Rainbow Railroad is a Canadian charitable organization that helps lesbian, gay,

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, wh ...

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through ...

, queer, and

intersex Intersex people are individuals born with any of several sex characteristics including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical b ...

(

LGBTQI ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is ...

) individuals escape violence and

persecution Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another individual or group. The most common forms are religious persecution, racism, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these term ...

in their home countries. In the past, they have helped individuals from the Caribbean, Central and South America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa through emergency travel support and other forms of assistance. The organization was formed in 2006, with its name and concept inspired by the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...

that was used by

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

slaves to escape into free states. Since 2006, Rainbow Railroad has helped over 3100 LGBTQ+ people from around the world find safety. It received charitable status from the

Canada Revenue Agency The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA; ; ) is the revenue service of the Canadian federal government, and most provincial and territorial governments. The CRA collects taxes, administers tax law and policy, and delivers benefit programs and tax c ...

in 2013, and received 501(c)(3) charity organization status in 2015. The organization is based in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

. After the revelations about the anti-gay purges and concentration camps in Chechnya (and on a smaller scale in neighboring

Ingushetia Ingushetia (; russian: Ингуше́тия; inh, ГӀалгӏайче, Ghalghayče), officially the Republic of Ingushetia,; inh, Гӏалгӏай Мохк, Ghalghay Moxk is a republic of Russia located in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe ...

and

Dagestan Dagestan ( ; rus, Дагеста́н, , dəɡʲɪˈstan, links=yes), officially the Republic of Dagestan (russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н, Respúblika Dagestán, links=no), is a republic of Russia situated in the North ...

), Rainbow Railroad began to mobilize emergency efforts to help LGBT people get out of the region in collaboration with the

Russian LGBT Network The Russian LGBT Network (russian: Российская ЛГБТ-сеть) is a non-governmental LGBT rights organization working for the social acceptance of and protection of the rights of LGBT people in Russia. Founded in 2006, it was reformed ...

. After the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in August 2021, Rainbow Railroad raised concerns about the situation for

LGBTQ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is ...

people living under the Taliban. Between August 2021 and June 2022, Rainbow Railroad helped to resettle 247 LGBTQ+ Afghans in Canada, the U.K., and Ireland. Rainbow Railroad's main goal is to help those who identify with the LGBTQ+ community. Their mission is to save those who cannot be themselves openly in their country and bring them to a new country where they can be who they truly are. Rainbow Railroad believes that governments around the globe should enact and enforce laws and policies that protect LGBTQ+ individuals and enable them to live in freedom and safety in their own country. However, until that day arrives, the organization is focused on providing solutions for LGBTQ+ people who need immediate assistance because they are facing a serious threat to their lives and safety.

Recognition

Rainbow Railroad received the 2018 Bonham Centre Award from the Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institu ...

for its work helping LGBT refugees. In 2019, ''Time'' magazine published a feature on Rainbow Railroad's work supporting those impacted by the anti-gay purge in Chechnya. Approximately 70 Chechen men were resettled by Rainbow Railroad during this time period. In 2020, their work was highlighted in an episode of ''

Canada's Drag Race ''Canada's Drag Race'' is a Canadian reality competition television series based on the American series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and is the Canadian edition of the ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by Blue Ant Studios. In a similar format to th ...

.'' During the eighth episode of the season which aired on August 20, five gay men who had moved to Canada through the organization were given

drag Drag or The Drag may refer to: Places * Drag, Norway, a village in Tysfjord municipality, Nordland, Norway * ''Drág'', the Hungarian name for Dragu Commune in Sălaj County, Romania * Drag (Austin, Texas), the portion of Guadalupe Street adj ...

makeovers as the main challenge for the week.Daniel Reynolds
"Canada's Drag Race Makes Over LGBTQ+ Refugees in Unforgettable Episode"
''

The Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to: Magazines * ''The Advocate'' (LGBT magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States *''The Harvard Advocate'', a literary magazin ...

'', August 21, 2020. The winner of this challenge, Priyanka, won a $10,000 donation to Rainbow Railroad in her name. In 2021, Rainbow Railroad were recognised with the

GAY TIMES ''Gay Times'' (stylized in all caps), also known as ''Gay Times Magazine'' and as ''GT'', is a UK-based LGBTQ+ media brand established in 1975. Originally a magazine for gay and bisexual men, the company now includes content for the LGBTQ+ comm ...

Honour for International Community Trailblazer at the fifth annual GAY TIMES Honours celebration in London. Rainbow Railroad Executive Director Kimahli Powell accepted the award, which was presented by LGBTQ+ and human rights activist

Blair Imani Blair Imani (born Blair Elizabeth Brown, October 31, 1993) is an American author, historian, and activist. She identifies as queer, Black, bisexual and Muslim. She is a member of the Black Lives Matter movement, and is known for protesting the ...

References

External links

*
Video segment & Transcript of report
on ''

60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique st ...

'' (CBS news magazine)
Video segment on Who They Help: Ray
Persecution of LGBT people LGBT political advocacy groups in Canada Refugee aid organizations in Canada Organizations established in 2006 2006 establishments in Ontario Charities based in Canada 501(c)(3) organizations Human rights organizations based in Canada {{Canada-org-stub