Partner with LGBTQI+ Organizations Around the World for your Policy Analysis Exercise (PAE)!
To be connected with any of these organizations, email Diego Garcia Blum at diegogarciablum@hks.harvard.edu.
Confronting State-Sanctioned Homophobia in Namibia
Organization: Equal Namibia | PAE Contact: Co-Founder & Campaign Manager
Namibia faces a constitutional crisis as Parliament passes regressive laws, like the Marriage Act, in direct defiance of Supreme Court rulings affirming equality. These actions undermine the rule of law, democratic governance, and Namibia’s human rights standing.
Equal Namibia, the country’s largest youth-led civil rights movement, is advancing LGBTQI+ equality despite rising backlash. Landmark court victories on marriage recognition and sodomy decriminalization remain under threat from hostile legislation and widespread misinformation.
Through a Policy Analysis Exercise (PAE), Equal Namibia seeks to:
Expose legal inconsistencies and institutional barriers
Benchmark Namibia against regional progress
Assess the costs of discriminatory laws
Propose actionable reforms and advocacy strategies
Impact: This research will be used in advocacy to strengthen constitutionalism, rule of law, and inclusive laws in Namibia.
Policy and Sustainability Pathways for Trans-led Health and Protection Services in Uganda
Organization: Prism Empowerment and Development Initiative Uganda (PRISM Uganda) | PAE Contact: Founding Director
Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act (2023) has unleashed violence, evictions, and institutionalized discrimination against LGBTQ+ persons—particularly transgender women. Community-led groups like PRISM Uganda, which provides safe housing, HIV/SRHR services, and emergency relief, face shrinking donor support, heightened surveillance, and limited resources. These challenges threaten the right to health, dignity, and safety for trans and gender-diverse people.
Through a Policy Analysis Exercise (PAE), PRISM Uganda seeks to:
Assess the impact of the AHA on health, housing, and protection services
Map policy gaps and opportunities for advocacy within Uganda’s legal and health frameworks
Develop a sustainability plan for trans-led organizations under high-risk conditions
Create advocacy tools aligned with Uganda’s upcoming Universal Periodic Review (2026/27)
Impact: This PAE will strengthen PRISM Uganda’s ability to sustain life-saving services, safeguard trans communities, and amplify their voices in global human rights spaces.
Building Evidence for LGBTQI+ Inclusion in Panama
Organization: PFLAG Panama | PAE Contact: Co-Founder
PFLAG Panama seeks research collaborations with Harvard students to generate evidence that advances human rights, strengthens advocacy, and builds long-term sustainability for LGBTQI+ civil society in Panama.
Priority research areas include:
Family acceptance and youth wellbeing: How family support influences the mental health and life outcomes of LGBTQI+ youth, with evidence showing that acceptance strengthens families and protects children.
Mental health and suicide prevention: Risk and protective factors for LGBTQI+ youth in Panama, building the case for inclusive public health responses.
Inclusive laws and policies: The social and economic impacts of lacking comprehensive anti-discrimination protections or marriage equality, with comparative insights from other countries.
Impact: Collaborating with students offers the potential to generate new evidence, amplify advocacy, and contribute to a stronger, more sustainable LGBTQI+ civil society in Panama.
The Cost of Homophobia in Guyana
Organization: Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD Guyana) | PAE Contact: Executive Director
Homophobia in Guyana imposes both a human toll—higher rates of depression, suicide, and violence—and a heavy economic burden, including lost GDP, reduced tourism, and underutilized human capital. These costs undermine national wellbeing, economic growth, and human rights protections.
This PAE seeks to:
Document the economic and social impacts of homophobia in Guyana
Assess the human costs of discrimination, including health outcomes and social exclusion
Quantify the economic costs, such as lost productivity, reduced tourism, and increased public health spending
Produce evidence-based analysis to strengthen advocacy for inclusive policy and human rights protections
Impact: By quantifying the cost of homophobia, SASOD Guyana can build a stronger case for equality as both a moral imperative and an economic necessity.