Human Rights & Reconciliation LGBT
Helping the LBGT Community Secure What’s Rightfully Theirs
Republic of Ireland | South Africa | 2004 - 2013
Few social issues have progressed over the course of history faster than equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. Atlantic’s investments over 9 years provided crucial support to organizations in the Republic of Ireland and South Africa working to change laws and attitudes and remove other barriers so that LGBT people could enjoy the same rights and protections as their fellow citizens.
What We Learned From This Work
Personal stories can be a key to changing a narrative. Innovative use of video and other social media can play a big role in changing public conversation and attract a younger generation of activists.
It is possible to change how policymakers and the general public perceive an issue through support for large-scale efforts that mobilize constituents to take action.
Coming at an issue with a diversity of approaches can create power, energy and opportunity, but it calls for sustained investment in building strong relationships and partnerships, and not uniformity and constraint.
Creating More Inclusive Societies
Grantees in South Africa and the Republic of Ireland helped lay the foundation to secure important rights for LGBT people.
From Partnerships to Right to Marry
Passage of a landmark 2010 civil partnership law in the Republic of Ireland was followed five years later by a nationwide ballot measure legalizing gay marriage that voters approved by a wide margin.
Winning in the Courts
The Free Legal Advice Centres successfully challenged the Irish Government’s refusal to grant Dr. Lydia Foy, a transgender woman, a birth certificate to reflect her gender change to female.
Opening Doors
Atlantic grantees in South Africa secured LGBT people the right to adopt, access to employment and partners’ benefits and employment equity in the workplace and the military.
Here’s Who’s Helping Write the Next Chapter in This Continuing Story
Find out more about who’s on the forefront of this work.
Chronicling the Changing LGBT Picture
Summaries of Case Studies, Evaluations & Reports
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“A story of great human proportions” – Lydia Foy and the Struggle for Transgender Rights in Ireland
Source: Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC)
This report chronicles Lydia Foy’s long legal struggle in Ireland to be officially recognized as a woman—an effort that not only ended in victory for her but that led to a fundamental change in Irish law and how society views gender and identity. Foy’s story…
Resource type: Research Report
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The Path to Marriage Equality in Ireland: A Case Study
Source: Susan Parker
This case study tells the story behind the campaign that resulted in Ireland becoming the first country in the world to approve marriage equality by popular vote. It describes the factors contributing to the May 2015 achievement, including how two competing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and…
Resource type: Case Study
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Strategic Litigation
The story of how Atlantic grantees around the world used strategic litigation to advance human rights and equality both in the courts of law and public opinion.
Resource type: Insight
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Making a Difference: Capturing the Learning from The Atlantic Philanthropies Human Rights Program in Ireland
Source: Brian Harvey
When Atlantic began its human rights work in Ireland in 2004, it faced strong resistance at the governmental and judicial levels to the idea of setting down such rights in legislation. Still, the foundation saw signs that suggested that the right kinds of investments —…
Resource type: Research Report
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Catalysing LGBT Equality and Visibility in Ireland
Source: Dragonfly Partners
From 2004-2013, The Atlantic Philanthropies provided grant funding to support equality and visibility for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the Republic of Ireland. Atlantic focused its funding on four organisations with the objective of improving LGBT people’s access to rights and services.…
Resource type: Research Report
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Resilience amidst adversity: Being gay and African in the new century
Source: The Atlantic Philanthropies and the OTHER Foundation
Commissioned by The Atlantic Philanthropies and the OTHER Foundation, this report gives an overview of what it means to be gay and African in the early part of the 21st century. The report shows that homophobia in Africa is rife – expressed through legislation that criminalises…
Resource type: Case Study
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Civil Partnership and Ireland: How a Minority Achieved a Majority
Source: Clear Thinking Communications & Center for Evaluation Innovation
In 2010, Ireland enacted some of the most far-reaching legal protections for gay and lesbian couples in the world. The case study describes the story of how this historic legislation gained passage in a largely Catholic country that just 16 years earlier had decriminalised homosexual…
Resource type: Research Report
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Out of the Box: Queer Youth in South Africa Today
Source: Marian Nell and Janet Shapiro
This Atlantic-commissioned case study provides a snapshot of what life is like for young lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgendered and intersex people (LGBTIs) in South Africa today – 17 years after the Constitution outlawed discrimination based on sexual orientation. It explores if democracy has brought greater tolerance and celebration…
Resource type: Case Study
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Republic of Ireland
This book tells the story of how The Atlantic Philanthropies’ 30 years of investments had an extraordinary impact on the Republic of Ireland—from helping breathe life into the nation’s university system and its research capabilities, to supporting major advances in human rights, and spurring the…
Resource type: Insight
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A Meeting of Queer Minds
Source: Karen Martin
This report covers the exchange, key learnings and recommendations of leaders and activists from Irish and South African organisations representing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people (LGBTIs) at a retreat, sponsored by Atlantic, near Cape Town in March 2010. Introduction In March 2010, The…
Resource type: Research Report
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Guns and Roses: Advocacy in an Emerging Democracy
Source: The Atlantic Philanthropies
This publication is an attempt to distil the learnings from three important books that were published during 2009 and which provide valuable insights into doing advocacy in an emerging constitutional democracy in South Africa. Written by Marian Nell & Janet Shapiro for The Atlantic Philanthropies…
Resource type: Case Study
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