Dear friends,
My name is Yazmin – I'm a trans person, an activist, and an LGBT+ rights defender from Tanzania.
I live in a country that is working hard to bring our community down. A country where being part of the LGBT+ community means experiencing frequent arrests, physical violence, sexual assaults, stigma, discrimination, and injustice.
Last year, things got even worse when the governor of the Dar es Salaam regionlaunched his anti-LGBT+ hunt.
There were reports that lists of names were being published on social media to out people. Those who were suspected of being LGBT+ were thrown out of their houses by their landlords. Strangers would harass us and throw stones at us. Life had not been easy before, but last year it turned into a real nightmare.
One of the few groups resisting the hate is the Eagle Wings Youth Initiative. These brave activists devote themselves to the welfare of LGBT+ people. They do amazing advocacy work and offer health and legal services that are so badly needed.
But they're facing incredible challenges. A similar group was recently banned by the government for promoting LGBT+ rights. Health clinics are being banned from providing HIV/AIDS services. And a team of South African lawyers was detained and deported because of their work for LGBT+ people.
In this hostile environment, it's impossible for Eagle Wings to get the funding for the shelter from local sources. That's where All Out members like you come in.
Thanks for going All Out,
Yazmin
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