The Grant Making Panel (GMP) is made up of trans activists from across the globe with diverse expertise who review applications and select grantees.
Anonymous (East Africa)
This activist is staying anonymous due to safety and security concerns.
Ale Lopez Bemsch
Ale is a trans/intersex activist from Argentina. He is director of Argentina Intersex (organization that fights for the rights of intersex people). Since 2023, Ale is the Director of the Intersex Committee of ILGALAC. He is a researcher at the Center for Studies on Sexual Diversity (CEDISEX) of the National University of Tucuman, Argentina. He is committed to defending human rights. In his free time Ale likes to sing.
Alegra Wolter
Alegra is a transgender activist, medical doctor, and public health professional dedicated to advancing global health, gender equity, and social justice. As Indonesia’s first openly transgender doctor, she has led some transformative advocacy and programs for LGBTIQ+ health and rights in the country and beyond. She serves on the advisory board of Suara Kita, shaping trans-led initiatives, and has worked with Women’s Fund Asia, Asia Pacific Transgender Network (APTN), Youth LEAD, and WHO Indonesia. Her activism spans grassroots mobilization, policy advocacy, and global health leadership, ensuring trans, gender diverse, and marginalized voices are centered in the decision-making process.
Evane Yamamoto
A Togolese national, living in Mali since 2006, Evane is a non-binary trans* umbrella activist whose activism began in April 2014 as a sexual health volunteer. After learning more about activism with the country’s leading association from 2015 as a volunteer. Actor, activist and recognised leader, they are very involved at many levels in the fight for recognition of the rights of LGBTIQ people, particularly transgender people. On a day-to-day basis, Evane helped to set up Mali’s very first transgender association in 2017, of which they are the volunteer coordinator. Having worked with the country’s very first LGBTQ association as a volunteer since 2012, they then moved up the ladder to Communications Officer in 2019, and in 2024 became the association’s first Trans* Executive Secretary. Evane is also a member of the African Queer Youth Initiative.
Jones O. Okolie
Jones is a trans-non-binary social justice activist working at the intersection of LGBTQI+, Sex workers, women, and disability rights. Over 6-years, they have worked with community-based organizations and LGBTQI+ communities in Nigeria, using data as a feminist tool for social change. As a Monitoring, Evaluations, Accountability & Learning Expert with organizations such as the ECEWS and ISHRAI, Jones has collaborated on several impactful advocacies on SRHR, mental health, homelessness, and gender-based violence. As an intersectional feminist and researcher, they champion efforts that bring vulnerable groups from the margins to the centre, driving collaboration, transparency, and systemic change to address inequalities.
Lilit Martirosyan
Lilit is a trans activist and human rights defender committed to advancing trans, LGBIQ and sex workers rights in Armenia and the South Caucasus. She founded the first trans-led organization “Right Side” HRD NGO in 2016, uniting hundreds of trans people and sex workers in the fight for legal and social equality. Her advocacy has reached the national and global stage, including a groundbreaking speech in Armenia’s National Assembly. Lilit is also actively engaged in the global feminist movement and working as an expert on several international foundations and organizations advocating for human rights, gender equality, and social justice. She was awarded the Human Rights Tulip Award by the Dutch government, and she used the prize to create a safe space for trans, LGBIQ people, and sex workers in Armenia.
Lukas Berredo
Lukas is an autistic trans advocate and designer from Brazil, with nearly 20 years of experience in trans organising. Before relocating to Germany in 2016 to work at TGEU, he lived in Chile and China, where he collaborated with inspiring individuals to strengthen communities, improve access to information and resources, and raise awareness of trans-related issues. His background includes coordinating international research such as the Trans Murder Monitoring and global campaigning initiatives for the Trans Day of Remembrance (TDoR) and the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT), as well as contributing to numerous national and international advocacy efforts. Building on his experience in research, education, movement building, and communications, Lukas now focuses on supporting organisations committed to social justice and human rights in crafting meaningful visual narratives that inspire action and social change. When not working, Lukas finds tranquility enjoying nature alongside his dog, Willy.
Mia Sofia Vargas
Mia is a transfeminist activist and human rights defender who works to position LGBTIQ+ youth in academic and decision-making spaces. She is a lawyer by profession and an Anthropology student at the Universidad Mayor de San Simón. She prepared the first report on access to justice for trans people in Bolivia and the situational report on trans people for the Universal Periodic Evaluation. She has a feminist diploma from the Center for Higher University Studies and in Collective Health from the Latin American Council of Social Sciences. She was a volunteer at the Ombudsman’s Office and an official in a court of violence against women. She is currently the legal advisor for Casa Trans and the Transfeminist Movement Foundation.
