New Year, New Chapter: Reflections on Democracy and LGBTI+ Rights

Delivered at Kaleidoscope Trust’s Annual Reception which took place on the 20th of January, the following adapted remarks set out why LGBTI+ rights must be understood as a frontline issue for democracy given the evolving global threat to human rights and the urgent need for a coordinated international response.

Good evening, everyone. Thank you for being here tonight. I’m Alex Farrow, the CEO of Kaleidoscope Trust.

Tonight marks exactly one year since the announcement of the USAID cuts. It was a decision that sent shockwaves through the global human rights ecosystem that continues to impact the global community to this day.

Within days, we were in touch with partners on the ground. Organisations were losing lifelines overnight. And we, with the support of the FCDO, responded immediately- issuing rapid response grants to help LGBTI+ organisations survive, adapt, and continue their work in the face of the sudden crisis. 

That response was grounded in a simple belief that runs through everything we do: solidarity is not simply a matter of rhetoric. It is practical, urgent, and political.

Last year, I also marched in Budapest in a Pride event that had been banned.

People weren’t there only for LGBTI+ rights. They were there because they understood something deeper: when our community is targeted, democracy is often next. We are the canary in the coal mine in the fight for freedom and liberal values.

LGBTI+ rights are no longer just about identity. They are about power, influence, and the future of our security.

Prior to KT, I’ve worked in authoritarian states from Russia to Kazakhstan, Belarus and Azerbaijan. I’ve seen how regimes operate: they pick a visible minority, turn it into a threat, and use that fear to justify wider social repression. LGBTI+ people are often the first target because we are easy to demonise — and because it works.

We’re seeing this play out right now. In Moldova, Georgia and Hungary, Russian-aligned networks have flooded social media and political debate with anti-LGBTI disinformation designed to polarise voters and weaken pro-European governments. In Moldova, it was used just days before the election in an attempt to derail the country’s pro-EU leadership. This time it failed — but the tactic is clear. 

For the past decade, anti-rights actors have deliberately weaponised anti-LGBTI+ hatred to divide societies, manipulate elections, and dismantle hard-fought advances in gender equality. This isn’t just a culture war. It’s political warfare.

And the consequences go far beyond our community. When democracy and universal human rights are hollowed out, our security and the very fabric of our society are both weakened.

This is why LGBTI+ rights must be recognised as a frontline issue.

As I’m sure many of you have, in the past year, we have done a lot of work and a lot of thinking. And in response to the existential moment we face, Kaleidoscope Trust is sharpening its role. Same values. Same mission.

But in the years ahead, our work will focus even more on countering the anti-rights movement, protecting democracies, and defending the rights and freedoms of LGBTI+ people.

Tonight, I’m thrilled to share that we’ve secured almost £300,000 in new funding from the FCDO, which will support LGBTI+ organisations where threats are most acute. FCDO, we cannot do this without you – thank you.

I would also like to take the moment to thank the representatives of Australia, Canada, and Cyprus who are in the room tonight. At a time when institutional support is shrinking and governments are under a lot of pressure, your support and presence matter now more than ever.

Many people who have contributed to our work, most recently through the Big Give campaign, are also here tonight. You know who you are, and I thank you. 

Alongside urgent support, our long-term contribution to the movement is the Global LGBTI+ Rights Commission. We will soon be playing a short video about the commission, and you might have seen our launch last year, so I will keep this short. The threats we face demand action underpinned by analysis, strategy, and seriousness- not complacency.

This means looking at our global movement – and looking at Kaleidoscope Trust – in a new way. It means seeing us not just as a loud, visible Pride-marching community, but as an organised, experienced, and credible force for democracy and stability. With real expertise to offer. LGBTI+ organisations should be treated as strategic partners in this fight not as a distraction.

Because, even as this threat is growing, European governments are cutting foreign aid. That means the forces working to destabilise us all have more money, while those defending democracy on the ground have less.

That is strategic self-harm.

If we are serious about countering anti-democratic interference, we must support the frontline through aid budgets, defence strategies, and security policy.

The impacts are global felt in the communities where KT has long worked. Actors including Russia, China, and the Evangelical Christian Right are advancing in the Pacific, Africa, and Asia. We also have a responsibility to secure our own backyard and stop this contagion from spreading.

This is a precarious time, including for us at Kaleidoscope Trust. Keeping an LGBTI+ organisation alive in this environment is a white-knuckle ride. But this is not just about the survival of a charity. It is about supporting the rights of our community to resist systematic scapegoating, oppression, and violence.

If we fail to act, we won’t just lose rights. We will lose resilience. And a weaker, more divided society is exactly what they are betting on.

It falls to us. But we are ready and prepared for this moment. 

The world feels heavy but tonight is not about despair. Moments like this force us to face reality as it really is so that we can then change it.

I continue to believe in a freer, safer, and more equal future. 

So, tonight is about resolve, courage, and action.

I can’t wait for you to hear from our following speakers. 

I hope you will find not simply comfort in these stories, but rather a renewed courage to act in ways you hadn’t imagined. That’s what LGBTI+ activism has always been. That’s what fighting authoritarianism has already been. And that is what this moment demands of us all.

Thank you.