About

The Franklin & Marshall Global Barometers® (FMGB) is an LGBT+ human rights research project housed at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA. It was initially conceived of in 2010 and has since grown to include four distinct but interrelated datasets. The project’s data has been used to inform the work of policy-makers, scholars, and activists around the world.

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History & Overview

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people are some of the most vulnerable minorities in the world. LGBT people have historically been the quintessential canaries in the coal mine, their very existence often viewed as a threat to traditional norms and social structures.

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 rights for sexual orientation minorities around the globe. The Barometer of Gay Rights (BGR) emerged as a result. The initial idea for the research was published in 2011 in the leading human rights journal, 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.

The F&M Global Barometers (FMGB) provide a comprehensive database of LGBTQI+ rights and experiences that is current, accurate and reliable. We use quantitative research methods that allow for longitudinal analyses of trends in LGBTQI+ human rights progression or regression. The F&M Global Barometer of Gay Rights (GBGR) tracks gay, lesbian and bisexual rights and privileges; the F&M Global Barometer of Transgender Rights (GBTR) catalogs rights specific to transgender persons; the F&M Global Barometer of Unified LGBT Rights (GBUR) combines the two measures, the GBGR and the GBTR; the F&M Global Barometers LGBTQI+ Perception Index (GBPI) is a survey that gauges LGBTQI+ lived experiences worldwide.

To date, the FMGB have sourced data for 204 countries and territories from 2011-2022. The GBGR and the GBTR have been reviewed by partners in over 40 countries. They include grassroots activists, international and local organizations, academic scholars, policy professionals, and human rights experts who have lent valuable insights into local and regional conditions. The 2024 iteration of the GBPI received over 38,000 responses from LGBTQI+ individuals in 122 countries.

The FMGB are intended to provide objective data to inform policy and research.

The Team

Dr. Susan Dicklitch-Nelson

Founder & Principal Investigator,
Professor of Government

Dr. 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.

Nolan Gise

Data Analyst

Nolan Gise

Data Analyst

Nolan Gise (he/him) is a Data Analyst for the F&M Global Barometers. He earned a B.A. in Mathematics from Franklin and Marshall College in May 2024. Along with the F&M Global Barometers, he currently works full-time as a Machine Learning Engineer at a cybersecurity company.

Erin Hallenbeck

Research Assistant

Erin Hallenbeck

Research Assistant

Erin Hallenbeck (she/her) serves as the project manager and research associate 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.

Amy Moreno

Research Assistant and Editor

Amy Moreno

Research Assistant and Editor

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.

Harini Narayan

Project Manager and Research Assistant

Harini Narayan

Project Manager and Research Assistant

Harini is an M.A. graduate of South Asian Studies. Their research background includes studying the effects of discrimination on the mental health of transgender individuals.

Claire Retterer

Research Assistant and Budget Coordinator

Claire Retterer

Research Assistant and Budget Coordinator

Claire (she/her) joined the F&M Global Barometers team as a research assistant in 2024. She holds a B.A. in Mathematics and Philosophy from Lafayette College. Prior to her role with the F&M Global Barometers, Claire worked in international education as an ESL teacher and study abroad advisor.

Juliana Stoll

Research Associate

Juliana Stoll

Research Associate

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.

Contributors

Student Research Assistants

Past Contributors

Global Outreach Advisory Council

The Global Outreach Advisory Council is a group of leaders in LGBTQI+ advocacy, philanthropy, and research that have helped to develop and disseminate the F&M Global Barometers LGBTQI+ Perception Index. The project is grateful for their contributions to the survey.

Alli Jernow

Social Justice Vice President, Arcus Foundation

Alli Jernow

Social Justice Vice President, Arcus Foundation

Alli is the Social Justice Program Vice President at Arcus Foundation. She brings more than 20 years of experience in grant-making, civil rights lawyering, and international human rights. Prior to joining Arcus in September 2022, she was the program director of the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity & Expression Program at Wellspring Philanthropic Fund, where she led U.S. and international grantmaking in support of LGBTQ movements. Previously, she was the head of the Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity Programme at the International Commission of Jurists in Geneva, where she authored Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Justice: A Comparative Law Casebook. She holds degrees from Harvard College, Columbia School of International and Public Affairs, and NYU School of Law.

