News & Stories

Another June has come and gone, but we know that Pride is forever. Pride is past, present, and future. And, increasingly, Pride seems to be a matter of life or death. We  live in a world of uncertainty. Deadly conflict wages in Europe (and Africa. And Asia. And right here in the U.S.). We’ve come a long way with vaccines and boosters, but we’re not quite out of the COVID-woods yet. And renewed attacks across the county, and, yes, even here in Connecticut, have once again put the LGBTQ+ community in the cross-hairs of political culture wars, targeting the most vulnerable among us: our children. Yet one thing remains certain: we will always have each other’s backs. Here at the Leonard Litz LGBTQ+ Foundation, we know that our rights don’t always come without a fight. We’re here to fight. With you. Beside you. Supporting the hundreds of nonprofit community LGBTQ+ organizations that make their little corners of the world safe, more inclusive, and more welcoming. There is a CT-based artist whose motto is Love More Than Ever. We’d like to inspiration from him and suggest that what we need now is Pride More Than Ever. Be unabashedly proud. Be loud…

The Leonard Litz LGBTQ+ Foundation was created to help LGBTQ+ people achieve their full potential by supporting nonprofit organizations of all sizes that advance the interests and well-being of our community, particularly the most vulnerable in our community, including people of color and the transgender community. Now, we are inviting you to Take PRIDE in GIVING, too! As Elliot and Roger have said, the “joy of giving” takes on a new meaning when you realize the tremendous impact that seemingly small gestures can have on so many lives in our community. Do you have a favorite local nonprofit you want to support? Donate to them this Pride Month, and Leonard Litz will MATCH every dollar, up to $100 per donation. Take some time to research the nonprofit  organizations doing amazing work in your own communities, especially on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community. You’ll be amazed and excited by the amount of good they can do with whatever support you can offer them. Click Here to upload the confirmation of your donation. We will send you a confirmation of our matching donation. Please remember to verify that that organization is incorporated as a 501(c)3 entity. Now, more than ever, we need…

The Leonard Litz LGBTQ+ Foundation has been recognized as a “new and notable” foundation by Inside Philanthropy, a premier resource for professionals trying to better understand who’s doing what in the philanthropic world. The publication closely follows both major foundations, as well as new and emerging funders, particularly from the tech and finance industries, and offers day-to-day coverage of how foundations and individual donors give away their money. Their website calls Leonard Litz an “ambitious funder whose future grantmaking deserves to be watched closely.” An interview with Elliot and Roger in 2021 described them as “accessible” and “approachable,” and the foundation profile notes that there is an effort to be “collaborative,” offering “guidance on budgets for new programs and services.” Click here to the full foundation profile. We thank everyone at Inside Philanthropy for helping to make philanthropic resources accessible to all, not just to those with the right connections. We hope we can continue to inspire others with this opportunity to enrich the lives of the LGBTQ+ community—now and for generations to come.”

The Leonard Litz LGBTQ+ Foundation welcomed 2022 with a pledge to award $1million in grants this year, and just over three months in, we’re already more than 25% there. Our team continues to be guided by a mission focused on protecting and expanding the rights of LGBTQ+ people, and we are proud and privileged to be able to support the work of so many organizations who share our vision and goals. Click below to learn more about their work—we cannot wait to add to this list as we head into Spring! ACLU-Connecticut Eastern PA Trans Equity Project Hudson Valley LGBTQ+ Community Center In Our Own Voices NLGJA Odyssey Teen Camp Power Safe Place Resource Center of Virginia Pride Center of New Jersey Rockland County Pride Center The LOFT Triangle Community Center Rock Steady Farm   Click here for a list of previous Leonard Litz grantees. Are you involved with an LGBTQ+ nonprofit that has specific funding needs? We invite you to read more about our mission priorities, and learn how you can explore opportunities to seek our help.

The hateful and discriminatory anti-LGBT legislation known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill recently passed and likely to be signed into law in Florida has ignited a firestorm of backlash across the country (along with a chorus of support from its supporters). The “rationale” seems to be that if we deny the fact of the existence of the LGBTQ+ community in schools, kids won’t become gay, which is ludicrous, of course, but also potentially dangerous, as this brilliant op-ed by Will Larkins, reproduced below, demonstrates. Will is a junior at Winter Park High School in Winter Park, FL, and as a gay teenager, he has experienced firsthand the trauma that so many LGBTQ+ youth endure on the journey to self acceptance. “As I learned about the history and culture of my community,” he writes, “I grew to understand and love myself. Education made me hate myself less.” This bill just represents bigots sticking their heads in the sand. They seek to erase us linguistically, but whether we say “Gay” or not, the LGBTQ+ community is here to stay. Here to slay, even! A Gay by another name is just as fabulous, and pretending we don’t exist will only make life…

Most people tend to receive gifts on their birthday. Not our co-founder, Elliot Leonard. By founding the Leonard Litz LGBTQ+ Foundation, Elliot and his husband, Roger, have offered a tremendous example of generosity and kindness—not just a lifeline to so many nonprofit organizations doing life-saving work in the mission to protect and expand the safety, equality, and well-being of LGBTQ+ people, but also an urgent call to action to our entire community to support one another however we can. As Elliot loves to say, “you don’t need a lot of zeroes in your bank account to make a meaningful difference.” So, here’s to you, Elliot! Thank you for your wonderful gift of kindness and inspiration. Wishing you a Happy and Memorable Birthday, from the entire Leonard Litz family!

