Welcome

#IAmAlphonsoDavid

Dear Friends,

As you will see in these pages, the HRC Foundation is moving forward boldly on every front to make life better for LGBTQ people. We are a vibrant, strong and diverse community that is determined to secure equality and protect the most vulnerable — in the U.S. and around the globe — from stigma, discrimination and violence. We are leading with our values of love and respect, equity and intersectionality, community and teamwork, resilience and responsibility.

As an immigrant and the first person of color to lead the Human Rights Campaign and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation in our 40-year history, I am deeply committed to these values, which are a cornerstone of the Foundation’s work. We need every member of our community — particularly those who have been marginalized in the past — to have a seat at the table.

At a moment when transgender women of color are living in crisis, we must do everything in our power to end an epidemic of violence that claimed the lives of more than 150 transgender people – nearly all of them Black trans women – over the past several years. We have launched a new Transgender Justice Initiative and are working with local activists and advocates who have been doing this work for decades to provide additional support, advance programs and ultimately drive long-term change across this country. We can never lose sight of how central the judiciary has been in our struggle and in protecting the disenfranchised and the marginalized. That is why we are expanding our legal footprint to do impact litigation work. Working with all of our movement partners, we will advance cases both domestically and internationally, as we expand the scope of HRC Global. We can never forget that equality extends beyond our own borders.

As we approach the most important election of our lives, we must all fight against voter suppression efforts and the erosion of our democracy. That is why the Human Rights Campaign is partnering with Stacey Abrams and her organization Fair Fight. With this partnership, we are working to combat voter suppression efforts that all too often target members of the LGBTQ community, including people of color, young people and transgender people.

Our efforts are a reflection of the generosity of the individual and institutional donors who make our work possible. We cannot thank you enough. We are inspired by your passion and energized by your commitment. There are tough battles ahead — but with you by our side, we will celebrate many victories.

In unity,

The HRC Foundation touches every aspect of LGBTQ people’s lives, changing hearts and minds on a local, national and global scale to make the institutions we depend on welcoming and inclusive.

Alphonso David President Human Rights Campaign Foundation