#COVID-19: A beacon of hope 🏳️‍🌈

Hi ,

LGBT+ people around the world are being hit brutally hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Those who were already facing unbelievable challenges – living under anti-LGBT+ laws, forced to flee their home countries, getting kicked out by their families, facing violence and discrimination – are now literally struggling to survive.

But there's hope.

For the past few months, we've been working with donors and foundations to raise over US$150,000 for the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. These donations are already going directly to the frontline where it's needed most. Because of the generosity that made this fund possible:

• Dozens of queer migrants in northern Italy have a safe shelter and food, while they await massively delayed asylum processes.

• More than 250 LGBT+ people in Kyrgyzstan who had lost their jobs or were facing homelessness have received care packages with PPE, food, and other supplies, like medication or hormone treatments.

• 154 young LGBT+ people living with HIV/AIDS in rural Uganda – a country with one of the harshest lockdowns – were provided with food, vital medications, and hard-to-find PPE.

• Dozens of queer people in Moscow – who are already forced to hide their identities under Russia's authoritarian regime – were provided with safe shelter, PPE, food, and critical social services.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. We're delivering funds directly to about 50 groups in over 20 countries to help meet new and urgent needs the most vulnerable LGBT+ communities are facing.

But we've run out of funds. And there are over 30 more groups who have approached us directly, in need of life-saving support.

Just one of those 30 heartbreaking cries for help is a shelter providing services to refugees in Kenya. Faced with ongoing strict lockdown, they urgently need funds for facemasks, hand sanitizers, food and immune boosters for those living with HIV.

This is where you come in. By becoming an Equality Champion – All Out's group of monthly donors – you will help enable urgent relief for the shelter in Kenya and for many other LGBT+ groups in the months ahead.

Click here to start supporting this emergency relief work by becoming a monthly donor.

Your monthly donation will enable us to continue growing the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, so we can meet more of the requests for support that come to us.

The need is increasing and we have no time to waste. For instance, our colleagues in Brazil are anticipating incredibly challenging months ahead as the virus spreads out of control. New organizations are asking us for urgent support every day.

Right now, we have to turn down these requests. But with your help, that can change.

This is the biggest crisis to hit our global LGBT+ community in a generation. Let's make sure we see it through for our queer siblings around the world.

Luc can make a difference! Support urgent COVID-19 response work by becoming an Equality Champion today.

We'll be sure to keep you updated in the coming weeks.

Thanks so much for going All Out,
Matt, Sharifah, Mathias, Sarah, Angie, Leandro, and the rest of the All Out team.