Giving back to the LGBTQ+ Community
Since our inception, we have always been committed to misterb&b giving back to the community by helping ensure a safe travel experience for LGBTQ travelers or helping find safe accommodations for LGBTQ+ people in need. We believe it’s also incumbent upon us to give back directly to organizations that make a real difference in the lives of the LGBTQ community around the world. Occasionally, we also help LGBTQ refugees or homeless LGBTQ youth even more directly by providing shelter with the help of our host community.
Below are some examples of the actions we have been involved with over the past few months on your behalf. Each time you book with us, each time you host with us, you make it possible for us to engage with these organizations and individuals.
LGBTQ+ activists in Afghanistan have been living in fear for their lives since the Taliban's takeover in August 2021. Despite their courage, they face everyday bullying and threats and risk arrest and even execution by stoning. Urgence Homophobie, a French organization, assists them in escaping the country when the pressure gets extreme. For Sultan, Behesht and Shahzada, the pressure became too much in early 2023 when they had to flee Afghanistan. With assistance from Urgence Homophobie, they sought refuge in Iran. There, misterb&b has supported them financially, enabling them to stay safe in a temporary shelter while awaiting visa approval from the French embassy in Tehran. We will continue to help until they eventually land safely in France.
After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, we stood with the international community in condemning the inhumane attack on Ukraine. We made donations to OutRight Action International, a global LGBTQ NGO, and to the Red Cross to help provide shelter and support for LGBTQ people in need in Ukraine. We also invited the entire misterb&b community to join our effort. At the same time, we’ve been providing shelter to several Ukrainian LGBTQ refugees, currently hosted in Berlin, Germany, and Lisbon, Portugal.
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Of the many organizations (LGBTQ+ included) that I contacted since the beginning of the attack in Ukraine, misterb&b is the only one that really helped me. I was pleasantly surprised by the speed of help, response, and support. Artem, Berlin |
We have been supporting the French organization Le Refuge for many years. Their mission is to protect young LGBTQ from by listening to them, responding to their distress, and in the most extreme cases, finding them a shelter where they can stay for several months, away from their unwelcoming, homophobic families. During the Codvid-19 pandemic, we reached out to our community and got many misterb&b hosts to offer their accommodation to LGBTQ teens in crisis for free, providing emergency housing for dozens (Read the full story here).
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"I thank you so much for what you have done for me and for the other young people who are in the same situation as me. Without you, we are nothing. I am so lucky to be a part of this family. Without you, I would be out in the rain. Thank you ♥️" Nolan, Paris |
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"We were really touched when misterb&b contacted us to offer to help us during this morally very difficult period of the pandemic (...) It's reassuring to know that we can look for solutions together to help young people in distress who contact us." Le Refuge Foundation |
In August 2021, as the Taliban took over Kabul after the U.S. troop withdrawal, we were shaken by the stories of LGBTQ people trying to flee the Taliban regime. misterb&b made a $2,500 USD donation to Rainbow Railroad, an NGO helping LGBTQ+ people escape state-sponsored violence, and we urged the entire misterb&b community to donate to Rainbow Railroad.
In 2021, misterb&b felt greatly concerned by the implementation of a significant number of anti-LGBTQ state legislation in the US, many targeting the trans community. As tax contributors in states leading the fight against our rights, we felt a moral, ethical and civic responsibility to fight back. We joined the Freedom for All Americans' Small Businesses Against Discrimination coalition. Just like 1,200+ other small business leaders from all 50 US states and Puerto Rico, we oppose discrimination and support comprehensive non-discrimination laws that protect all Americans, including LGBTQ people. That's why we have signed the Small Businesses Against LGBTQ Discrimination Pledge.
True Colors United was cofounded in 2008 by Cyndi Lauper with the mission to implement innovative solutions to youth homelessness that focus on the unique experiences of LGBTQ young people. In the United States, 4.2 million youth experience homelessness each year, with LGBTQ youth 120% more likely to experience homelessness than their non-LGBTQ peers. True Colors United is committed to changing that. For every booking made until December 31, 2022, misterb&b pledges to contribute $5 to True Colors United, up to a total amount of $15,000 USD. These donations will go towards payment for young people who participate in the National Youth Forum on Homelessness. Learn more here
misterb&b has been supporting a French LGBTQ entrepreneur by incubating his startup Rainbold Society in our Paris office. Stéphane Sauvé’s dream is to design and develop the Maison de la Diversité (House of Diversity): an inclusive, cross-generational co-housing project tailored for the older LGBTQ community (but open to all) and designed to help LGBTQ elders age better, without discrimination. Through donations, office space, and mentorship, misterb&b helped Stéphane make his project happen. The first House of Diversity opens in Lyon, France in 2024.