Nim Ralph
Nim is a UK-based trans writer, educator and activist. They have led campaigns and organised extensively for queer and trans liberation in Britain’s toxically transphobic cultural landscape, and work with activists around the world to resist against authoritarian populism. Nim has spent time coordinating with trans folks globally to develop organising and comms strategies to fight against the populist playbook. Outside of trans organising they’ve been active in organising around anti-racism, disability and climate justice for nearly 20 years. Nim has held a number of strategic roles in the anti-racist, LGBTQI, women’s and disability sectors in the UK. They co-founded QTIPOC London ( for Queer, Trans and Intersex People of Colour), Purple Rain Collective and are an inaugural member of the Edge Fund. Previous to this they co-founded and directed So We Stand; an organisation working with communities on the frontlines of injustice and linking environmental, social and racial justice in the UK. This won Nim an Olive Morris Memorial Award for activism and was named a Guardian “Youth Climate Leader”. Additionally, Nim works as an educator in social movements on movement building strategy, anti-oppression and political education. They are designer of multiple activist training programmes with an approach to education that centres relationship and connection for better movement strategy. Their work in trans activism has been featured in Gay Times and GQ Magazine and on Jameela Jamil’s iWeigh podcast.
Pau González Sánchez
Pau is a trans masculine leader and LGBTQI+ rights advocate in Panama. He co-founded Hombres Trans Panamá and PFLAG-Panamá, the first groups for trans men and LGBTQI+ families, respectively. During the COVID-19 pandemic, together with other human rights activists he helped document the human rights violations caused by binary quarantine measures. Since 2017, he has worked to make name changes more accessible for trans gender and gender non conforming individuals and led strategic litigation for gender identity recognition. Pau has represented Panama globally in LGBTIQ+ leadership programs, including in the Human Rights Campaign’s Global Innovators Program, and presented at the UN Human Rights Council through RFSL’s Rainbow Advocacy Program. He also coordinates the Historical Memory Archive Project documenting trans men over 40 in Latin America. He works as a real estate agent, property manager, and has been a consultant for the UN’s Free and Equal campaign in Panama through the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
Pinty Dludlu
Director for TransSwati, Pinty is a trans ambassador, facilitator and coordinator for Southern Africa Trans Forum from the Kingdom of Eswatini. She currently works for a community-based organization that goes by the name of TransSwati. She is a Mandela Washington 2018 alumnus under civic leadership done at The Presidential Prescint. Pinty holds a certificate in Project Management from the University of Stellenbosch and currently pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing with the University of South Africa. Pinty has 8 years of experience doing trans activism and 11 years of LGBTQI working experience.
Shaman Gupta
Shaman is a trans rights activist from India. As the former Co-Chair & CEO of TWEET Foundation (2017-23), he has supported thousands of trans youth with shelter home, skilling and employment opportunities. Shaman has also been instrumental in building the trans masculine persons movement in India by conducting All-India annual trans masculine persons meetups that is attended by trans men activist from across India and plays a key role for advocating for trans men’s rights with government bodies and other stakeholders. He is a founding member and steerting committee member of ‘Our Health Matters’ – a community-led research study in India that reports the issues of access for trans masculine persons health & wellbeing. He is part of GATE Transmasculine persons and HIV working group and continues to contribute to the global discourse on trans issues. He is currently the founder of Misfyt Trans Youth Foundation where he aims to build a resilient trans youth movement. Shaman has been recognised as an Echoing Green Fellow, Dalai Lama Fellow and Swedish Institute Leader Lab Fellow for his work with the community.
Sophie Khaly
Sophie is a Moroccan Youth transfeminist activist, artivist, performer and project manager. She has a solid experience and background within the trans and LGBTIQ+ movement in Morocco and Africa, she started volunteering and working with organizations and initiatives from 2017, and she’s passionate about Youth Community building. Sophie is the co-founder of SAQFE NGO, and she started working with the RM Taskforce of Frida The Young Feminist Fund in 2022, and with the AAC team of Love Alliance Program since 2023. Through their work, advocacy and their art, she aims and advocates to live one day in a world where inclusive rights and freedoms for LGBTIQ+ folks and for every human being are the basics.
Toryn Glavin
Toryn is a professional trans advocate and activist who has worked in a variety of professional and voluntary roles across the LGBTQI+ sector at both the Irish national and European levels over the last decade. She is currently the Communication & Network Officer at IGLYO, the International LGBTQI Youth Organisation based in Brussels, Belgium. She previously worked for 4 years at Stonewall in the UK as Trans Communities Manager and before this she worked for the Transgender Equality Network Ireland in her native Dublin. She previously sat on the board of Transgender Europe from 2016 to 2019 as well as IGLYO’s own board from 2020, until her appointment to the staff team in late 2023. Toryn believes fundamentally in the power of inclusion and representation in our movement. Alongside her work for trans communities, she has a personal investment in the liberation of fat, working class, disabled and autistic queer folk.
Vihaan Vee
Vihaan is an Ambedkarite Queer Feminist Transman. Vihaan has been a part of anti-caste, feminist, queer and trans movements since his student days. He is a writer, researcher and campaigner. He has done Leadership Organizing Action from Harvard Kennedy School and M.A Social Work from TISS. He is working in the development sector on the issues of gender, sexuality, caste and climate through an intersectional feminist lens. He runs a Podcast series on the masculinity of transmasculine people called as MasculiniTea: Kuch Mardani Gupshup. His publications include Parentopia, Re/imagine Queer Utopias; Dialogue Protest, Andolan Imaginaries; How India’s Brutal Lockdown Was a Calamity for Trans-communities; Experience of bisexuality as a trans man, Lockdown Inside story of Vee, Still Criminals etc.
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