In 2018, Maksim Lapunov became one of the most widely known victims of a government-sanctioned purge of gay, bisexual, transgender, and other non-heterosexual men and those who did not conform to traditional gender norms in the Chechen Republic, Russia.[i] He alleged that for twelve days, the government of the Chechen Republic unlawfully detained him in Grozny, […]

The lives of sex workers and the obstacles they face are starkly unexplored in academic literature. Contrary to past connotations of sex work involving only prostitution, the digital age has inspired countless outlets for people to make money by selling their time, images, videos, or by webcamming (Amir, 2020). The normalization of sex work in […]

Introduction Switzerland is often viewed as a beacon of democracy and progress.[i] A half-direct democratic system allows the country’s citizens a high level of involvement in policy matters: as often as ten times a year, the Swiss population goes to the polls to vote about constitutional changes, initiatives and facultative referenda. In smaller cantons and local […]

Over the past weeks and months, numerous think tanks and individuals have published reports and briefs on the looming humanitarian crisis in northwest Syria. [[1]] This déjà vu moment has not been lost on actors and agencies focused on aid in Syria. In mere weeks, the last remaining entry-point for humanitarian aid into northwest Syria […]

The war in Syria continues to constitute one of the most complex contexts in the Middle East today, with few realistic policy solutions available to end the conflict. That said, the upcoming July 10 debate over the renewal of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2533 (UNSCR 2533) concerning cross-border humanitarian aid marks a flashpoint that […]

10 main observations, key challenges, best practices, and 7 recommendations innovatively presented thanks to 50 interviews of philanthropic leaders, to do better on racial equity.

In the early 1600s, a 15-year-old Native American girl was kidnapped from her home in what is now called Virginia. She was raped and forced to marry an English adult, a process in which she had to convert to Christianity and adopt the name Rebecca. Ultimately, she died under mysterious circumstances in England, with some […]

It is hard to overlook how unequitable the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccines has been. The number of doses administered in the wealthier world has far outpaced the vaccination rates in the poorer nations. While people in the wealthy nations are gearing up for their summer vacation – all fully vaccinated, the poor regions of […]

It’s been over 70 years since the US State Department expelled over 1000 LGBTQ diplomats during the Lavender Scare (a period of time during McCarthyism in which LGBTQ individuals were removed from government jobs for fear of being subversives and linked to communism).[i] During the Lavender Scare, the State Department identified employees that it believed belonged […]

Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country in the world, nestled in the heart of Central Asia between Russia, China, and “the other –stans.” It is a country that has, at times, been the leader in establishing relatively progressive human rights policies for gender and sexual minorities. Unfortunately, the last decade has seen a sharp reversal […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the vulnerability of transgender individuals in Indonesia as measures to slow the spread of the virus have jeopardized industries that provide regular income for many in the community, such as salons, street performance, and sex work. At the same time, the transgender community has continued to suffer from an “epidemic […]

For the Free Library of Philadelphia (FLP) workers and the neighbors who rely upon our services, the period of unequalled challenges beginning with the first COVID-19 stay-at-home order in March 2020 has only magnified routine difficulties. Austerity budgets, systemic neglect, and administrative myopia defined the 2010s in community-facing government services. Since the 2008 financial crisis, […]