One year ago this week, the U.S. government froze foreign assistance to organizations working on human rights, democracy, and development worldwide. Since January 2025, more than $125 million has been stripped from efforts advancing the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer people globally. That figure represents at least 30 percent of yearly international funding for this work. LGBTIQ organizations are often the first target, but never the lastWhy target LGBTIQ communities first? Maria Sjödin is the executive director of Outright International, where they has worked for over two decades advocating for LGBTIQ human rights worldwide.