We Prioritize Access and Liberation, Not Just Policy Wins

A photo of a group of nine young BIPOC folks (from grantee Choose Yourself) standing outside in a line in front of a running track. They are all smiling or making silly faces at the camera, with some leaning on each other or making dramatic poses.

Civil rights and legal protections, though critically important, do not inherently end the marginalization of oppressed communities. 

That's why Gender Justice is different from Gender Rights. Gender Justice is a response to people's lived experiences of violence and oppression that legal and civil protections alone can't tackle. 

Gender justice as a framework recognizes the role that state, legal, and economic systems can play in perpetuating gender-based violence and oppression.

Laws and policies that are meant to support marginalized communities can at times create more oppression and violence. There are numerous examples where laws themselves punish individuals for the outcomes of their pregnancies, self-defense against harassment or violence, HIV status, and involvement in the sex trade.

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Photo of 2021 and 2022 Mobilize Power Fund grantee Choose Yourself, Gorham, ME.

More about gender justice

Photograph of two Black women standing behind an information table outside under a tent. The table is covered with fliers and pamphlets about birth justice, and a prominent flier at the center says "Southern Birth Justice Network."

Gender Justice is Reproductive Justice

A photo of a group (about 20) of mostly BIPOC people gathered in a city building, standing around a number (about 50) of cardboard tombstones that have been painted with the names of Chicago BIPOC killed by police. A person at the center holds a large black and white sign that reads #NoCopAcademy.

Gender Justice is Racial Justice

A photo of a group of mostly-BIPOC trans and gender non-conforming people (from grantee Baltimore Safe Haven) marching in the street with their fists up. Three people at the center are holding trans pride flags and one holds a small megaphone.

Gender Justice is Queer & Trans Justice

A photo of a group of people (2018 Sex Worker Giving Circle fellows, with current Director of Development Maryse Mitchell-Brody at the center) posing together and all holding pink roses.

We Fund Where It Matters Most

A photo of a group of Black femmes and gender non-conforming people from Trans Sistas of Color Project, sitting or standing close together and posing for the picture. They are wearing dresses that range from cocktail dresses to ball gowns, as well as burlesque outfits and t-shirts. In the background there is a brightly lit dollhouse with Barbies inside.

We Center the Leadership of Those Most Impacted