It has been observed that the combination of social prejudice and criminalization has the effect of marginalizing lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender non-conforming (LGBTIQ+) persons and excluding them from essential services, including health, education, employment, housing and access to justice. The spiral of discrimination, marginalization and exclusion may start within the family, extend to the community and have a life-long effect on socioeconomic inclusion.
How do we walk the talk ‘‘Nothing for us, without us’’
Genuine engagement with Sexual & Gender Minority (SGM) communities is essential. We encourage genuine engagement with marginalized or forgotten groups rather than tokenism. In our partnership, we are conscious of not taking up too much space, instead – facilitating strategic and capacity building processes and HHFs role is providing leadership to shape the process of transformation. While there are principled reasons to take these steps, there are also practical reasons, that SGM communities may not be open to outsiders. By building genuine partnerships with SGM CSOs, HelpHeal Foundation is demonstrating a commitment to the SGM community that may open doors that have long been closed.