Marking World Environment Day and LGBTQIA+ Pride Month, a reflection on how community philanthropy for socio-environmental justice contributes to tackling climate change by the LGBTQIA+ population.
By Yasmin Morais and Mica Peres
It is estimated that the percentage of Brazilians who declare themselves LGBTQIA+ is 12%, or around 19 million people, but, contrary to what we could deduce when we are presented with the demographic data of a population, this is not official data from any Brazilian government body such as IBGE. This estimate is the result of research developed by Unesp and USP published in Nature Scientific Reports, since IBGE only started collecting any data on sexual orientation in Brazil in 2019, excluding from this collection any aspect of gender identity or sexualities beyond of homosexuality and bisexuality, and still in a very experimental way.
How do we know, then, how many there are, where we are, our level of education? How do we know what affects us, what we need, what rights we seek?
Information about the LGBTQIA+ population in Brazil is produced almost entirely by specific actions by state bodies, university research, social movements and civil society organizations. ABGLT (Brazilian Association of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transvestites and Transsexuals) carried out a survey in 2016 that revealed that 60.2% of the LGBT students consulted felt insecure because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity in class of class. According to Mais Diversidade, 54% of the LGBTQIA+ population consulted did not feel safe declaring their gender identity and sexuality at work, according to Catho, around 33% of companies in Brazil would not hire LGBTQIA+ people for management/leadership positions, according to Antra , only 4% of the trans and transvestite population have formal employment, 6% have informal employment and around 90% work in prostitution. According to Grupo Gay da Bahia, 35.5% of the LGBTQIA+ people murdered in 2019 were killed in their own homes, most of them by people they knew or were family members.
This is just part of the chaotic and precarious scenario of access to basic rights by the LGBTQIA+ population. When we add the various forms of violence suffered by the intertwining of oppressions suffered by the black, indigenous, quilombola population, PCDs, those in mental suffering, of African and/or non-Christian religions, the precariousness of these lives reaches surreal limits of neglect and invisibility.
And how to think about actions to combat climate change for invisible people?
It's difficult, but we propose a possible path here: community philanthropy for socio-environmental justice.
Considering climate change and its negative impact on us, LGBTQIA+ people, and their intersections, we believe that community philanthropy can be a path to advance socio-environmental justice for these populations in different ways.
First, community philanthropy for social and environmental justice is grounded in an intersectional and systemic perspective, as it recognizes the multiple forms of inequality and oppression we face. This perspective goes beyond a simplistic view of the impact of climate change, which only considers visible changes in landscapes and ecosystems, for example.
From an intersectional vision, community philanthropy looks at how climate change affects different social groups, such as LGBTQIA+ people who are also black, indigenous, with disabilities, etc., and which affects each territory and each socioeconomic condition in different ways. They affect the survival conditions of different populations, differently in the fields and in the metropolises, in the forests, beaches and in inland cities, in dry and humid climates. It affects different bodies and realities when their basic conditions of subsistence and flourishing are directly or indirectly affected.
When the only option for an LGBTQIA+ person is to work in jobs made precarious due to low education, what jobs are not affected by the climate crises? And if they work on the streets of metropolises, doing underemployment, what happens when everything is flooded? And if they live in places at risk due to years of socioeconomic exclusion, especially due to their LGBTQIA+ status, who will have their house destroyed by landslides?
The systemic view helps to further embrace the complexity of this topic, as climate change is part of the oppression that minority groups suffer within a system that marginalizes us.
To combat this inequality, it is essential to direct resources and efforts to meet the specific needs of LGBTQIA+ people affected by climate change. Community philanthropy plays a crucial role in supporting local initiatives and community organizations that focus on addressing the environmental challenges facing these communities.
Additionally, community philanthropy encourages collective action from the ground up, strengthening affected LGBTQIA+ communities themselves. By investing in local networks, advocacy groups and community organizations, we are empowering LGBTQIA+ people to lead change in their own contexts, driving social and environmental justice.
Another important aspect is ensuring access to basic rights, such as adequate healthcare, safe housing, decent work and quality education. Through community philanthropy, resources are made available to ensure that we, LGBTQIA+ people, have access to these fundamental rights, strengthening our ability to face the challenges posed by climate change and to mobilize on behalf of our communities.
Also part of the idea of community philanthropy is the promotion of new spaces for political participation, change of power, strengthening the basis for LGBTQIA+ people to exercise influence, lead and influence political decisions that affect our lives. Community philanthropy can also facilitate access for LGBTQIA+ people to existing political spaces, both in the state sphere and in the broader public sphere, such as through the production and dissemination of knowledge from LGBTQIA+ people and groups. These efforts seek to reduce the data gap we have about this population, in addition to guiding specific public policies for them in their different contexts.
Independent philanthropic organizations such as the member funds of Rede Comuá work directly with these themes and have thought about and joined forces in joint actions to combat climate change and guarantee rights for the LGBTQIA+ population. In fact, 100% of members of Rede Comuá work with the intersections between the environment, gender, race and LGBTQIA+ population and 75% of organizations develop actions directly focused on climate justice, also participating in the main national and international spaces for articulation on this topic.
Together, in the last 2 years, these funds promoted more than 40 notices aimed at socio-environmental justice, gender, race and the LGBTQIA+ population. More than 100 million reais were donated directly to social justice actions in 2022, to more than 1900 initiatives in Brazil. Funds such as the Casa Socioambiental Fund, Fundo Positivo, Fundo Elas+, Fundo Baobá, Casa Fluminense, Fundo Brasil, among others, are players of great importance in this balance and have contributed, through community philanthropy and socio-environmental justice, to changing this scenario.
In summary, in this month of LGBTQIA+ pride marking World Environment Day, which took place on the 5th, we highlight community philanthropy as a crucial path in promoting socio-environmental justice for LGBTQIA+ people affected by climate change.
Yasmin Morais is a cis and pansexual woman. Graduated in International Relations from the University of Boston/Universidade Anhembi Morumbi and a master's student in Power, Participation and Social Change from the Institute of Development Studies. Program assistant focused on promoting engagement and participation of Comuá Network member organizations.
Mica Peres is a trans non-binary, bisexual person and activist for the rights of the LGBTQIA+ population. Author of the “Dossier on lesbocide in Brazil” (Livros Ilimitados, 2018) and several articles on lesbian rights. Operations coordinator at Rede Comuá and editor-in-chief of Ape'Ku Editora.
