BELIZE CITY, Thurs. June 6, 2019– Every year in the month of June, the LGBTQ community celebrates “Pride Month” all over the world with a series of festivals, parades, etc. In recent years there have been gradual breakthroughs in Belize that have provided opportunities for members of the LGBTQ community who live in this country.

Belize TransColors is an organization that is dedicated to reducing social exclusion of the “trans” population. The organization has been registered as an NGO since 2018, and immediately began to seek funding to provide relief projects for members of their community who feel unsupported.

The effort to gather funding has led to a major project, a Safe House initiative to provide group housing for LGBTQ members who are homeless or have been cast out of their homes or other shelters due to their sexuality. An undisclosed sum of funding for this project was received from partners such as EYBM, UNIBAM and other unnamed NGO’s in support of this initiative.

The expected launch date for the safe house is July 1, 2019; however, it is already operating on an emergency-use basis.

Co-founder and executive director of the organization, Kenny White, has also mentioned, via an interview, some of the future endeavors of the organization that will take effect in the near future, such as  the launching of activities supported by UNDP’s CSO (Civil Service Organization) hub, of which they are a member.

The CSO hub is an entity that currently manages the service organizations that provide HIV and TB prevention, care and treatment services under the Global Fund grant in Belize. Their activities will range from after-hours outreach at bars and nightclubs to conducting of quarterly workshops with the trans and MSM (men who sleep with men) communities in Belize City, San Pedro, and the Cayo and Stann Creek Districts, focusing on different health and wellness topics.