In 65 countries today, LGBT people are criminalised.  

Laws criminalising same-sex acts fuel stigma, legitimise prejudice, and invite violence. LGBT people are arrested, harassed, silenced and even attacked, simply for who they are and who they love. 

At the Human Dignity Trust, we are working to change this. Using the power of the law and gritty determination, we defend the human rights of LGBT people globally. We’ve helped strike down discriminatory laws, protect vulnerable communities, and set landmark legal precedents across the globe. Through our successful work, the rights of 16.5 million LGBT people have been affirmed — achieving decriminalisation, safeguarding freedom of association, ending forced medical examinations, protecting against hate crimes, and winning at international tribunals like the UN. 

Since 2011, The Human Dignity Trust has made a tangible, lasting impact. We have: 

• Helped secure the decriminalisation of LGBT people in nine countries; 

• Won three cases on LGBT freedom of association and freedom from forced medical examinations; 

• Achieved two groundbreaking decisions at international human rights tribunals. 

• Drafted five bills to protect LGBT people, women, children and other marginalised groups at the request of four governments. One of these Bills has already been enacted into law, with others on the cusp; 

• Leveraged over £22 million worth of pro bono legal assistance from major global law firms and top barristers. 

But the journey is far from over. A resurgent anti-LGBT movement is gaining ground, and in some countries harsh new laws are putting lives at risk and dismantling hard-won progress. This isn’t just backlash - it’s a coordinated global effort to silence and endanger LGBT people.  

We must respond with urgency. Our new film shares the story of these challenges as well as the victories. It shows how far we’ve come over the last 12 years, and why we cannot stop now.  

With your help, we can push back. We can protect more lives. We can achieve lasting change. Together, we can keep the arc of history bending toward justice. 

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