The State Department is funding a dancing program to “uplift transgender and gender diverse” people in Peru.
“Ballroom Saves Lives: Resiliency and Wellness in Peru Ballroom” is a winner of the Citizen Diplomacy Action Fund (CDAF), a competition that focuses on “strengthening democratic institutions and fighting disinformation,” “protecting the environment,” “human rights, refugees, and migrants,” “building community through arts, sports, language, and technology,” and “fostering alumni network development.”
The ballroom program connects LGBTQ individuals with medical resources and builds relationships with health providers.
“Ballroom is a performance art style and culture consisting of dance, modeling, and community engagement that began in the Black and Latinx LGBTQIA+ community,” a description reads.
Since CDAF was launched in 2019, the State Department has granted more than $1.85 million to various projects.
American Faith reported that the State Department also provided funding for an India-based Queer Muslim group that enables individuals to write.
The $15,000 grant was given to Creating Resources for Empowerment and Action, which funds the Queer Muslim Project.
According to a description of the grant, “The Queer Muslim Project will provide a platform to a group of young LGBTQIA writers from underrepresented communities in South Asia to showcase their work at a leading Mumbai literature festival alongside writers from the Iowa Writing Program.”
The grant runs from September 25, 2023, to November 30, 2024.
