Washington, D.C. – The United States has long been a beacon of hope and safety for LGBTQ immigrants around the world, but the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant policies threaten to undermine America’s role as a safe haven for LGBTQ people fleeing persecution.
A new report from the Center for American Progress says there are steps that cities can take to ensure that LGBTQ immigrants in this country can thrive and fully participate in their communities. Service providers, local governments, and funders need to make sure that available services are reaching this vulnerable community and that every effort is being made to meet its unique needs, the report says.
“In order to ensure that LGBTQ immigrants thrive, it is critical to invest in culturally competent immigrant integration resources that are responsive to the needs of diverse communities, enabling them to fully participate and contribute to American society,” said Sharita Gruberg, Associate Director of LGBT Research and Communications Project and a co-author of the report.
The report recommends that cities, service providers, and funders:
- include LGBTQ service providers and LGBTQ immigrants in immigrant integration efforts;
- increase funding earmarked to serve LGBTQ immigrants
- review services and outreach strategies to see how to be more inclusive of LGBTQ immigrants;
- improve language access;
- and increase outreach and visibility of existing services to LGBTQ immigrant communities.
These findings and recommendations are based on interviews with over 30 organizations and 3 mayor’s offices in 6 major cities across the country.
Read the report: “Serving LGBT Immigrants and Building Welcoming Communities,” by Sharita Gruberg, Caitlin Rooney, Ashe McGovern, Shabab Ahmed Mirza, and Laura E. Durso.
For more information or to speak to an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at 202-478-6327 or [email protected].