Grindr for Equality, the Grindr app’s program for LGBTQ health and human rights, announced that it will grant a total of $100,000 to organizations and activists providing direct services and advocacy to the LGBTQ communities throughout the Middle East and North Africa.
With ongoing repression and marginalization of LGBTQ groups throughout the Middle East and North Africa region, reliance on the digital world to safely communicate has become fundamental for many, yet this realm often leaves them exposed and threatened. In order to identify methods to help protect and embolden these users, Grindr for Equality has been aiming to increase the safety and security of LGBTQ communities in this region.
“Over the past five years, Grindr for Equality has established a deep commitment to the Middle East and North Africa,” said Jack Harrison-Quintana, Executive Director of Grindr for Equality. “These LGBTQ organizations receive the least funding of any region — five times less than the next lowest — but we believe in the incredible work being led by activists to make a better world for queer people there, and I’m so proud we’ve been able to step up our support in this way.”
The grantees represent nine countries/territories, including Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Mauritania, Morocco, Palestine, Sudan, and others. The five US$10,000 winners include the Lebanese Medical Association for Sexual Health (LebMash) and Middle East-North Africa Trans Initiative (MENATI). Ten additional organizations will receive US$5,000 for projects ranging from HIV services, capacity building for LGBTQ leaders, and holistic security trainings for the community.
“LGBTQ organizations in the Middle East–North Africa region are often forced to work underground. Many can’t register as non-profits or make themselves loud and visible like activists in other parts of the world,” said Azza Sultan, Associate Director of Grindr for Equality. “But we’re seeing incredible success in collaborations with feminist movements and other intersectional areas of social justice there, which is reflected in the winners of this year’s grants.”
“We appreciate Grindr’s commitment to support and enable local organizations to mobilize the LGBTQI community in the MENA region. By not just acknowledging, but providing resources for local grassroots efforts, Grindr is emphasizing the power and influence of collaborative impact,” said Esra’a Al Shafei, the Founder of Ahwaa.org, one of this year’s grantees. Elisabeth Strandberg, a board member for MENATI echoed that sentiment: “For a few years now, an independent trans movement has begun to see the light of the day in the MENA region. The journey has not always been smooth, and funds are always an issue. Grindr’s offer of financial support this year comes at a crucial moment.”
