The Florida Senate revived legislation that would restrict the use of preferred pronouns for public employees.
A committee on Tuesday took up a “don’t say gay or trans at work” bill that would require public employees to be identified in form as either male or female, and which would bar employers from directing workers to use pronouns besides he or she.
That action took place just a week after Equality Florida activists showed up en masse at the Florida Capitol and celebrated the seeming death of the legislation.
But the Florida Senate’s Government Oversight took up the measure again at the discretion of Florida state Sen. Randy Fine, an anti-LGBTQ Republican currently running for Congress.
The bill left many members of the public distraught at the potential opening of the workplace to discrimination.
“I don’t understand the purpose of this. This bill is hurting my family,” said Robert Lee, a Florida man who drove to Tallahassee to oppose the bill on behalf of his gender-nonconforming children. “It’s hurting my children, who are nonbinary. I really wish that we as a state could focus more on our insurance costs instead of just pointless little bills like this.”
Anti-LGBTQ organizations said the bill will prevent state employers from firing employees who are morally opposed to using “they/them” pronouns.
“This bill will protect the conscience rights of employees who work for the state or state of local governments by ending pronoun mandates,” said Joh Labriola, a lobbyist for the Christian Family Coalition. “It ends coercive pronoun mandates. It doesn’t take anyone’s rights away.”
But Florida state Sen. Kristen Arrington, a Democrat on the committee who voted against the bill, said that’s not true. She noted the bill as written would require every employee on government documents to now be identified as either male or female.
“The bill really does promote government employees and contractors to harass transgender individuals by allowing them to intentionally misgender them by using disrespectful pronouns and having no consequences,” Arrington said. “And this is a license to discriminate free from accountability. It seems that it’s attempt to create a hostile work environment for LGBTQ people, particularly transgender Floridians.”
Florida Sen. Stan McClain, the bill’s Republican sponsor, said the legislation simply aimed to protect the rights of employees to decline to use pronouns they disagree with.
“There’s just no we’re not going to allow state employees to be coerced by their employers or subcontractors going forward,” McClain said.
He said the bill uses the same language as other statutes passed in prior years, a seeming reference to Florida’s don’t say gay law, which prohibits teachers from using preferred pronouns in the classroom.
Trinidad and Tobago has reinstated its ban on homosexuality, which was lifted by the Caribbean nation’s High Court in 2018.
That year, the High Court in the Christian-majority nation ruled in a lawsuit brought by LGBTQ+ activist Jason Jones that Sections 13 and 16 of the Sexual Offenses Act are “irrational and illegal” because they violate the rights to privacy and freedom of expression.
“What I think the judge pointed out was ‘here every creed and race find an equal place,’ and I think we must all come together now and embrace each other in true love and respect,” Jones said at the time.
But on March 25, the Court of Appeals reversed that decision, saying that only Parliament can overturn the country’s ban on homosexuality. The Court of Appeals also reduced the maximum sentence associated with homosexuality to five years in prison. Prior to 2018, the maximum penalty was 25 years in prison.
“Judges cannot change the law,” Tuesday’s ruling states. “We give effect to Parliament’s intention…. It is, therefore, left to Parliament to repeal the criminalization of buggery and the related offense of gross indecency by legislation. It is an emotive issue which engages vibrant discussion in the court of public opinion.”
“Parliament is ultimately responsible for ensuring that laws reflect the evolving standards of a democratic society. That is their role and function. Any provisions found to be unconstitutional must be taken from the statute books by Parliament through legislative reform and not by judicial overreach.”
Jones spoke out against the Court of Appeals decision.
“We are talking about the rights of some 100,000 LGBTQIA+ citizens in [Trinidad and Tobago],” he told Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. “Why are we spending all this money and retaining these laws?”
“The modernization of our democracy is at stake here, and this is the beginning of this modernization.”
In the original 2018 case, religious conservatives argued that God’s wrath would be visited on Trinidad and Tobago if the anti-homosexuality laws were overturned. Conservatives argued that legalizing homosexuality would violate their religious beliefs.
The judge said the ruling “is not an assessment or denial of the religious beliefs of anyone.”
Christian conservatives also told the press that they’re worried about “homosexual rights trumping heterosexual rights.”
Utah became the first state to prohibit flying LGBTQ+ pride flags at schools and all government buildings after the Republican governor announced he was allowing a ban on unsanctioned flag displays to become law without his signature.
