Rise Up Leaders Advocate for LGBTQ+ Rights and Protections Around the World
Program
Highlights
PHI's Rise Up works to advance gender equity and justice in education, health, and economic opportunity by partnering with visionary local leaders around the world. Meet some of the Rise Up leaders who are advancing LGBTQ+ rights in their communities.
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Focus Areas
Capacity Building & Leadership, Women, Youth & Children
PHI’s Rise Up program has built a powerful network of leaders working to advance gender equity and justice in education, health and economic opportunity to help achieve lasting change, including advocating for LGBTQ+ rights and protections in countries around the world.
Meet these Rise Up Leaders who are driving meaningful change for LGBTQ+ individuals in their communities:
Gautam RamChandra - Rise Up Leader, India
As a transmasculine person who has personally navigated the challenges associated with finding relevant health resources in India, Rise Up Leader Gautam RamChandra is passionately committed to ensuring that no individual feels overlooked. With funding and support from Rise Up, Gautam launched Queering the Sex-Ed—a project aimed at creating an inclusive and affirmative digital resource hub with articles, videos, posters, and infographics, in both English and Hindi, to address the lack of sexual and reproductive health care resources for Indian LGBTQ+ communities. Gautam’s project reflects his core belief that informed, respected, and healthy individuals form the cornerstone of a vibrant and equitable society.
"My experience with Rise Up has been transformative, catalyzing my growth from a participant to a leader in LGBTQ+ advocacy," said Gautam. "The mentorship and resources provided by Rise Up have equipped me with the tools to lead with empathy, resilience, and innovation."
Jitender Naryanan Bhardwaj - Rise Up Leader, India
Rise Up Leader Jitender Naryanan Bhardwaj in India was selected for the InQlusive Newsrooms Media Fellowship in 2023. Jitender was one of twelve journalists selected from across India to work on stories about LGBTQIA+ issues and communities in English, Tamil and Hindi. Through this fellowship, Jitender focused on stories about queer young people forming kinship and connection in online spaces.
Shubham Choudhary - Rise Up Leader, India
Shubham Choudhary is working to solve the lack of access to affirmative and non-judgemental healthcare services for the LGBTQ+ community in India. The discrimination, social stigma, and homophobia faced by the LGBTQ+ communities of India make them fearful of accessing healthcare, especially sexual, reproductive, and mental health services.
"Before becoming a Rise Up Leader, I only had an idea. The idea developed into a plan during Rise Up’s Youth Champions Initiative. I got the necessary support, tools, and guidance to translate my idea into action. And what started as a project has become an organization."
Jennifer Cruz - Rise Up Leader, California
Rise Up Leader Jennifer Cruz is a lifelong advocate for the LGBTQ+ community in Fresno, California where she was raised. Recognizing the barriers to health care that the LGBTQ+ community faces, Jennifer focuses her advocacy on advancing transgender individuals' access to local, gender-affirming medical professionals. In partnership with Rise Up, Jennifer worked with the Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health to mandate LGBTQ+ competency training for doctors and mental health professionals.
"I had the privilege of being part of the Rise Up [California] cohort in 2019. Not only did I get to meet and engage with phenomenal leaders from all over California, but the content of the training was beyond any I had experienced to date. I formed relationships with California leaders that I still maintain today. When we face obstacles in our local work, we have connected over the years to problem-solve together."
Saro Imran - Rise Up Leader, Pakistan
Rise Up Leader Saro Imran in Pakistan unveiled Maha, the world’s first HIV+ transgender superhero fighting for universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Made possible by PINK Center in partnership with Pathfinder International, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and 120 Under 40: The New Generation of Family Planning Leaders, Maha serves as a historic step forward in expanding gender representation in superhero storytelling. Saro’s character draws inspiration from Maahi Ali, a prominent transgender activist in Pakistan.
Gilmara Santos da Cunha - Rise Up Leader, Brazil
Rise Up Leader Gilmara Santos da Cunha has been a defender of LGBTQ+ rights in São Paulo’s favelas for nearly two decades. Her work is dedicated to uplifting the transgender community in Brazil by advocating for inclusive public policies. Gilmara’s advocacy is deeply personal, rooted in her own experience as a transgender woman from the Maré complex, a favela in the north of São Paulo. Her partnership with Rise Up has been transformative, allowing Gilmara to mobilize a large and diverse network of Black and transgender women from the favelas in the fight against transphobia, racism and gender inequality.
"It is worth highlighting the importance of [Rise Up’s funding], which made it possible not only to impact my life as a community leader, but also helped [my organization] to impact other trans lives in Brazil. As a result, we have the opportunity to debate an anti-gender policy that continues to be discussed on a global level." (Translated from Portuguese and edited for clarity)
Araiye (Ray) Thomas-Haysbert - Rise Up Leader, California
Araiye (Ray) is very passionate about youth empowerment, community organizing, and working with communities of color and marginalized groups to create systemic change through personal experiences with oppression. With funding from Rise Up, Ray and Youth Forward are addressing the issue of equitable bathroom access in the Sacramento City Unified School District by achieving a district-wide restroom policy with a focus on the physical and mental health of girls, young women, nonbinary students, and LGBTQ students. Ray shared her personal connection to her advocacy work:
“I grew up in South Sacramento and attended Hiram W. Johnson High School. As a teenager I was engaged in many different advocacy and leadership efforts. I aim to help activate youth leadership and connect youth to opportunities to serve their schools and community. I enjoy having the opportunity to give back to the community that shaped me into the leader I am today. I found that some of the issues students are facing today are some of the same issues I struggled with while in high school. My goal is to show youth that their voices matter and that they can make impactful changes. Not only for themselves but for future generations.”
A version of this impact story first appeared in Rise Up’s newsletter and on their website.
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