Dear friends,
This annual report gives an account of GATE’s work during 2016. It tells about the different ways in which we worked, as a team and with numerous partners, to face a challenging year for our constituencies around the world. In that sense, this is not only a report about last year but a roadmap for the future.
As an organization strongly committed to movement building, we believe in the urgent need to expand available funds to support trans, gender diverse and intersex movements. In 2016, we invested in new research to provide reliable data and critical analysis on funding dynamics affecting them in a landscape radically changed by the creation of the Intersex Fund and the International Trans Fund. We hope the results will have a positive impact on increasing both the availability and accessibility of resources worldwide. The same can be said about our involvement with the international HIV response, which is intensely focused on expanding opportunities for meaningful engagements, diverse alliances, and ethical distribution of resources.
Working to depathologize our identities, expressions, sexualities and bodies has always been one of our key tasks. In 2016, the goal of ensuring full access to self-determination, legal gender recognition, bodily integrity and healthcare became more pressing than ever under the ongoing crisis around the world. In this political landscape, many trans, gender diverse and intersex people are increasingly affected by structural exclusion, discrimination, poverty and violence. From last year to date, we have worked every day to address these human rights concerns, pushing for collective and collaborative strategies to support not only resistance but also reparation.
As you have probably noticed reading this letter, GATE is changing; we have grown into an international organization working on gender identity, gender expression and bodily diversity issues affecting many different communities. Our leadership and staff are advancing in the same direction. The world is a challenging place; we are changing ourselves to do the best possible job at changing it.
In solidarity,
Mauro Cabral Grinspan, Executive Director, GATE
