LGBTQ+ Stories You Should Know About

Conference Proposals Due & Registration Opens for our Southern CCT!

Submissions are now open - submit a speaker or workshop proposal for the International LGBTQ+ Leaders Conference 2024 here! Proposals are due by 11:59 PM ET on March 31, 2024. Don't wait - get started on yours today.

Join LGBTQ+ Victory Institute for an upcoming LGBTQ+ Candidate & Campaign Training to learn the art and science behind running for office. Our signature 4-day trainings provide comprehensive, non-partisan best practices to present and future LGBTQ+ candidates, campaign staff, and community leaders. Our next training? 2024 Southern Candidate & Campaign Training – Charlotte, NC! Register today!

The Experiences of LGBTQ+ Women Candidates

In honor of Women’s History Month, LGBTQ+ Victory Institute and Loyola Marymount University released "The Experiences of LGBTQ+ Women Candidates: A Report from the When We Run Survey." LGBTQ Nation covered the report in a recent exclusive!

This comprehensive study delves into the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ women seeking political office, revealing poignant truths that demand our attention:

• More than one in four LGBTQ+ women were discouraged to run because of their gender or gender identity – a rate four times higher than gay and bisexual men.
• LGBTQ+ women worried about harassment or attacks before running in higher proportions than gay and bisexual men candidates.
• Four in ten LGBTQ+ women faced attacks based on their appearance or the way they dress.

In the face of such adversity, this report serves as a poignant reminder of the uphill battle for equity and inclusion within our political sphere. Check out the full report here.

Rest in Power, David Mixner

This week, we lost David Mixner, a founding father of LGBTQ+ Victory Fund and our movement for equality. David was a courageous, resilient and unyielding force for social change at a time when our community faced widespread discrimination and an HIV/AIDS crisis ignored by the political class in Washington, DC.

In 1991, he joined other activists to launch a new organization, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, that exclusively supported LGBTQ+ candidates. David served with Lynn Greer as a founding board co-chair. With support for candidates underway, his vision of a government and democracy representative of its people expanded beyond elections – and moved to ensure we were represented in political parties and presidential administrations as well. You can read our full statement about this remarkable man here.

You can also take a moment to watch David talk about the importance of LGBTQ+ leaders this video. You can also watch our Tribute to David Mixner and hear some of the many stories behind his work and legacy.

Our Global Team Hits the Road (Again)

A quick update: Marielle Franco, Brazilian LGBTQ+ elected icon assassinated for her advocacy, may finally receive the justice she deserves. A member of our LGBTQ+ Political Hall of Fame, she has inspired countless LGBTQ+ people to run in Brazil and around the world. Read more here.

Victory Institute’s Global team is hard at work with programming on two different continents! It's an important year for election cycles in many countries that Global works in and our work to train LGBTQ+ leaders and expand political participation continues to be instrumental. Here are our initiatives happening around the world during February and March:

Mexico

Our Mexico leadership training program has gotten off to a running start, both figuratively and politically! After a phenomenal opening 3-day module that saw 30 participants travel from around the Mexican republic join in for the in-person training we will be continuing with Module II of our program from February 23-26 in coordination with local partners Yaaj México.

The upcoming study cycle will have a focus on Political Campaigns, a topic area not just relevant to the political moment in Mexico, but specifically for our trainees: 17 of our program participants are precandidates in this year’s elections in Mexico and 7 of them are staffers on political campaigns.

We’ll continue to accompany participants up until Election Day on June 2,2024, to provide them with the skills to win political positions and continue to occupy and diversify the decision-making tables. Read about the first module here!

LGBTQ+ Victory Institute also hosted our very first LBTQI+ Women training in Mexico City in coordination with Yaaj! Read all about the details of the training here.

North Macedonia

Since reinitiating our programming in North Macedonia with the Summer School for LGBTQI+ Political Participation. In August 2023, Global began working hand in hand with local partners at the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights to continue pushing our shared programming forward. On February 14, Global and Helsinki Committee opened a call to train leaders and activists working within political parties with an interest in advocating for the rights and inclusion of the LGBTIQ+ community. Set to be carried out just a month after North Macedonia’s elections on April 24, our one-day training will focus on the following study areas:

1. Understanding Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression
2. Situation Analysis: Rights, Problems, Priorities, and Needs of the LGBTIQ+ Community in North Macedonia
3. Building Alliances: Political Activists, Women, Young Leaders, and the LGBTI+ Movement
4. Developing Policy Recommendations

We look forward to returning and building greater LGBTIQ+ political power.

Virginia is for Lovers!

LGBTQ+ elected officials Senator Adam Ebbin and Delegate Rozia Henson have successfully codified marriage equality in Virginia! This bill is a big step in the right direction. Congratulations to Senator Ebbin and Delegate Henson!

LGBTQ+ History in the Biden-Harris Administration

Nicole Berner is now the first LGBTQ+ judge to serve on the 4th U.S. Court of Appeals! As The 19th points out, the 4th Circuit is currently considering two separate cases about government-sponsored insurance benefits for adults receiving gender-affirming care in North Carolina and West Virginia.

The U.S. Senate also confirmed Judge Melissa DuBose to the U.S. District Court for Rhode Island, making her the first person of color and the first out LGBTQ+ judge to serve on the Court! Watch her opening remarks before the Senate Judiciary here.

Coming Up Next

Mark your calendars: Join LGBTQ+ Victory Institute for an information session to talk about our signature 4-day bootcamp-styled LGBTQ+ Candidate & Campaign Trainings. Click here to register for the Information Session on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 from 4:30pm – 5:00pm ET.

Join LGBTQ+ Victory Institute for our FREE half-day LGBTQ+ Public Leadership Summit. Our program guides participants on the initial steps of running for office and channeling their political power. With the support of local LGBTQ+ Elected Officials and organizational partners, the Summit is a first step for LGBTQ+ people who may want to run for office or help other LGBTQ+ people become political leaders. Our LGBTQ+ Public Leadership Summits will be held in San Antonio, TX (May 2024) and Los Angeles, CA (September 2024). Learn more and register here!