Galang is the Filipino word for respect. The word signifies respect for human rights and human diversity,
which lies at the core of GALANG’s struggle for equality and justice. We believe that galang or respect is
a message that should resonate not only in local lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT)1
communities,
but also in mainstream Philippine society.
Registered with the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission as a non-government organization
(NGO) on August 29, 2008, GALANG takes pride in being a lesbian-initiated, lesbian-run feminist
human rights organization that works with lesbians, bisexual women, and trans men (LBTs)2
in urban
poor communities. It also includes women who either self-identify as lesbian or bisexual and/or have
relationships with women but self-identify as heterosexual, as well as persons labeled as females at
birth but self-identify as male (trans men). Our organization has both male and female, heterosexual and
gay staff and volunteer professionals, and we espouse the feminist values of respect, economic justice,
equality, diversity, fairness, and empowering processes at all levels of our work.
GALANG aspires to be a catalyst for the empowerment of economically disadvantaged Filipino LBTs
to attain social and economic equity (access and control); and to create an enabling policy environment
in support of the attainment of empowerment and equity among LBTs in urban poor communities. This
two-fold mission seeks to contribute to the attainment of social and economic equity for Filipino LBTs by
confronting the issues of homophobia (both external and internalized) and discrimination, poverty, sexual
and physical violence, rape, suicide, unemployment, and lack of access to health care.