing "systemic inequities while reducing burnout among staff and promoting sustainable practices," noted the report.
Thus, stressed Carter, "the work isn't done. Now is the time for funders, policymakers, and all of us to step up, listen to young people, and invest in long-term, sustainable solutions."
To learn more about the report and its findings, visit the dedicated webpage.
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Got a tip on LGBTQ politics? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 829-8836 or email [email protected]
Due to the Presidents Day holiday, the Political Notes column will return Monday, February 24.
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