Two South African prominent LGBTQ organizations have become the latest victims President Donald Trump’s executive order that froze most U.S. foreign aid that the U.S. Agency for International Development disbursed.

Prior to the executive order, USAID had been playing a pivotal role in enhancing the rights of the LGBTQ community in South Africa through financial incentives. Since the executive order, many LGBTQ organizations have been struggling to remain afloat and provide services.

OUT LGBT Well-being on March 31 announced the closure of its Engage Men’s Health program.

The program offered stigma-free HIV and related health services through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which USAID and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funded.

“For over a decade, OUT has been privileged to receive support through PEPFAR. In recent years, we proudly became the first local community organization to successfully graduate to direct recipient status of this funding from USAID. We are deeply grateful to the American people for their years of support,” sand OUT LGBT Well-being Executive Director Dawie Nel. “However, we regret the sudden and devastating impact of this funding withdrawal, not just on us, but on the thousands of individuals whose health and well-being depended on these services.”

Nel said Engage Men’s Health had managed to help 2,000 men who have sex with men stay on life-saving antiretroviral therapy, and provided 4,000 others with PrEP to prevent HIV infection.

“With these services now ending, we fear that HIV will spread more rapidly and that many will struggle to access the care they need,” added Nel. “While this marks the end of Engage Men’s Health, OUT LGBT Well-being will remain open. In the coming months, we will refocus our work and explore new ways to continue serving our community.”

Motlatsi Mkalala, board chair of Access Chapter 2, said USAID’s dismantlement has caused irreparable damage, which prompted the organization to close some of its branches and layoff some of its employees.

“As of the 1st of April 2025, operations across our various offices in the provinces of the Eastern Cape, Free State, Northwest, and Mpumalanga ceased,” said Mkalala. “The limited services at the headquarters in Pretoria will continue to run, but by a very small team.”

Emma Louise Powell, a South African MP and the Democratic Alliance party’s national spokesperson on international relations and co-operation, said PEPFAR since 2003 has played a transformative role in South Africa’s fight against HIV/AIDS, saving millions of lives and bolstering the country’s public health infrastructure. Powell said the cuts will prove disastrous.

“Given the critical nature of this life saving treatment, both government departments and non-profit organizations dependent on PEPFAR and related USAID funding across South Africa need more time to prepare for any potential phase-out of long-standing HIV/AIDS resourcing,” said Powell. “We call upon the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and relevant policymakers to swiftly reinstate funding.”

Iranti spokesperson Mogau Makitla said Trump’s executive order is going to lead to the closure of many LGBTQ organizations. Makitla called upon the South African government to immediately step in and fill the funding void.

“South Africa has one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS, whilst the government has made significant strides towards ending the pandemic, we anticipate that the closure of the aforementioned facilities will subsequently result in an increase in the spread of HIV/AIDS due to the decrease in management and mitigation services,” said Makitla. “Gender-affirming healthcare services, which have always been limited are also under threat as a result of the halt.”

A Russian tennis player who came out as a lesbian and publicly criticized her home country’s war against Ukraine has defected to Australia.

“My application for permanent residency has been accepted by the Australian government,” said Daria Kasatkina in an Instagram post on March 28. “Australia is a place I love, is incredibly welcoming and a place where I feel totally at home. I love being in Melbourne and look forward to making my home there. As part of this, I am proud to announce that I will be representing my new homeland, Australia, in my professional tennis career from this point on onwards.”

The Telegraph reported Kasatkina in 2023 said she left Russia because she did not feel safe “as a gay person who opposes the war.” Kasatkina’s partner is Natalia Zabiiako, a Russian Olympic figure skater who was born in Estonia.

“Obviously, there are parts of this decision that have not been easy,” said Kasatkina in her Instagram post. “I want to express my thanks and gratitude to my family, coaches, and everyone who has supported me throughout my tennis journey to date.”

“I will always have respect and fond appreciation for my roots, but I am thrilled to start this new chapter in my career and my life under the Australian flag,” she added.

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Gay U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) launched his bid for the seat held by retiring U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) with a video posted to X Thursday morning and kickoff event planned for the evening in his hometown of Manchester, N.H.

“I’m running for Senate because our economy, our democracy, and our way of life are on the line, and New Hampshire deserves a senator who is grounded in the people, places, and values of this state,” he said in a press release. “Granite Staters know my record of taking on the big fights and looking out for them — pushing tax cuts for working families and small businesses, taking on predatory companies and corporate polluters, and standing up to Big Pharma to lower drug costs.”

Pappas’s statement continued, “Like Sen. Shaheen, I’ll always put New Hampshire first. You can count on me to lead the charge to confront this administration, self-dealing billionaires, and extreme politicians who threaten our future and our ability to get things done for New Hampshire.”

In his video, the fourth-term congressman pledged to rein in the power of big corporations, and he addressed “veterans, parents, small business owners,” and the “people who have done everything right” but are “asking ‘why does it feel like the system is rigged?'”

Referencing concerns with the Republican administration and GOP majorities in Congress, he said, “You think about the social security office that’s gonna be closed in Littleton, drastic cuts to Medicaid, all in the name of giving big tax breaks to billionaires like Elon Musk.”

Pappas also seemed to allude to anti-LGBTQ moves by the White House and congressional Republicans, promising to stand up to “political extremists who want to take rights away.” The ad wrapped with a shot of the congressman with his husband Vann Bentley. “We will get our country back on track. Stronger, fairer, freer, working for everyone.”

I’m in.

Today I’m announcing my campaign for U.S. Senate because New Hampshire needs a fighter who gets things done.

Let’s do this. pic.twitter.com/bAyE5u4LSk

— Chris Pappas (@ChrisPappasNH) April 3, 2025

Freshman U.S. Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.) is also considering a run for Shaheen’s seat while former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) and former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu are mulling campaigns.

Pappas was endorsed by the LGBTQ Victory Fund, whose newly seated CEO Evan Low released a statement:

“Rep. Chris Pappas has a long and storied history of serving New Hampshire, and LGBTQ+ Victory Fund has been right by his side since he ran for state office 23 years ago. He has a track record of taking on big fights for his constituents and has proven that he can win tough races, outperform expectations, and flip key Granite State seats. Whether its strengthening the economy, protecting bodily autonomy or taking on price gougers, Chris will continue to be an important voice that looks out for the people of New Hampshire.

“We need Chris’s pro-equality voice in the Senate, where right now we only have one LGBTQ+ member. He will be a strong fighter against anti-equality forces in the current administration and extreme politicians looking to erase our rights and existence.

“His presence in the Senate will be critical to retake the majority and ensure that Granite State voters won’t get a raw deal. Chris deeply understands New Hampshire, and his record shows that he is laser-focused on getting things done. We are thrilled to endorse Chris Pappas for a history-making place as the first out LGBTQ+ man to serve in the Senate.”