Where Is the Funding for LBQ+ Women in the Global South?

Deborah Iroegbu
Jul 29
2 min read

In a world constantly discussing gender equity, LGBTQ+ inclusion, and human rights, one group continues to be left behind—LBQ+ women in the Global South. Despite their resilience and leadership in grassroots activism, funding to support their lives, movements, and well-being remains scarce, unstable, or outright inaccessible.

This isn’t just a funding gap. It’s a crisis of visibility, survival, and justice.

The Global Decline in Funding for LBQ+ Women in the Global South

In 2020 alone, less than 1% of global human rights funding went to lesbian and bisexual women. And in the years since, the situation has only worsened.

According to the joint report, This is Why We Became Activists, by LesbianGlobal and Human Rights Watch, many LBQ+ organizations in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean are operating on less than $5,000 annually—if at all.

And yet, these same women face intersecting crises:

Rising state-sponsored homophobia
Worsening economic inequality
Daily gender-based violence
Shrinking safe spaces and community supports

The LGBTQ+ funding community has begun to feel the pinch of shifting donor priorities and political backlashes—but LBQ+ women in the Global South are the first to be cut off.

Why LBQ+ Women in the Global South Are Uniquely Marginalized

Here’s the truth: LBQ+ women face triple invisibility—in feminist spaces, in LGBTQI+ funding structures, and within international development frameworks.

Even in regions where broader LGBTQI+ or women’s rights movements exist, LBQ+ women often fall through the cracks:

They’re not seen as “queer enough” for LGBTQ funds.
Not seen as “vulnerable enough” for gender-based funding.
And not seen at all by global North-based donors who fail to localize their strategies.

This is why funding for LBQ+ women in the Global South must be intentional, direct, and unrestricted.

“Donors love our courage but hesitate to fund our survival.” — LBQ+ Organizer in Kenya

Why Now Is the Time to Act on Funding for LBQ+ Women in the Global South

With global authoritarianism on the rise, LBQ+ women are facing intensified risks:

Anti-LGBT laws in Uganda and Ghana
Threats to bodily autonomy across Latin America
Surveillance and censorship in parts of Asia

Yet donors are retreating from these same contexts, citing risk aversion, project fatigue, or lack of “measurable outcomes.”

Activists in diverse settings hold signs and speak at protests. Text reads: "This Is Why We Became Activists," highlighting LGBTQ+ rights. — "This is Why We Became Activists," a report curated by LesbianGlobal and Human Rights Watch

If you care about justice, you must care about where the money flows. Funding for LBQ+ women in the Global South is not just charity. It’s strategy. It’s survival. It’s solidarity.

At LesbianGlobal, we:

Direct 100% of donations to grassroots LBQ+ groups in the Global South.
Prioritize Global South leadership and lived expertise.

If you want to fund where the change is—this is it.

Here’s What You Can Do

Donate today: Your support goes directly to LBQ+ leaders changing lives.
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