– Dear friends,
Last September, a young Tunisian man named Marwan was arrested, tortured, then thrown in jail... for a text message. Police in Tunisia – where it’s illegal to be gay – said it "proved" he was gay.
But All Out members weren’t going to let the homophobic lawmakers have their way. Over 83,000 of us signed the petition demanding that Marwan be released – and we were heard. Marwan was let out of jail.
These kinds of campaigns are essential. They really do change lives.
But you know what? We need to do even more.
As the new Executive Director at All Out, I want to ensure that this movement for love and equality has the means to stand up to anything the homophobes throw at us. I’m losing patience with a world where LGBT people still face so much violence. A world where those who spread hate get away with it. It’s time to be just as well organised and resourced as them.
Enemies of love and equality are funding themselves for a long battle. As I write, they’re funneling millions into long-term plans that – left unchallenged – will threaten the families, freedom, dignity, and safety of LGBT people in so many places around the world.
Groups like the Alliance Defending Freedom – an anti-gay, religious extremist group in the U.S. With an annual budget of $43 million (28 times bigger than ours) they fight tooth and nail to spread hate around the world. They’ve helped keep anti-gay laws on the books in places like Belize, India, and Jamaica.
We’ve got a plan to overcome that hate.
Equality Champions are the foundation of all that we do – a global community of monthly donors powering the long fight for equality. They’re willing to defy the haters and take down this well-funded brigade of bullies.
With Equality Champions on our side, we can work year-round with partners in Europe to provide safety for LGBT refugees. We can get the story out about trans lives, challenging mainstream stereotypes. We can commit to a strategic plan with local activists in Africa, fighting the criminalisation of love. And we can challenge the enemies of equality in ways that don’t just win individual battles, but win the ultimate struggle to recognise the equality and dignity of all.
Without this support, it’s impossible for us to plan campaigns that challenge the root causes of ignorance and homophobia. Without this support, groups like the Alliance Defending Freedom will find it easier to fill the media and influence decision makers with their appalling views.
Thanks for going All Out,Matt Beard, Executive Director