Gov. Spencer Cox, who made the announcement late Thursday night, said he continues to have serious concerns with the policy but chose not to reject it because his veto would likely be overridden by the Republican-controlled Legislature.
Starting May 7, state or local government buildings will be fined $500 a day for flying any flag other than the United States flag, the Utah state flag, military flags or a short list of others approved by lawmakers. Political flags supporting a certain candidate or party, such as President Donald Trump’s signature “Make America Great Again” flags, are not allowed.
The new law could stoke conflict between the state and its largest city. City buildings in liberal Salt Lake City typically honor Pride Month each June by displaying flags that celebrate its large LGBTQ+ population. Local leaders have illuminated the Salt Lake City and County Building in rainbow lights to protest the flag ban each night since the Legislature sent it to Cox’s desk.
Andrew Wittenberg, a spokesperson for Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall’s office, said their attorneys are evaluating the law and the capital city does not yet have information on what it will do once the law takes effect.
The bill’s Republican sponsors, Rep. Trevor Lee and Sen. Dan McCay, said it’s meant to encourage “political neutrality” from teachers and other government employees. Opponents argued it aims to erase LGBTQ+ expression and take authority away from cities and towns that don’t align politically with the Republican Legislature.
In a letter to legislative leaders explaining his decision, Cox said he agreed with the “underlying intent” of the bill to make classrooms politically neutral but thought it went too far in regulating local governments. He also noted that by focusing narrowly on flags, the law does not prevent other political displays such as posters or lighting.
“To our LGBTQ community, I know that recent legislation has been difficult,” Cox said. “Politics can be a bit of a blood sport at times and I know we’ve had our disagreements. I want you to know that I love and appreciate you and I am grateful that you are part of our state. I know these words may ring hollow to many of you, but please know that I mean them sincerely.”
Cox’s decision came hours after the Sundance Film Festival announced it was leaving its home of four decades in Park City, Utah, for Boulder, Colorado. The flag bill created eleventh-hour tensions as some residents worried it would push the nation’s premier independent film festival out of state. Festival leaders said state politics ultimately did not influence their move from conservative Utah to liberal Colorado. They did, however, make “ethos and equity values” one of their criteria in a nationwide search for a new home and referred to Boulder in their announcement as a “welcoming environment.”
Utah’s flag law goes further than one signed last week in Idaho that only applies to schools. But Idaho Republicans are also advancing a separate bill to ban government buildings from displaying certain flags.
Florida lawmakers have advanced a proposal to ban pride flags and others that represent political viewpoints in schools and public buildings after similar measures failed in the past two legislative sessions. Some federal agencies, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, also have limited which flags can fly at their facilities.
Other flags permitted under the Utah law include Olympic and Paralympic flags, official college or university flags, tribal flags and historic versions of other approved flags that might be used for educational purposes.
Each year, Rainbow Railroad receives more than ten thousand requests for help from LGBTQI+ individuals facing violence and persecution worldwide. These firsthand accounts provide unparalleled insight into the urgent realities of forced displacement and the systemic barriers preventing LGBTQI+ persons from accessing safety.
Our unique data not only informs direct interventions but also strengthens global advocacy. By analyzing trends in displacement, resettlement, and protection gaps, we advance policy solutions that challenge discriminatory asylum systems, push for inclusive refugee protections, and hold governments accountable.
At a time when anti-LGBTQI+ laws are intensifying and asylum pathways are shrinking, our work underscores a critical truth: the protection of LGBTQI+ refugees is a matter of fundamental human rights. The following policy recommendations outline urgent actions that states, international organizations, and multilateral bodies must take to ensure that LGBTQI+ forcibly displaced persons are not left behind.
Recommendations for states, international organizations, and multilateral bodies:
Strengthen partnerships with LGBTQI+ civil society by funding and supporting organizations with direct access to LGBTQI+ FDPs to enhance protection, service provision, and advocacy efforts.
Establish and expand dedicated LGBTQI+-specific resettlement pathways, including government-assisted and private sponsorship programs, to ensure sustainable and long-term protection solutions.
Develop targeted resettlement pathways for LGBTQI+ internally displaced persons (IDPs), recognizing that many remain at extreme risk within their countries of origin and require urgent solutions.
