The issue of mass criminalization impacts nearly every community we support and every issue we work on as grantmakers supporting LGBTQ communities. Criminalization has sadly become the default response to a myriad of social problems, from homelessness and poverty to immigration and mental health issues. It diverts resources from the public investments our communities urgently need, and it increases the likelihood that LGBTQ people – particularly people of color, migrants, women, youth and low-income people—will experience unacceptable violence and oppression.

Given that criminalization adversely affects multiple vulnerable communities, there is a real opportunity to work across movements, identities and issues. This plenary will share important information about how criminalization affects LGBTQ people, how movements are responding, and how grantmakers can get involved.