The U.N. High Commissioner for Human rights Volker Türk, used a side event at the General Assembly to declare a “comprehensive onslaught” against LGBTQ and intersex people worldwide. The gathering, organized by the U.N. LGBTI Core Group, brought together dozens of diplomatic representatives, civil-society leaders and donors to confront a pattern of coordinated hostility that, according to Türk, is deepening faster than ever before.
Formed by member states that pledged to champion sexual- and gender-minority rights, the Core Group is co-chaired by Mexico and Norway. The United States, however, withdrew its membership shortly after the Trump-Vance administration assumed office in 2025, signaling a dramatic shift in the global aid architecture for these communities.
Escalating repression across continents
Türk pointed to several recent legislative and police actions as evidence of a synchronized backlash. In Turkey, police raids in Istanbul and other cities specifically targeted venues known to host lgbtq gatherings. Senegal reinforced its criminal code earlier this year, further outlawing consensual same-sex relations. Similar moves have been recorded in Iraq, where a 2024 law criminalised both same-sex activity and transgender identities, effectively silencing organisations such as IraQueer.
Beyond criminalisation, the rhetoric of national security is being weaponised. The Trump-Vance anti-terrorism strategy, released in May, labels “radically pro-transgender” groups as security threats. This language has seeped into electoral campaigns, where candidates in multiple countries openly exploit anti-LGBTQ sentiment to rally voters, often cloaking bigotry in the guise of child protection and moral decency.
Funding collapse threatens the lifelines of NGOs
A report from Outright International, released on 10 September, revealed that 90 percent of surveyed LGBTQ and intersex NGOs have lost financial support since January 2025. Of the 229 organisations operating in 94 nations, 203 reported funding cuts, with more than half attributing the loss directly to the United States. The U.S. froze nearly all foreign assistance shortly after the new administration took office, and USAID officially ceased operations on 1 July 2025.
While a waiver allowed PEPFAR and other humanitarian programmes to continue temporarily, the slowdown has already forced critical services to shut down. In Kenya, PEPFAR-funded clinics reported interruptions in antiretroviral provision; in Johannesburg, a health centre closed entirely in 2025. Across the globe, NGOs report losing office space, staff salaries, and the capacity to provide emergency relocation, legal aid, or even basic community gatherings.
Concrete examples illustrate the human cost: an intersex-led network in West Africa can no longer maintain premises; an Ecuadorian community centre, which had operated for a decade, was forced to close on 1 February 2026; Uganda’s LGBTIQ refugee group lost its emergency relocation fund; and the Tonga Leitis Association warned that reduced activities jeopardise the country’s low HIV infection rates.
International donors attempt to fill the gap
In response to the void left by U.S. retrenchment, several European governments announced fresh contributions at the Core Group meeting. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Trade pledged €50 million (approximately $57 million) to bolster LGBTQ organisations worldwide. Britain committed £21 million (about $28 million) for the 2026-2029 period, emphasizing that “equality benefits everyone.” Representatives from Mexico, Norway, Iceland, Malta, Brazil, Ireland, South Africa, Uruguay, France, Cabo Verde, Estonia and Sweden also voiced support, underscoring that the fight for rights transcends any single nation’s policy.
Beyond government pledges, civil-society voices added urgency. Activists such as Ghana’s Gloria Quaye—once detained for three weeks after a 2021 workshop—spoke about the personal risks faced by advocates. Deutsche Bank’s Jon Tilli, UN Women’s Lopa Banerjee, and others highlighted that the erosion of rights is not confined to laws; it extends to cultural erasure—books, films, curricula and public spaces are being purged of Lgbtq representation, a tactic that pre-empts broader societal change.
The consensus at the meeting was clear: without coordinated international financing and political backing, the hard-won gains of the past decades risk evaporating. As Türk concluded, the assault on LGBTQ and intersex peoples is a “wedge issue” used to silence diverse voices, and defending these communities is indispensable to safeguarding broader human-rights standards.