Implement flexible protection pathways for LGBTQI+ Human Rights Defenders (HRDs), offering both short-term emergency relocation and long-term resettlement options based on individual protection needs.
Hold states accountable for failing to meet international resettlement commitments and for undermining access to asylum, including through carrier sanctions and externalized border enforcement measures that disproportionately impact LGBTQI+ asylum seekers.
Increase funding for LGBTQI+ civil society organizations and regional networks to strengthen in-transit support systems and develop durable South-South resettlement pathways.
Appoint and empower Special Envoys on LGBTQI+ issues within key states and multilateral bodies to coordinate international responses to LGBTQI+ forced displacement.
Strengthen crisis response mechanisms by integrating LGBTQI+ protection into broader humanitarian frameworks, ensuring that LGBTQI+ FDPs are not overlooked in emergency response planning.
Expand multilateral coordination efforts, including investing in mechanisms such as the Queer Forced Displacement Initiative (QFDI), to enhance knowledge-sharing, capacity-building, and policy development across international actors.
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Disponible para tí No importa lo que la vida te depare, tu biblioteca está aquí para ayudarte a afrontar el momento. ¿Necesitas ayuda legal? ¿No sabes por dónde empezar a presentar la declaración de impuestos? ¿Buscas orientación con la tecnología? ¡Estamos aquí para ayudar!Derecho, Finanzas y Tecnología
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The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors Tuesday OK’d a resolution confirming the county’s commitment to fight bullying of young people, Local News Matters reports. The county is located just south of San Francisco.
“[Donald] Trump’s bullying tactics have swept across our schools, causing immigrant children to fear being deported and LGBTQ+ children to fear having their long-fought for rights to be trampled upon,” Board President David Canepa, the resolution’s sponsor, said in a statement released Monday night, according to the site.
The resolution “directs each county department and employee to engage in efforts that prevent bullying, provide education and intervene if bullying occurs,” the site notes.
The board also voted Tuesday to recognize March 31, next Monday, as Transgender Day of Visibility. It raised the trans Pride flag Wednesday on the county flagpole in anticipation of the day.
“For everyone that is a part of this community, we see you, we are here with you, and we are committed to celebrating your beauty, your love, our pride, and your joy,” Supervisor Noelia Corzo, the new liaison to the county’s LGBTQIA+ Commission, said at the ceremony, according to local paper The Daily Journal.
“San Mateo County does lead the way, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t have more work to do,” Corzo added. “I want to thank the commission for their ongoing work in pushing us to be more welcoming, be more affirming, provide a safer community for every LGBTQIA+ community member in our county.” People attending the ceremony waved their own small trans Pride flags.
Ishani Dugar, lead trainer and peer group coordinator at the San Mateo County Pride Center, spoke at the event on the importance of visibility. “Wear flags or raise them if you have them, share your pronouns with folks, correct assumptions about identity that people will hold, push back on folks who assume that others in their space will be comfortable with transphobic language or with assuming that trans people are not present,” Dugar said.
The Pride Center will hold an online Trans 101 Workshop from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday. On Friday, it will host a mixer for families of trans kids from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
The Department of Education started an investigation Thursday into a new California law that bars public schools from disclosing to parents the sexual orientation of their children.
If the three-month-old law were to be found in violation of federal rules and the Trump administration acted on threats to withhold funding, the state could lose up to $7.9 billion, California Department of Education officials said.
The investigation is the latest move by the Trump administration to address gender identity and sexual orientation in schools and beyond. In January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order saying the U.S. would recognize only two sexes, male and female.
At issue is California Assembly Bill 1955, which prohibits schools and their staffs from disclosing a student’s sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.
The Department of Education contends the state law violates the Family Educational Rights Privacy Act, which gives parents the right to access their children’s educational data, including reviewing records regarding sexual orientation.
It also allows parents to request record corrections or amendments, and gives them some control over the disclosure of personally identifiable information.
“Teachers and school counselors should not be in the business of advising minors entrusted to their care on consequential decisions about their sexual identity and mental health,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement. “That responsibility and privilege lies with a parent or trusted loved one.”
Assemblymember Chris Ward, D-San Diego, who authored the bill, said requiring school officials to expose students’ gender without their consent is “immorally invasive.”
