In Colombia, a major humanitarian agency sought the guidance of a local organization supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ) communities to better address the needs of Venezuelan LGBTIQ migrants, resulting in much greater responsiveness to their needs. Following the devastating 2015 earthquake in Nepal, a local LGBTIQ organization trained humanitarian partners to better understand and address the overlooked needs of LGBTIQ communities. And in Ukraine, LGBTIQ organizations partnered with humanitarian groups to better reach those in need of protection, temporary housing, cash assistance, and other forms of life-saving support in the context of Russia’s full-scale war.
What do these stories have in common? They all demonstrate that, in times of crisis, meaningful inclusion of LGBTIQ people in humanitarian action is not only possible — it is critical. While LGBTIQ people share common vulnerabilities with all affected populations, including, for example, the need for food, water, shelter, psychosocial …