As a company with LGBTQ rights in our hearts, we believe it is our role to make this world a more welcoming place for our community. This is the reason why we also make donations to the organizations listed below. Mister for Good invites you to participate in misterb&b’s efforts to positively impact LGBTQ+ lives globally. Find out about all the organizations below with Mister for Good and help start building tomorrow's world by making a donation.
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OutRight Action InternationalOutRight Action International serves to advance the rights of LGBTQ people all over the world. For the past 28 years, OutRight has worked with partners on the ground to advocate for equality, document human rights violations, and secure lives, liberty, and freedom for our community. With status at the United Nations, OutRight can raise local issues to the highest levels of governance - and hold global leaders accountable for failing to uphold human rights. OutRight is proud to partner with misterb&b - to ensure that as you enjoy your travels you are also supporting the work to advocate for equality in all the places around the world where it's needed. |
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GLAD, Global Legal Advocates & DefendersGLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders works in New England and nationally to create a just society free of discrimination based on gender identity and expression, HIV status, and sexual orientation. Each time GLAD argues a case or tackles an issue, they tear down more of the outdated laws and stereotypes that have denied LGBTQ people and people living with HIV basic protections and opportunities in every area of daily life – family, school, employment, housing, government, health care, and beyond. |
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Immigration EqualityImmigration Equality is the leading LGBTQ immigrant rights organization in the United States. In over 80 countries around the world, it is a crime or fundamentally unsafe to be LGBTQ. For far too many people, it is impossible to be out and proud. That is why Immigration Equality provides free direct legal services to hundreds of LGBTQ and HIV-positive immigrants. Because they serve more LGBTQ immigrants than any other organization, they spot patterns and trends that no one else sees. Their experience with the immigration system fuels their advocacy initiatives. Together, their law and policy teams fight every day to ensure the safety and well-being of our community. |
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Urgence HomophobieFormerly known as Urgence Tchechenie, UH was founded in January 2017 after the persecutions against the LGBTQ community in Chechnya became public. The initial goal was to shed a light and raise awareness about homophobia in this country. When they realized how widespread intolerance towards the LGBTQ communities is, they understood they could not limit their action to one country only and rebranded into Urgence Homophobie. Today they escort refugees outside of their countries and help them file for asylum in France. They provide accommodations, French classes, and psychological counseling as they help them integrate into society and start anew. |
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Le Refuge (France)Le Refuge is the only government-regulated French shelter for LGBTQ+ youth. Le Refuge is present in 18 cities and has 350 volunteers who fight every day against homophobia and transphobia, victims' isolation, and suicide. This organization provides social, medical, psychological, and legal support to every LGBTQ individual who has been turned down by their family. |
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Les Audacieuses & les Audacieux - Maison de la Diversité (France)Rainbold Society's goal is to design and develop “La Maison de la Diversité” – the House of Diversity – an inclusive, cross-generation co-housing project for the elderly LGBTQ community. The project is designed together with the members of an organization (“Les Audacieux”) which provides a program of weekly activities and meet-ups to seniors from the LGBTQ community. This is a fight against social isolation. Rainbold Society envisions a near future where the seniors can live their gay golden years without feeling alone. Learn more about their mission and get in touch with them to make a donation. |
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MAG Jeunes LGBT+ (France)MAG Jeunes LGBT+ is a Paris-based LGBTQ+ NGO which was founded in 1985, by and for LGBTQ+ people from 15 to 30 years old. Their mission is divided into three relevant and important areas concerning the community: to welcome and support LGBTQ+ people who feel isolated by providing a safe and inclusive space in their office; to run awareness workshops in schools to reduce LGBTQ+ phobias among teens; and finally to advocate for LGBTQ+ people and their rights during important international conferences. |
Giving back to the community is not just about survival, it can also be about thriving, empowering, and making a difference. With Mister for Good that's where we're headed.
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