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DID YOU KNOW?
Prominent LGBTQ Philanthropists and Donors
The LGBTQ community today has a well organized philanthropic structure. Many foundations and individuals have developed a specific focus on the needs of the LGBTQ population in the arts, education, health, social justice, welfare, and more. There is an important role for philanthropy to play in advancing the health, livelihood, rights and equality of LGBTQ individuals. As gay politician Peter Buttigieg showed in his recent campaign for the Democratic Party nomination in the United States, prominent gay donors can be a strong base of financial support for even ambitious projects.
Although there are many organizations involved in LGBTQ philanthropy today, there are very few high profile individuals with capacity and influence that can be identified. Even in philanthropy the majority of LGBTQ people are in the closet at work, according to the 2018 report The Philanthropic Closet. Those that do give are more inclined to support advocacy and civil rights issues, are half as likely to support religious organizations, are twice as likely to support health-related causes, and are four times as likely to support art causes than their heterosexual counterparts. They tend to give to more organizations, and are politically active. Their motivations for giving are very personal and related to a sense of giving back and helping marginalized individuals.
Those that are identifiable are well known and very active in their activities, such as Britain's Elton John or America's Tim Gill. Unfortunately, LGBTQ donors are more likely to be white males over 60 with a university or college degree and high incomes. There is the myth that the LGBTQ population is relatively well off and capable of being generous donors. The studies below reveal that one-third of the community in fact makes less than $24,000 per year and struggles to put food on the table. The majority of LGBTQ individuals who do not give say that they do not have the financial resources to do so.
The vast majority of prominent donors are located in the developed world. This is due to the greater degree of homophobia in developing countries, the impact of religion in those areas, income dispersion of the population, the lack of a tradition of community giving, and the fact many LGBTQ individuals in the developing world are in the closet.
We have identified prominent philanthropists and donors who identify as LGBTQ from Australia, Canada, France, Great Britain, Puerto Rico, and The United States. To read more and see the complete list, click HERE
Directory of past 'Did You Know?' Articles See Here
The goal of QueerBio.com is to be the definitive online biographical reference source for the international LGBTQ community. Its database lists over 17,000 contemporary and historical figures who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, two-spirit, or gender fluid (LGBTQ) and includes artists, sports figures, politicians, entertainers, business leaders, academics, activists, and more. The database is widely international in scope and is an ideal source for research and analysis with full search and sort functionality.
The mission is to inspire, educate, and motivate all generations of LGBTQ individuals and others through a collective knowledge of this international community.
Managing Editor: Mark S. Bonham
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To search for an individual from the database of over 17,000 biographies, simply type the name in the Search Box located in the top right hand corner of this Home Page and click on GO. Similarly, you can search for a common characteristic such as Country, City, Nobel Prize winners, writers, and so on.
Alternatively, you can view and scroll through the entire list of biographies by viewing the All Biographies section.
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Announcing Our New Documentary Project - Being Different: 101 Global LGBTQ Individuals Who Changed the World
Despite adversity and discrimination, LGBTQ individuals have excelled throughout history. Yet historians and academics have conveniently participated in the heterosexist erasure of these LGBTQ contributions by omitting the LGBTQ status of prominent historical figures from academic and historical documents. Accordingly, there are relatively few comprehensive projects which document and showcase the influence of these LGBTQ efforts.
Being Different: 101 Global LGBTQ Individuals Who Changed The World will be an original documentary outlining the contributions that members of the LGBTQ community have made, individually and collectively, to changing the world.
We are now Crowdfunding to get this project off the ground. We would love to have you as part of our team. You can help us and SUPPORT THIS PROJECT!
SEE THE TRAILER, READ MORE AND CROWDFUND HERE
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Bonham Centre Awards Gala
Annual Awards established in 2007 to recognize individuals or groups that have made a significant contribution to the advancement and education of human rights issues surrounding sexual education. Click here to find out more about the Bonham Centre Awards, past recipients, and present nominees.
Books Available From QueerBio.Com
It's A Fabulous Morning! My Interviews With Fascinating People in the LGBTQ World (Pearse Murray and Mark S. Bonham, 2019) presents fascinating interviews with individuals from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Two Spirit and Ally (LGBTQ) community. Icons such as Lily Tomlin, Chaz Bono, Melissa Etheridge, Mark Tewksbury, John Cameron Mitchell, Kathleen Wynne, Wanda Sykes, Tony Kushner, David Hockney, Edmund White and more provide their personal stories of the community and their lives within it. Compelling insight into events of the community, such as Toronto’s Bath House Raids, is also provided. 262 pages.
A Path to Diversity: LGBTQ Participation in the Working World (Mark S. Bonham, 2017) investigates the current state of employment markets around the world for the LGBTQ community. Included is a discussion of equality in the workplace and why it is important to both the employer and employee, the wage gap, which professions are attractive to LGBTQ individuals and why, and the role of unions and government legislation. A survey of seventy five professions provides a status report for each, and seventy two biographies of influential LGBTQ professionals from around the world is included. 242 pages
Notables: 101 Global LBGTQ People Who Changed the World (Mark S. Bonham, 2015) reveals a group of select global Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) individuals whose accomplishments in their profession changed the world in some relevant way. Included are founders of various social movements, innovators in sports, leaders in business and politics, explorers and discoverers, instigators in religious movements, thinkers in philosophy, infamous villains, creators of new academic fields of study, and risk takers in the arts, culture, and entertainment worlds. 212 pages.
Champions: Biographies of Global LGBTQ Pioneers (Mark S. Bonham, 2014) reveals a group of select artists, writers, politicians, lawyers, sports figures, activists, and religious figures from around the world who have helped shape the history of the LGBTQ community. Presented in a convenient notebook format. 114 pages.
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