Arcus Foundation grant supports the LGBTC International Network
On July 13, 2011, the Arcus Foundation awarded a grant of $150,000 for two years to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns Office to support the work of the International Network on Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns and Transgender Issues in Psychology (INET).
Primary Work Areas
The grant supports three primary areas of work:
Promoting INET
Increase the capacity of INET to plan and execute program activities generally, and to expand the contribution of the INET to advance sexual orientation and gender identity equality in the Global South and East. To date, the grant has allowed APA to provide support for travel for scientific and professional presenters and organizational representatives to the International Congress of Psychology (ICP) in 2012 in Cape Town, South Africa, which featured a robust track of programming (PDF, 282KB) related to LGBT concerns, a strategic planning meeting of INET Representatives and a briefing about INET for all interested conference attendees. The track of programming was very well attended with standing room-only for most presentations.
Southern Africa LGBT Human Rights Policy
Increase the capacity of the Psychological Society of South Africa (PsySSA) to be a voice and leader in southern Africa in LGBT human rights discourses and public policy processes. One significant aspect of this opportunity was that PsySSA hosted the 30th International Congress of Psychology in Cape Town in July 2012. The Arcus funding allowed APA to provide financial and technical support for the previously noted track of programming, and in particular, made it possible for PsySSA to sponsor the participation of nine psychologists, scholars and activists from eastern and western African countries to join with participants from South Africa and initiate discussions for potential collaborations regionally. It also allowed for work to progress on the establishment of a Sexuality and Gender Division of PsySSA. Work is currently underway to develop an Affirmative Position Statement regarding sexuality and gender to provide guidance to psychologists in South Africa.
Psychological Association of the Philippines Network Advocacy
Develop the capacity of the Psychological Association of the Philippines (PAP) to address the needs for networks and structures of professional support for psychologists who are concerned about sexual orientation and gender identity well-being and equality; for a body of evidence on Filipino LGBT people to be cultivated and published; and for systems to protect Filipino psychologists, researchers and advocates engaged in LGBT-related work, especially those who work in private, Roman Catholic universities and schools where LGBT research, teaching and advocacy may incur varying degrees of professional risk. The Arcus funding has allowed a PAP representative to participate in and present at the ICP 2012, to promote LGBT-related programming at the annual conventions of PAP and the National Association of Filipino Psychology, and to host forums to discuss LGBT issues in Filipino psychology. Additionally, PAP has established a Public Interest Committee as an organizational mechanism to address a range of human welfare and social justice issues. This has made possible PAP's development and adoption of a Statement of the Psychological Association of the Philippines on Non-Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression. PAP also issued its first- ever statement on a public policy matter when it sent a letter to the Cebu City Council (PDF, 370KB) advocating for the adoption of a proposed non-discrimination ordinance that included sexual orientation and gender identity as protected categories. The Philippine Journal of Psychology has approved devoting its December 2013 issue to LGBT issues and has issued a call for papers.
