Ari Shaw

New piece out today in Just Security where we argue that the expanded Global Gag Rules aren’t just bad for vulnerable pops like LGBTQI+ people, but also undermine US interests and national security overall.

The Global Threat to LGBTQ Rights The fate of legal protections is tied to the fate of democracy.

In the United States and beyond, democratic backsliding threatens to reverse recent gains in LGBTQ rights, writes @arimshaw.bsky.social‬. To protect marginalized groups, policymakers and activists must “build up institutional safeguards that can withstand this wave of illiberal pressure.”

How attacks on LGBTQ+ people are linked to democratic erosion | CNN Paula Newton speaks to Ari Shaw, Senior Fellow at the UCLA Williams Institute, about how global attacks against the LGBTQ+ community are part of an authoritarian playbook and how he says the U.S has a...

"It's clear that the larger backlash against LGBTQ people and trans people specifically is not just about the community and our rights, it's about power." - @arimshaw.bsky.social speaking with @cnn-news.bsky.social

Orban banned it, so even more people turned out

The US pulling back from global leadership on LGBTQI+ rights is further emboldening autocrats to take "anti-LGBTQI+ measures without diplomatic consequence."

@williamsinstitute.bsky.social's @arimshaw.bsky.social joined us to unpack how threats to LGBTQI rights mean threats to all our rights.

Thanks to @chathamhouse.org for including my piece in this month's issue. I argue that anti-LGBTQ attacks are further evidence of democratic backsliding, and thus efforts to protect and promote LGBTQ rights must be part of frontline pro-democracy coalitions.

www.chathamhouse.org/publications...

Transgender Americans weigh leaving U.S. over Trump's policies. Some already have Transgender Americans are making plans to leave the U.S., saying they fear President Trump's policy directives targeting their healthcare, travel documents and ability to live as they wish. Some alrea...

Between 2012 and 2017, LGBTQ+ people from 84 countries filed 3,899 asylum claims in the U.S. "As the U.S. moves away from that sort of welcoming environment, queer refugees have fewer options in terms of where they can go to be safe." - @arimshaw.bsky.social

Op-Ed: Why foreign assistance for LGBTQ+ rights in the U.S. national interests ​The Trump administration's plan to cut U.S. foreign assistance programs is shortsighted and harmful.

In my latest for @theadvocatebr.bsky.social, I argue that, contrary to Trump admin policies, investment in LGBTQI+ people offers a cost-effective way to promote strong, prosperous democracies that enhance U.S. national security and advance our interests globally.
www.advocate.com/voices/usaid...

Impact of Executive Order Pausing U.S. Foreign Aid on LGBTQI+ People

Trump’s executive order pausing foreign aid is already wreaking havoc, but especially so for vulnerable communities like LGBTQI+ people. My latest for @williamsinstitute.bsky.social here:

williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications...

Former Secretary of Transportation--who was not on The Real World or Road Rules--weighs in on the President's efforts to blame the fatal air traffic accident on DEI.

Exclusive: State Department issues stop-work order on US aid The memo puts a pause on new foreign aid spending, as well as a stop-work order for existing grants and contracts.

This will cause great devastation to many people around the world, and to U.S. interests.

State Department memo: "For existing foreign assistance awards, contracting officers and grant officers shall immediately issue stop-work orders."

via @alterigoe.bsky.social
www.devex.com/news/exclusi...

Thailand Starts Recognizing Same-Sex Marriage Hundreds of people began registering their marriages at a mall in Bangkok, as Thailand became one of the few places in Asia to legalize same-sex unions.

A briggt spot in an otherwise dark week for LGBTQ rights as Thailand begins recognizing same-sex marriages
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/22/w...

Opinion | How to Fix America’s Two-Party Problem Proportional representation could help restore American democracy.

This excellent oped by @jessewegman.bsky.social and @leedrutman.bsky.social makes the compelling case that proportional representation in Congress could ameliorate disfunction and dangerous polarization driven by winner-takes-all system and gerrymandering. Their fix:
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

NEW: The head of Facebook Messenger has a non-binary child and last week assured employees that Meta would work to preserve queer voices. Hours days later the company deleted its trans and non-binary pride themes in Messenger www.platformer.news/meta-trump-p...

I am finding it quite unbearable to watch Sarah McBride bear the grotesque attack of her colleagues with so much grace. I know it is what we have been taught to expect of trailblazers, but I am increasingly struggling to accept this.

Moving toward proportional representation in Congress would do so much to reduce polarization and actually enhance representation of diverse preferences in politics.

The 2024 Election: The Future of Democracy & LGBTQ Rights YouTube video by The Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law

ICYMI, @williamsinstitute.bsky.social held a terrific discussion on the impact of the election for #LGBTQ rights, featuring the always insightful @drandrewrflores.bsky.social You can watch the full conversation here:
youtu.be/ALV2EZBuLzU