“Parents have always retained the right to have meaningful conversation with their children and play a crucial role in their development,” he said in a statement.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said educators are trying to protect students who do not want their sexual orientation outed, even to their parents.
“Our students must be safe in order to learn,” he said in a statement. “I have heard from so many students and families whose safety has been impacted by forced outing policies. To our LGBTQ+ youth and families, I want to make sure that you hear us as loudly as we hear you.”
California Teachers Association President David Goldberg reiterated Thurmond’s position and said the Trump administration is threatening to withhold money from some of the state’s most vulnerable students, who rely on it for food and special education services.
“We respect our justice system and follow laws in California,” he said.
Trump signed a separate order in February, banning transgender women and girls from competing in female sports and threatened to rescind funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities.
On Tuesday, the Department of Education opened an investigation into the Portland Public Schools for allegedly allowing a male track athlete to compete in a March 19 girls track-and-field competition.
Welcome to the latest edition of Heroes of the Resistance — GLAAD’s ongoing series highlighting positive changemakers for the LGBTQ community at a time of challenge and uncertainty.
In a significant recent victory, Senate Democrats came together unanimously to halt legislation at the federal level that would have banned federally-funded schools from allowing transgender girls to participate in sports, calling it a distraction intended to harm a small group of people. The bill, pushed forward by Republicans, had mirrored a dangerous executive order issued by President Trump that perpetuates myths and disinformation about transgender Americans. GLAAD’s fact sheet on transgender people in sports is here, outlining facts versus myths and the truth about commonly asked questions.
In Minnesota, lawmakers rejected a bill that also would have banned transgender girls from playing school sports. The defeat of the bill came as advocates spoke out about its discriminatory nature and slippery slope in harming not just transgender girls, but all girls who play sports. “This bill creates a path for intense scrutiny and harassment for the 200,000 Minnesota girls who currently play sports ages 5 to 18,” said Rep. Julie Greene, DFL-Edina, dispelling the misconception that banning transgender girls from sports would somehow make sports more safe for cisgender girls. “This bill puts all girls at risk,” she concludes. The Minnesota High School League has allowed transgender students to participate on teams for a decade without incident. Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison agrees with killing the bill and fighting any federal effort to interfere in Minnesota’s human rights law, which Ellison says supersedes any attempt by the federal government to roll back protections for trans students.
Rev. Terri Burnor protests at the Minnesota State Capitol / Ellen Schmidt, MPR News
In Montana, out transgender state representatives Zooey Zephyr and SJ Howell gave impassioned speeches on the House floor early this month in opposition to two extreme bills that would have removed transgender youth from their families and banned certain types of expression and participation at Pride marches and drag shows. “I am here to stand before the body and say that my life is not a fetish,” said Representative Zephyr, in response to disrespectful comments by the bill’s sponsor about transgender people. “When I go to walk [my son] to school, that’s not a lascivious display. That is not a fetish. That is my family.”
An impressive 29 Republicans broke party ranks in order to support the defeat of the bills. Representative Sherry Essman, a Republican, rose to defend Rep. Zephyr and chastised the bill’s sponsor. ‘I’m speaking as a parent and a grandmother. And I’m very emotional because I know the representative in seat 20 is also a parent. No matter what you think of that, she is doing her best to raise a child. I did my best to raise my children as I saw fit, and I’m taking it for granted that my children are going to raise my grandchildren as they see fit,’ she said.
“Everybody in here talks about how important parental rights are. I want to tell you, in addition to parental rights, parental responsibility is also important. And if you can’t trust a decent parent to decide where and when their kids should see what, then we have a bigger problem. … “Trust the parents to do what’s right, and stop these crazy bills that are a waste of time. They’re a waste of energy,” said Essman.
These steps forward represent the power of conversations, organizing, and efforts to build understanding around transgender people and LGB people more broadly. These efforts have also led to victories against Trump’s executive orders that blatantly discriminate against LGBTQ people, immigrants, women, and people of color.
Rep. Zephyr and Rep. Howell / Brittany Peterson, AP
Since Trump took office, multiple federal judges of all political affiliations have blocked enforcement and/or struck down these orders on the merits. Four federal judges to date have blocked Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship in the country. Two federal courts have blocked his ban on lifesaving health care for transgender youth 19 years old and younger; and another judge has blocked the dangerous transfer of transgender women inmates to male prisons that would have aligned with Trump’s effort to erase transgender people from federal law. A preliminary injunction has been issued against Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders seeking to eliminate important progress for marginalized communities.