If you’re a millennial like me, or older, you didn’t have many public LGBTQ+ role models when you were growing up—especially when it came to sports. I remember the anxiety I felt as a closeted gay man joining MMA in high school, and the difference it made when I stumbled across the profile of Orlando Cruz, a gay Puerto Rican Olympic boxer. It was an empowering moment for me. Today, LGBTQ+ youth are witnessing a transformational epoch in the history of sexual and gender minority representation in sports across the globe. In 2020, weightlifter Laurel Hubbard became the first trans woman to compete in the Summer Olympics. Out LGBTQ+ athletes at the Winter Olympics brought their inspirational sportsmanship to the world stage. With 36 out athletes having competed in these past Winter Olympics, and another 186 in last year’s Summer Games, we’re reminded that our community is successful and talented beyond the stereotypical fields of art and music—perhaps even more so, because of the resilience we’ve had to show to overcome some of the ingrained homophobia among sports fans. The growing number of out athletes pushes the normalization of LGBTQ+ sportsmanship. Numerous research studies provide insight into the anxiety LGBTQ+…

As we come to the end of Black History Month, some folks are probably tired hearing the refrain that “Black History is American History.” Of course, it is. This country was built on the backs of Black people. America wouldn’t be America without Black history. But it’s also true that the LGBTQ+ community wouldn’t be where we are today without Black history. In fact, Black history is LGBTQ+ history. Our intersecting identities and struggles are impossible to dissect—quite literally for many people. The LGBTQ+ community is not inherently white, and Black people are not inherently straight. Though the LGBTQ+ Equality Movement has often been whitewashed in ways that marginalize the experiences of Black queer people, those experiences are no less valid. In fact, Black people have repeatedly been central and integral to the advancement of LGBTQ+ rights. Marsha P. Johnson, one of the storied leaders of the 1969 Stonewall uprising, was a Black drag queen. And it goes both ways. LGBTQ+ people have always been in the trenches of the Black Civil Rights Movement, if not always in the headlines. From Bayard Rustin and Audre Lorde, to James Baldwin and Lori Lightfoot, Black history and LGBTQ+ history have repeatedly been…

The Leonard-Litz LGBTQ+ Foundation is delighted to announce that our 2022 Community Grant is now open for applications. In 2021, we were proud to award more than $750,000 in grants to over 40 nonprofit LGBTQ+ organizations. In 2022, the goal is $1 million. Our Community Grants are intended to support the important work being done by nonprofit LGBTQ+ organizations of all sizes. LGBTQ+ Community Centers have been described as “the heart and soul of LGBTQ+ communities,” and we have all been witness to the tremendous good they do in communities all over the country, often with very little resources. We welcome grant applications from nonprofit organizations seeking help to deliver the programs and services our communities so urgently need. Our revised Community Grant application form is open for submissions on a rolling basis. Our grant review team generally reviews applications with four to six weeks, and, if approved, funds will be disbursed two to four weeks later. We would be remiss if we did not acknowledge the meticulous work that went into developing the original application—and our beautiful website. We offer sincere thanks and appreciation to Daryl Duarte, Chetan Jain, Mary Schiffer, and Laura Nelson for their input and contributions,…

As we finish our first year, we say Thank You to all who have participated in this funding venture. LGBTQ+ Community Centers of all sizes are an important presence in many of the cities, towns, and rural areas throughout the country. They have been described as “the heart and soul of the LGBTQ+ communities, a place where people can find resources, services, support, and a safe, welcoming space to just ‘be'” (thanks CenterLink!). They often provide the first opportunity for many youth to participate in a diverse range of activities with peers like them. These experiences allow young people to grow in self-awareness and confidence as they enter the rapidly changing world they will have to navigate in the future. These Centers also provide services to adults and seniors, who are often isolated or looking for some sense of community—especially now. Our Foundation has awarded grants to more than 40 organizations during our initial year. We invite you to visit our website to read more about these efforts, and to learn how you can explore opportunities to seek our help. The “Joy of Giving” takes on new meaning when you realize the tremendous impact that seemingly small gestures can have…