GATE was founded in 2009 by Mauro Cabral Grinspan and Justus Eisfeld in response to the widespread violence and discrimination against trans and gender diverse people. In the years preceding GATE’s founding, trans communities faced intersecting forms of oppression in areas such as education, healthcare, and legislation, often exacerbated by race and poverty. Access to gender-affirming healthcare was restricted by harmful psychiatric and legal requirements, and legal gender recognition requirements breached basic human rights.
There was growing awareness of the challenges faced by LGBTI people around the world. However, at the time, the common belief was that LGBTI liberation should first focus on securing rights for sexual orientation. The assumption was that once those rights were won, progress on gender identity issues would follow naturally. However, gender identity was often seen as too specific and complex to be a priority on its own. Trans and gender diverse issues were largely dismissed by the broader human rights and LGBTI movements, leading to the exclusion of trans activists.
It was in this environment that GATE was conceived, driven by a belief that change happens when trans and gender diverse communities are empowered to lead. GATE was established to address these challenges, strengthen political and financial capacities, and create job opportunities for trans activists. Our focus was, and still is, on strengthening the political and financial capacity of our movements, allowing our communities to shape and carry out their own strategies for change.
Originally supported through fiscal sponsorship by the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, GATE was registered in the US as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2016. This enabled the organization to significantly strengthen its financial and operational capacity, with income growing from US$240,000 in 2015 to US$1.57 million in 2022. Key to this growth was the appointment of Cori Zaccagnino as Director of Finance and Operations.
GATE has undergone several leadership transitions, with Masen Davis taking on a key role after co-founder Justus Eisfeld stepped down in 2015, and Mauro Cabral Grinspan appointed GATE’s first Executive Director in 2017. In 2022, Erika Castellanos was named Executive Director, becoming the first Indigenous trans woman of color to lead the organization.
Since its founding, GATE has used global community consultations and engagement to guide its strategic direction, beginning with its first strategic plan in 2010, which was informed by meetings with activists in São Paulo and Barcelona. GATE’s workplans are continually adapted to address emerging challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of the anti-gender movement. From 2011, GATE engaged in advancing intersex advocacy and fostered collaboration between the trans and intersex movements. However, in 2024, the organization announced a decision to refocus its efforts solely on trans and gender diverse issues.
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