Most recently, a federal court granted a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of Trump’s executive order targeting transgender service members. In the opinion, U.S. District Court Judge Ana Reyes stated that “thousands of transgender servicemembers have sacrificed—some risking their lives—to ensure for others the very equal protection rights the Military Ban seeks to deny them.” Judge Reyes held that banning transgender service members from the military violates the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution because it is discrimination based on transgender status and sex; and because “it is soaked in animus.”Judge Reyes continued: “Its language is unabashedly demeaning, its policy stigmatizes transgender persons as inherently unfit, and its conclusions bear no relation to fact.”
In Massachusetts, the city of Worcester approved a measure declaring the second-largest city in Massachusetts a sanctuary city for the transgender community. The move came in response to Trump’s executive order attempting to administratively erase transgender people under federal law. “I don’t care what your beliefs are, but to take the word ‘transgender’ out of the vocabulary in the federal government is just plain wrong,” Mayor Joseph Petty said. This makes Worcester at least the third city in the U.S. to pass such a measure.
In a sign of proactive movement in Washington State, Governor Bob Ferguson announced a new policy to speed up the efficiency of document changes for transgender and nonbinary people, which previously could take up to ten months: “Very proud to announce the Department of Health will now process all requests to change gender designation on birth certificates within three business days.”
The Rev. Dr. Mark Suriano, pastor at the First Congregational Church UCC in Park Ridge, New Jersey, didn’t hesitate to speak out in support of the full breadth of his community in a letter to the Central Atlantic Conference United Church of Christ following inflammatory comments and threats to his congregation spurred by online harassment from the so-called Moms for LIberty – a designated hate group according to the Southern Poverty Law Center and a long history of anti-LGBTQ extremism documented by GLAAD. In his letter, Rev. Suriano quoted the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.” Despite the hateful incident on his congregants, Rev. Suriano expressed hope and gratitude for his community coming together stronger than ever. “I remain emotional about this physical manifestation of the ‘inescapable network of mutuality’ and the ‘seamless garment of destiny’ of which Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke. I also am overwhelmed by the beautiful truth that what affects one of us directly affects all of us indirectly,” he expressed.
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Ana Esquivel no longer feels like her heart stops every time she sees a police officer.
“We’ve been told that they won’t harass or mistreat us here, but back home, if a male name is spotted on your ID, you could spend the night detained,” said the 50-year-old transgender woman. She fled Cuba fearing for her safety and arrived in Mexico earlier this year.
Esquivel settled in the southern city of Tapachula, hoping to dodge the Trump’s administration crackdown on migration and reach the United States. But unlike many who turned back after their Border Patrol appointments got canceled, returning home is not an option for LGBTQ migrants.
Transgender women Rachel Perez, left, and Ana Esquivel, who applied for asylum in Mexico, at Casa Frida.Moises Castillo / AP
“The LGBT population doesn’t necessarily leave their countries for the same reasons as others,” said Mariana de la Cruz, operations director at Casa Frida, a shelter that supports LGBTQ migrants and lost 60% of its funds after President Donald Trump ordered the suspension of foreign assistance programs in January.
“They leave due to discrimination and violence based on their gender identity,” de la Cruz said. “Beyond economic reasons or the American Dream, they leave because they need to survive.”
The flux of migrants at the Southern Mexican border with Guatemala dipped after Trump announced plans to restrict refugees and asylum seekers, contending he wants to stop illegal entry and border crime. The Mexican Commission for Refugee Aid in Tapachula has not updated its public data since December 2024, but the transformation is clear.
Hundreds of migrants no longer flood a public square, waiting for a response to their refugee applications. And though lines still form around the commission’s headquarters, locals say the crowds are smaller.
At a nearby Catholic shelter, administrator Herber Bermúdez said they have hosted up to 1,700 migrants at a time, but it’s closer to 300 with the shutdown of CBP One, the U.S. border app that facilitated legal entry into the country.
“The change was substantial,” Bermúdez said. “By Jan. 20, we had around 1,200 people, but as the app stopped working, people started heading back to their countries.”
In contrast, help requests addressed to Casa Frida have not dropped.
