Erwin de Leon
24 October 2025
10:15 am
Session summary
The session will give an overview of the state of LGBTQ+ nonprofit organisations in the United States under the current Trump administration, which threatens trans lives and seeks to further marginalise and erase the LGBTQ+ community. It will highlight how these social service providers are fighting back and ensuring that their invaluable work continues, especially with transgender individuals. The session will also cover the implications for global LGBTQ+ NGOs that have been defunded by the U.S. administration. It will suggest how the charitable sector in the U.S. and internationally can galvanise and move forward during these turbulent times. The information provided will come from research, experience as a member of the board of directors of the LGBT Center of New York, and lived experience as a queer immigrant.
Biography
Erwin de Leon is a lecturer in Columbia University School of Professional Studies nonprofit management program. He also belongs to the board of directors of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center of New York and the Saamarthya Foundation. Erwin received a Ph.D. in Public and Urban Policy and an M.S. in Nonprofit Management from the New School; an M.S. in Bioethics from Columbia University; and a B.S. in Management Engineering from the Ateneo de Manila University. Erwin resides in New York City with my husband, Rev. John F. Beddingfield.
