Denver.—With a steady string of blockbuster victories, including the U.S. Supreme Court’s striking down of Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act and the expansion of the freedom to marry to a growing number of states, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) movement is benefitting from increased financial support. According to a new report by the Movement Advancement Project (MAP), LGBT organizations are projecting combined 2013 expense budgets of $165.6 million, a 10% increase from 2012 expenses.
The 2013 National LGBT Movement Report also found that LGBT social justice organizations’ revenues exceeded expenses by $3.2 million in 2012, and overall growth in revenue from 2011 to 2012 slightly outpaced the national average for nonprofits of 3.2%. The increased revenue in 2012 marks two years of growth after a two-year revenue decline in 2009 and 2010. Although revenues are still not back up to 2008 levels, the last two years of growth indicate that the LGBT nonprofit sector, like the American economy, is experiencing a slow but steady recovery after the recent economic downturn.
The report provides a comprehensive overview of the finances and financial health of a key segment of the LGBT movement: LGBT social justice organizations focusing on broad LGBT advocacy, issue-specific advocacy, legal advocacy, and research and public education. The 36 national and leading statewide organizations participating in this report collectively represent 61% of the budgets of all LGBT social justice organizations. Among the findings of the report:
“After such a banner year, the LGBT movement is positioned well to leverage these victories into future policy gains,” said Ineke Mushovic, executive director of MAP. “These organizations have done remarkable work, but dozens of states still ban relationship recognition for same-sex couples and between LGBT parents and their children, preventing families from accessing crucial safety nets. Poverty remains high for LGBT individuals, and federal and most state law still fails to explicitly protect a worker from being fired simply because they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. The lack of comprehensive immigration reform is continuing to harm thousands of LGBT immigrants and their families. HIV infection rates are skyrocketing among LGBT people of color.”
The report also uncovered some other challenges:
“We saw a revenue increase of 42% this year, yet despite the tremendous growth in support, bias and prejudice based on race, sexual orientation, and gender identity/expression intersect to the detriment of LGBT people of color,” said Sharon Lettman-Hicks, Executive Director and CEO of the National Black Justice Coalition. “For example, ENDA passed the Senate but is blocked in the House. This lack of explicit employment protections threatens LGBT workers and contributes to unemployment and poverty, which are a particular problem for LGBT workers of color. We remain unwavering in our fight for justice and equality, and there is much still left to do.”
# # #MAP's mission is to provide independent and rigorous research, insight and communications that help speed equality and opportunity for all. MAP works to ensure that all people have a fair chance to pursue health and happiness, earn a living, take care of the ones they love, be safe in their communities, and participate in civic life.
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Founded in 2006, the Movement Advancement Project (MAP) is an independent, nonprofit think tank that provides rigorous research, insight and communications that help speed equality and opportunity for all.
MAP works to ensure that all people have a fair chance to pursue health and happiness, earn a living, take care of the ones they love, be safe in their communities, and participate in civic life. MAP is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization and donations to MAP are 100% tax-deductible. You can read more about MAP and the work we do on our About page.
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The term “sexual orientation” is loosely defined as a person’s pattern of romantic or sexual attraction to people of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or more than one sex or gender. Laws that explicitly mention sexual orientation primarily protect or harm lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. That said, transgender people who are lesbian, gay or bisexual can be affected by laws that explicitly mention sexual orientation.
“Gender identity” is a person’s deeply-felt inner sense of being male, female, or something else or in-between. “Gender expression” refers to a person’s characteristics and behaviors such as appearance, dress, mannerisms and speech patterns that can be described as masculine, feminine, or something else. Gender identity and expression are independent of sexual orientation, and transgender people may identify as heterosexual, lesbian, gay or bisexual. Laws that explicitly mention “gender identity” or “gender identity and expression” primarily protect or harm transgender people. These laws also can apply to people who are not transgender, but whose sense of gender or manner of dress does not adhere to gender stereotypes.
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