Arcus 2018 Report: Securing the Lives of LGBTQ People and Nonhuman Apes

The year 2018 brought into sharp focus a range of newly emerging or worsening threats, including a rollback on transgender and immigrants rights in the United States; a proposed major hydropower project in central Guinea that would displace thousands of chimpanzees; and a staggering number of murders of LGBTI people in Central America, and worldwide.

But the year also proved–once again–that the individuals, communities, and movements that courageously defend human rights and work to conserve the world’s apes are making a positive difference, and saving lives. We saw it with the mountain gorilla conservationists who cautiously celebrated the subspecies’ downlisting from critically endangered to endangered, vowing to keep up efforts to protect the still-small population; the faith groups pushing for LGBTQ+ acceptance in Kenya and South Africa; the Bornean sustainable livelihoods manager who rallied a local community to stop destroying the treetop homes of orangutans; and the organization that helped dozens of trans women in South Florida gain access to their dreams through legal name changes.


Follow the links below to explore stories of how these achievements were realized in 2018 and the first half of 2019, and meet some of the countless activists tackling the constantly evolving threats their communities face. You can see the print version of the annual report digitally through the e-book or the full PDF.

Social Justice Program
LGBTQ Migrants to the U.S. Fight to Stay Safe

“I Know Who I Am, But My Country Doesn’t Recognize Me”

U.S. Transgender Advocates Stand Their Ground Amid Rights Rollbacks

LGBTQ Activists Build Bridges with Faith Leaders in Kenya, South Africa

Great Apes & Gibbons Program
As Chimpanzee Habitat in Guinea Is Threatened, Environmentalists Join Forces to Save Lives

As Mountain Gorillas Reach Crossroads, Conservationists Urge Caution

Borneo Indigenous Leader Boosts Security for Orangutans and Neighbors