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About

Overview
History
The Team

Overview

Sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) minorities are the most vulnerable minorities in the world. SOGI minorities historically have been the quintessential canaries in the coalmine, their very existence a threat to traditional norms and social structures.

The Franklin & Marshall Global Barometers, consisting of the F&M Global Barometer of Gay Rights (F&M GBGR®) and the Global Barometer of Transgender Rights (F&M GBTR™) measure state- and societal-level protection or persecution of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) minorities worldwide. The F&M Global Barometer LGBTQI+ Perception Index (GBPI) was added in 2022. The barometers are housed at Franklin & Marshall College, an undergraduate liberal arts institution established in 1787 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

We provide a database of SOGI rights that is comprehensive, accurate, and reliable. Our approach combines universal principles of human rights with quantitative research methods, allowing for the generation of multi-year worldwide trends in SOGI human rights progression or regression.

To date, we have sourced data for over 204 countries and regions. The barometers have been reviewed by partners in over 40 countries. They include grassroots activists, international and local organizations, academics, policy professionals, and human rights consultants who have lent valuable insights on local and regional conditions.

The F&M Global Barometers™ utilize universal principles of human rights that apply to all human beings, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. The F&M Global Barometers™ are intended to provide objective data to inform policy and research.

History

The history of the barometers spans back to 2010. Dr. Susan Dicklitch-Nelson, F&M Professor of Government, approached Berwood Yost, Director of the F&M Center for Opinion Research, with an idea for an ambitious and comprehensive system that would document and measure state-and societal-level rights for sexual minorities around the globe. The Barometer of Gay Rights (BGR) emerged as a result. The initial ideation for the research was published in 2011 in the Human Rights Quarterly, applying the nascent Barometer to a case study of Uganda. The BGR debuted with 29 items measuring human rights in 188 countries.

Why a barometer of SOGI rights?

Over many years, the BGR underwent several iterations based on universal principles of human rights detailed in several international human rights documents, most importantly the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Yogyakarta Principles. Eventually, it was renamed  the Global Barometer of Gay Rights (GBGR®) to reflect global reach of the research, and consists of 27 items.

In 2018, the project received funding from the LGBTI Global Development Partnership to triple-verify data through regional peer review experts, including grassroots activists, scholars, and policy professionals. As understandings of sexuality, gender, and human rights have evolved globally, the need to create a sister barometer focusing on the unique challenges faced by transgender individuals became increasingly clear. The Global Barometer of Transgender Rights (GBTR™) began with seven items in 2018 to complement the GBGR® but eventually became a stand-alone barometer in its own right. The GBTR™ consists of 17 items.

Attribution

International research was supported by the Multi-Donor Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex Global Human Rights Initiative (GHRI). The GHRI was founded in 2019 and brings together the United States Agency for International Development, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Global Affairs Canada, the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, Equality Without Borders, The Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, and Franklin and Marshall College.

The goal of the GHRI is to help protect LGBTI people in developing countries from violence, discrimination, stigma, and criminalization by 1) conducting research and data-collection to inform policy; 2) supporting social and behavior change communications and related capacity building; 3) advancing projects in focus countries; and 4) providing emergency response to LGBTI individuals and organizations.

The Team

Susan Dicklitch-Nelson Founder & Principal Investigator,
Professor of Government
more info

Susan Dicklitch-Nelson

Founder & Principal Investigator,
Professor of Government

Dr. Susan Dicklitch-Nelson (she/her) is the founder of the F&M Global Barometers™ and Professor of Government at Franklin & Marshall College.  She is the Principal Investigator on the F&M Global Barometers. She holds a Ph.D., and M.A.,from the University of Toronto, and an Honors B.A. from McMaster University.  She has published widely on human rights and democracy and has served as an expert witness in over 100 asylum cases.

 

Stefanie Kasparek Senior Data Analyst more info

Stefanie Kasparek

Senior Data Analyst

Stefanie Kasparek (she/her) is the Senior Data Analyst for the F&M Global Barometers. She is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Government at Franklin & Marshall College. She received her M.A. in Political Science from Temple University (2015) and M.A. in American Studies/Political Science/International Law from Tuebingen University, Germany (2013). She also served as the Assistant Program Director for the Pennsylvania Public Policy Database Project at the Institute for Public Affairs at Temple University from 2016 to 2020.

Erin Hallenbeck Project Manager and Research Assistant more info

Erin Hallenbeck

Project Manager and Research Assistant

Erin Hallenbeck (she/her) is the Project Manager and Research Assistant for the F&M Global Barometers. An alumna of Franklin & Marshall College, Erin completed her B.A. in English Literature and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and received her MSt. in Women’s Studies from the University of Oxford. Previously, she taught social studies and ESL classes outside of Boston and in the Netherlands as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. Erin joined the team in Fall 2022.

