Investing in a Research Revolution for LGBTI Inclusion

In 2015, 193 United Nations member countries adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and committed to “leaving no one behind” in the effort to end poverty and inequality. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people throughout the world have led global efforts to raise awareness of their experience of ongoing discrimination, exclusion, and violence. Despite some gains that have made information more available, huge gaps in research and data on LGBTI experiences persist in every country, blocking progress toward inclusion and the realization of human rights for all. Clearly, significant donor investment in strategic research on LGBTI inclusion is needed, in both the immediate and the long term, to provide a reliable evidence base that can inform policies, legislation, programs, and investments to advance the human rights and inclusion of LGBTI people in national and global efforts.