Two major LGBTQ+ organizations – GLSEN and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) – both recently announced major layoffs, with HRC planning to lose 20 percent of its workforce and GLSEN losing a whopping 60 percent of its staff. Both organizations claim the layoffs will not affect their strong resistance to the Trump administration. 

GLSEN executive director Melanie Willingham-Jaggers said the organization has experienced a sharp revenue loss and the layoffs are part of plans to “right-size” the educational advocacy organization.

“We are not an injured version of the GLSEN we were before Monday. We are a new organization,” they told Advocate, confirming 18 employees had been laid off. “Right-sizing is bringing attention to the conditions, responding to the conditions, and being humble enough to do what is possible for us to survive, for us to be impactful, and for us to be sustainable.”

“We’re not doing the work of 42 people with 17 people,” they added. “We’re doing the critical work of 17 people in a way that is most humane, most sustainable, and most impactful.”

In a statement to LGBTQ Nation, Willingham-Jaggers said the smaller staff will not render the organization less effective and that the work “will be more focused and directed to areas that will have more impact.”

“This is a clarifying moment,” they said. “GLSEN’s north star and mission will continue to advocate for inclusive and equitable policies, shape the national conversation on systemic change and education justice, strengthen our national movement by working locally, across the country, via our chapter network and equip youth, families and educators with the necessary support, training, tools, strategy and community-building networks to create change in their local communities.”

They told Advocate relentless right-wing attacks over the past several years contributed to the funding dip. 

“In the desire to grow our way out of problems of scale, we hit a ceiling—and then our revenue hit a cliff because of right-wing attacks. They saw Target back off, and then they came for us even harder.” Here, they are referring to Target’s decision to remove certain Pride merchandise from its shelves after conservatives launched a boycott of the stores. 

Additionally, they said the overall right-wing crusade against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has led to waning engagement from corporate donors. 

But they also told LGBTQ Nation that GLSEN had already been considering ways to “streamline, right-size, and transform in order to meet the moment.” 

“In addition to funding, the political landscape and the hostile Trump administration is also requiring GLSEN, and all LGBTQ+ organizations, to rethink their approaches and be smarter and to not do ‘business as usual.’ This transformation is to ensure that our work is effective and transformational on all levels.” 

Willingham-Jaggers also expanded on GLSEN’s future in an op-ed.

HRC expressed similar sentiments. “Given the threats ahead of us, any LGBTQ organization or progressive organization that’s not seriously evaluating their strategies and structures is missing the reality of the threats in front of us,” a spokesperson told Advocate.

The organization will reportedly lay off about 50 employees by February 12, citing the need to “operate differently” as a result of the political and legislative climate. HRC representatives told Advocate it exceeded its funding goal over the past several years, which led the organization to expand programming and operating costs. But the expansion has now become unsustainable. 

Like Willingham-Jaggers, HRC president Kelley Robinson assured the community that the mission remains the same: “Our success has never been determined by the number of staff we have but by the impact that we make in the world. We need to stay laser-focused on how we can create change… We’re sharpening our focus on where we can make the most impact. This is about ensuring that we are agile and strategic in this moment.”

HRC employees are members of the Services Employees Union, which Robinson said they notified about the upcoming layoffs. 

Robinson is also currently pregnant but said her maternity leave in the spring will not get in the way of the organization’s success. 

“A movement is bigger than any single person,” she said. “I am proud to have a great chief of staff, a great chief operating officer, and an incredible team here at the Human Rights Campaign that, even while I’m on maternity leave, will be helping to move things forward.”

Robinson also said she doesn’t believe the layoffs mean HRC is any weaker. 

“If it’s our opposition asking that question, I think they do that at their own peril,” she said. “The best thing about being a queer person is that we have a history and a legacy of confronting impossible challenges and coming out the other side.”

“We aren’t going anywhere,” another official said. “This is about responsible leadership and positioning ourselves to be in a place of strength for our people—not just today, but in the years ahead.”

Another official said one big focus is rethinking communication how to talk about LGBTQ+ issues in the age of misinformation: “We need to make sure that the American people understand that trans people aren’t a thought exercise — that we are in every zip code, every family, every race and region, and we are not going anywhere. But we also need to be strategic about how we amplify these voices in a way that shifts the national conversation.”

Willingham-Jaggers emphasized to LGBTQ Nation:  “In these difficult times, one truth stands unshaken: our work has never been more essential. GLSEN sees this volatile reality as an opportunity to amplify the voices of grassroots movements, strengthen local communities, and champion the resilience of the underserved. Queer and trans people have always existed and will continue to thrive—together, we will press forward, overcome, and succeed.”