“All of the people we support were victims of violence,” said Sebastián Rodríguez, who works at the shelter. “They can’t go back.”
In Tapachula since 2022, Casa Frida staff review on average 80 applications per month, assessing the most at-risk. According to Rodríguez, nonbinary and transgender migrants are frequently vulnerable to attacks.
Itzel Aguilar teaches English to migrants at Casa Frida in Tapachula.Moises Castillo / AP
The shelter doesn’t have enough resources to help everyone, but they bring on about 70 new people monthly and can support up to 200 LGBTQ people at any given time.
Several migrants recently told The Associated Press they were kidnapped by cartel members as they set foot in Mexico and had to give up their possessions to be released.
LGBTQ people face more violence, Rodríguez said. Transgender women often dress as men to avoid mockery and being spotted by criminals. If they are spared and reach a shelter, staff assign them to male dorms. If they leave and try to rent a room elsewhere, landlords seem unhospitable or demand unthinkable fees.
“That’s why programs like ours are needed,” Rodríguez said.
According to the shelter, about 40% of its population was affected by the end of CBP One app and the mass cancellation of appointments.
“Some people feel discouraged and hopeless,” Rodríguez said. “But many have applied for asylum in Mexico.”
Among its services, Casa Frida can provide a roof and meals for up to 12 people for three months. The organization’s other programs can help several more migrants by providing legal guidance on remaining in Mexico, advice on finding temporary jobs with inclusive environments, psychological counseling and tips for renting apartments under fair conditions.
“Most people just think of us as a shelter, but providing refuge is only the core of what we do,” Rodríguez said. “Our goal is to reintegrate violence victims into society.”
The shelter operates in three locations: Mexico City, where it was founded in 2020 and mostly supports locals; Tapachula, which mainly receives migrants from Cuba, Honduras, Venezuela, El Salvador, Perú and Haiti; and Monterrey, where those at grave risk are transferred to be safe at an undisclosed address.
Cuban Rasiel Elias Fernandez cooks at Casa Frida in Mexico City last year.Alfredo Estrella / AFP via Getty Images
Manuel Jiménez, 21, was welcomed at the Mexico City station in February. He arrived from a state near the capital when harassment by family members became unbearable.
Jiménez initially hoped to reach the U.S. and he traveled north in November 2024. All went well until border patrol officers detained him in Arizona and he was deported. But it was dangerous for him to stay in his hometown.
“Someone told me about this shelter because I wanted to find a place where I could feel at peace,” said Jiménez, who identifies as bisexual. “Back home, there were people who wanted to hurt me, verbally and physically.”
Now living at Casa Frida, he started working at a nearby restaurant and hopes to save money that will enable him to find a home of his own.
Back in Tapachula, Esquivel applied for Mexican refugee status. Around 85% of Casa Frida’s migrants get a positive response, so she’s optimistic. Maybe one day, she hopes, she could go back to school, land a job and relocate.
“I want to stay here and become part of this country,” Esquivel said. “I want to do it the right way and I’m grateful to Casa Frida for helping me get there.”
She learned about the shelter from another trans woman who also fled Cuba after feeling threatened by police.
“I was nearly arrested,” said Rachel Pérez, 51. “In Cuba, we are discriminated and persecuted. We leave in search for a better life.”
According to Esquivel, she was accused of prostitution — which is not illegal under Cuban law — for repeatedly walking alone at night. Police warned her a few times, but she kept going out until she was detained and transferred to a male prison.
“I was raped there,” said Esquivel, who remained imprisoned for a year. “I was only 21 and the inmates abused me. Within time, I learned how to defend myself, but those were very difficult times I won’t forget.”
Staff at Casa Frida constantly updates their protocols to help migrants like Esquivel. But keeping operations running has proved challenging due to the U.S. aid cuts. According to De la Cruz, worrisome notifications popped by Jan. 24, and a few weeks later, 60% of their budget was gone.
“We’ve been looking everywhere to find new sustainability alternatives,” she said. “We are part of a network focused on LGBT mobility in Latin America and the Caribbean — 13 organizations in 10 countries — and at least 50% of them took a hit.”
Funding campaigns and ongoing meetings with European and local leaders might bring a solution, but concerns haven’t ceased and the team could significantly diminish its operations.
“Nothing is written in stone and we don’t know what could happen next,” De la Cruz said.
