Filipino LGBTQ support groups Transmasculine Philippines (TMPH) and LoveYourself are expressing dismay over the United States President Donald Trump’s executive order freezing and re-evaluating foreign aid, saying that the freeze has put a stop to their activities and initiatives.
In a statement released on Tuesday, January 28, TMPH said that it has ceased all activities for its TANGGAP Trans Hub due to the immediate pause and assessment of projects funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). (TANGGAP stands for Transgender And Non-Binary Growth and Guidance Advocacy Project.)
“As an international DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion] initiative under the Alliance for Global Equality program of Outright International and the Victory Institute, TANGGAP is only one of many projects now required to abruptly cease operations,” said TMPH.
“With several of our local LGBTQIA+ organizations dependent on awarded USAID funding, we believe the suspension endangers efforts to provide accessible services to community members, as well as individuals relying on such projects for their well-being,” the statement continued.
The TANGGAP Trans Hub serves as a “physical safe space for transgender Filipinos to meet, socialize, and access relevant resources.” For the safety of its constituents, TMPH only discloses its location to guests who book visits. One of its other projects is the provision of affordable and safe gender-affirming hormone therapy supplies to trans men who are currently medically transitioning and have a valid prescription for their hormones.
TMPH said that it aims to continue support for transgender Filipinos and is pursuing alternative fundraising opportunities. “As always, it was never about the money — only the work that unites our community and honors our queer siblings that came before us,” the statement added.
LoveYourself, in its own statement published on Wednesday, January 29, said that the freeze order does not affect its essential services like HIV testing and treatment, as well as its other services under TransHealth — a community-led transgender health center. However, the order does affect “key innovations” like free PrEP [pre-exposure prophylaxis], self-testing kits, and “campaigns aimed at increasing awareness and scaling up life-saving services.”
The organization later clarified that all their essential services will operate “as usual.” LoveYourself said that although they will continue to hand out self-testing kits and free PrEP, deliveries will now incur a fee.
LoveYourself founder Vinn Pagtakhan called on the Philippine government to “step up and partner with civil society organizations.”
“By working together, we can scale up programs, foster innovation, and fill the gaps left by international funding uncertainties,” Pagtakhan said.
On Friday, January 24, the U.S. State Department ordered a freeze on funding for almost all foreign aid, with the exception of emergency food assistance and military aid to Israel and Egypt. The freeze, which lasts 90 days and went into effect on Friday, is intended to give the administration time to review which humanitarian and development programs can secure funding from the U.S., which in 2023 reportedly shelled out $60 billion for said programs.