Hispanic group pledges $1 million to LGBTQ+ organizations
The Hispanic Federation, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering Latino communities, pledged $1 million today to LGBTQ+ groups through a new initiative called Advance Change Together.
The initiative was announced in Orlando just days after the six-year mark of the Pulse nightclub shooting, the deadliest attack on LGBTQ+ communities in the U.S., according to Axios.
The Hispanic Federation will reportedly dedicate between $25,000 to $50,000 to each of the 20 organizations selected for the initiative. The organizations, which focus on the rights and welfare of Hispanic people in LGBTQ+ communities, are “severely underfunded,” according to Frankie Miranda, the first openly gay president of the Hispanic Federation.
It comes as more young people of Latino origins identify as LGBTQ+ than any other demographic at a time when conservatives are making a concerted push against gay and transgender rights via bills such as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
The initial investment will be for two years, with hopes of attracting more potential funders, Miranda said. A potential Supreme Court ruling overturning the right to an abortion “could open the door to targeting LGBTQ rights,” he said.