Erin Maxwell Senior Researcher more info

Erin Maxwell

Senior Researcher

Erin (she/her) is a Senior Researcher for the F&M Global Barometers. She is a  senior at Franklin & Marshall College with a double major in Government and History on the Pre-Law track. Erin joined the team as a coder in August of 2021 after completing a Hackman research scholarship with Dr. Dicklitch-Nelson. She has presented original research with the support of the F&M Global Barometers at the International Studies Association Conference in 2021.

Juliana Stoll Researcher more info

Juliana Stoll

Researcher

Juliana (she/her) joined the team as a researcher for the F&M Global Barometers in 2022, shortly after graduating from Franklin & Marshall with a B.A. in biology and Spanish and a minor in environmental studies. Her main focus is on coding the F&M Global Barometer of Gay Rights (GBGR).

She worked on the project during her freshman year at F&M in Dr. Dicklitch-Nelson’s Global LGBTQ+ Human Rights class, and she is excited to be involved again.

Amy Moreno Researcher more info

Amy Moreno

Researcher

Dr. Amy Moreno (she/her) is the main researcher on the F&M Global Barometer of Transgender Rights (GBTR). She joined the team in 2021. Amy earned her B.A. from Hamilton College, an M.A. / Ph.D. in English and American Literature from the University of Delaware. She taught English from 2004-2017 and served as Assistant Dean of the College at Franklin & Marshall College from 2008-2017.

Paulina Erazo Ayala Coordinator more info

Paulina Erazo Ayala

Coordinator

Paulina Erazo Ayala (she/her) is coordinator for the F&M Global Barometers and also the Academic Coordinator for the Department of Government, and the Public Policy Program, at Franklin & Marshall College. Paulina holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the Universidad Tecnica Particular de Loja of Ecuador and a Bookkeeping and Accounting certificate. She worked on several projects as a financial assistant for the United Nations Development Programme in Ecuador from 2004 – 2018 and joined F&M in 2019

Previous Key Contributors

Indira Rahman Former Research Associate
and Project Manager,
Franklin & Marshall College
more info

Indira Rahman

Former Research Associate
and Project Manager,
Franklin & Marshall College

Indira Rahman joined the GBGR® and GBTR™ team as Research Associate and Project Manager in December 2018. Prior to joining the team, they established their own grassroots non-profit in Bangladesh focusing on early education success for scholars in underserved areas of Dhaka. As the Executive Project Manager of a non-profit management consulting company in Philadelphia, they worked directly with the CEO to establish procedures focused on leveraging organizational resources and efficiencies. They hold a Bachelor’s degree in Government and Astrophysics from Franklin & Marshall College.

Berwood Yost Director,
Center for Opinion Research
more info

Berwood Yost

Director,
Center for Opinion Research

Berwood Yost is the Director of the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin and Marshall College, where he also teaches courses in research methods and public health. He has substantial applied experience designing and implementing public opinion research using both qualitative and quantitative methods and has conducted funded research on behalf of government, business, nonprofit organizations, public utilities, higher education, and the media.

His scholarly research has appeared in Addictive Behaviors, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, American Journal of Public Health, Commonwealth, Criminology & Public Policy, Human Rights Quarterly, Nicotine and Tobacco Research, Tobacco Control, and Women’s Health Issues. Prior to assuming his present post, he was the Director of the Center for Opinion Research at Millersville University.

Scottie Thompson-Buckland Project and Data Specialist,
Center for Opinion Research
more info

Scottie Thompson-Buckland

Project and Data Specialist,
Center for Opinion Research

Scottie Thompson Buckland is Project and Data Specialist at the Center for Opinion Research in August 2015. Since 2011, Ms. Thompson Buckland has been an integral part of the F&M Global Barometers™ team, including in areas such as research design, data analysis, and survey design.

She has published five articles in refereed scholarly journals and has also made numerous conference presentations. Her scholarly research has appeared in Journal of Human Rights, Commonwealth, Journal of Community Health, American Thoracic Society, and Journal of Community Health Nursing. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience from the University of Delaware.

Research Assistants

Aiesha Elwakdy
AJ Leskin
Bonnie Sullivan
Bryan Dougan
Chan Tov McNamarah
Giovanni Corrado
Julia Bevan
Morgan Reed
Rebecca Ware Green
Ryan Tabris
Tamir Shemesh
Taylor Chase
Vicente Brambila
Yousra Chaabane
Rachel Dolan
Trinity Nguyen
Kate McBride

Partners

The F&M Global Barometers™ have received support from a variety of partners, including individuals, organizations, and government entities. Crucially, 50+ regional peer review experts from over 40 countries have assisted in ensuring the accuracy of the barometers. We are grateful to all of our partners who have supported us in this endeavor.
The protection or persecution of SOGI minorities affects the well-being of millions worldwide. Their rights are an accurate proxy for human rights. Reliably gauging SOGI rights using the GBGR and GBTR allows us to quantify the state of human rights worldwide.
Franklin & Marshall College
P.O. Box 3003
Lancaster, PA 17604-3003
717-358-4185
gbgr@fandm.edu
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