Witness Change

Witness Change uses storytelling such as photography, video, personal and recorded testimonies to support excluded people as they reclaim their narratives and improve their lives. Our focus areas are LGBTQI+ rights (Where Love Is Illegal), refugees (1000 Dreams) and people living with mental health issues (In My World). Our work is global, but a recent emphasis has been placed on US stories. We seek support to continue to amplify the voices of marginalized people, and to elevate the capacity of the most vulnerable in our society to tell their own stories. We believe in impactful storytelling to create a more just world. Help us to document and share LGBTQI+ stories of discrimination and survival from around the world.

At least 67 countries have laws criminalizing same-sex activity between consenting adults. In addition, at least nine countries have laws criminalizing transgender and gender-nonconforming people. In these countries, people who love each other, or do not conform to conservative definitions of gender identity, must live secret lives. Discrimination and hatred are not limited to countries that outlaw love. Worldwide, violence and prejudice against the LGBTQI+ community are rampant, targeting those who simply wish to live openly, as themselves. 

Since 2015, WLII has shared LGBTQI+ stories of discrimination and survival, both through directly documenting stories and stories shared by the projects global network of followers. To date, Robin Hammond, the photographer who created the project, has traveled to 14 countries, documenting more than 250 stories of queer people around the world. These stories have been published and exhibited internationally, but most often in places where LGBTQI+ rights do not face the greatest threat. However, these stories need to be seen in places where the fight for equality is the most dire.

In 2023, thanks to the support of Vans Europe, WLII was able to produce and distribute a series of exhibitions to communities where LGBTQI+ people are criminalized and/or highly stigmatized and where personal stories of queer people are rarely if ever, seen. The Where Love is Illegal - Exhibition in a Box project allowed Witness Change to provide exhibition prints and stories, that would normally cost organizations thousands of dollars, for free. The groups who exhibited this work were, in most cases, small and under-funded. Being able to provide this work for free ensured that funding was not a barrier to accessing powerful storytelling. In line with Witness Change’s focus on impactful storytelling, all the provided materials were used to support grassroots advocacy from local LGBTQI+ organizations.

Our fundraising goal of $5,000 will allow us to collect more vital new personal testimonies as well as to partner with other grassroots organizations, prepare exhibitions, and facilitate storytelling workshops. Media outlets often tell us about laws, crimes and atrocities – but too often we don’t hear from the people themselves, the people who dare to love in places where their love is illegal. Where Love Is Illegal aims to change that - and by donating, you can too.

Watch Robin Hammond, Witness Change founder and renowned photojournalist, speak on National Geographic Live about Chronicling LGBT Stories of Love and Discrimination.