Mino Likwasi

Co-Founder, Women’s Alliance for Equality

Mino Likwasi

Co-Founder, Women’s Alliance for Equality

Mino Likwasi (They/Them) is the Co-Founder of Womens Alliance for Equality Zambia (WAFE) and is currently engaged by The Global Interfaith Network. They serve on the Board of Trustees of The Other Foundation and Outright Internationals LBQ Connect Sounding Board. They also are a member of the Community of Practice on Organization Development under COC Netherlands Power of Pride program. They hold a BA in Economics from Cavendish University and have over a decade of work experience on the human rights of LGBTIQ+ communities.

Ezra Berkley Nepon

Deputy Director, Global Philanthropy Project

Ezra Berkley Nepon

Deputy Director, Global Philanthropy Project

Ezra Berkley Nepon is the Deputy Director of Global Philanthropy Project (GPP) and the primary author of the Global Resources Report. Ezra joined the GPP staff in 2015, having previously served as Director of Grassroots Fundraising for Sylvia Rivera Law Project and the Development Coordinator for William Way LGBT Community Center, and co-authored reports including “Who Decides: How Participatory Grantmaking Benefits Donors, Communities, and Movements” with The Lafayette Practice. Ezra received an M.A. Degree from Goddard College.

Steph Niaupari

Equality Outreach Manager, Grindr for Equality

Steph Niaupari

Equality Outreach Manager, Grindr for Equality

Steph Niaupari (they/elle) is the Equality Outreach Manager at Grindr. In this role, they build global partnerships with LGBTQ+ organizations to mobilize and empower users on issues of safety, advocacy, and sexual health. As a trans masculine Ecua-Yorker, Steph thrives at the intersection of multiple identities and experiences. With over a decade of experience in gender equity and public policy, they possess a profound understanding of justice work globally. Steph holds an M.A. in International Development from Gallaudet University and is currently learning their sixth language. Residing in Washington, D.C., Steph can often be found growing a food garden on their balcony to feed their loved ones.

Dr. Chloe Schwenke

President, Center for Values in International Development

Dr. Chloe Schwenke

President, Center for Values in International Development

Dr. Chloe Schwenke is an international development ethicist, practitioner, human rights activist, researcher, and educator. Her career has focused on gender equality & social inclusion (GESI), LGBTQ+, governance, peacebuilding, and human rights. In addition to her wide range of policy, programming, research, and advocacy work on LGBTQ+ issues, her GESI experience includes policy, project, and research work on GBV, child marriage, male engagement, and women’s role in peacebuilding. Her experience in conflict mitigation and peacebuilding includes conflict vulnerability analyses, peacebuilding programming and evaluation, and community-driven/participatory development in post-conflict settings (Somalia, South Sudan, Gaza Strip). Chloe’s career covers project experience in over 40 countries. She served as a political appointee at USAID under the Obama Administration, as Senior Advisor on democracy, human rights, and governance in sub-Saharan Africa, and on LGBTQ+ issues globally. Later she was VP for Global Programs at Freedom House. She currently serves as an adjunct professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and as adjunct lecturer at the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland at College Park.

Kimberly Zieselman, JD

Senior Advisor for Global Intersex Rights, Outright International

Kimberly Zieselman, JD

Senior Advisor for Global Intersex Rights, Outright International

Kimberly Zieselman, is an intersex woman, lawyer, and human rights advocate with over 25 years of experience in nonprofit leadership. She served as a Senior Advisor to the Special Envoy to Advance the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons at the U.S. State Department. Kimberly’s dedication to promoting the human rights of intersex persons is evident in her extensive work in the field. She served as the Executive Director of interACT, and also served on the board of directors for InterConnect, the largest intersex support group in North America. As a leader in the field of intersex rights, Kimberly participated as the sole American intersex participant in the Expert Intersex Convening by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in 2015 and is an official signatory to the historic Yogyakarta Principles +10, which added specific provisions for intersex rights. In 2020, she published her award-winning memoir, XOXY, which chronicles her personal and professional intersex journey. Additionally, Kimberly recently executive produced the award-winning short narrative film Common As Red Hair, which is currently being screened at festivals.

Collaborators

The F&M Global Barometers has partnered with a range of organizations and individuals who have informed, developed, and supported the FMGB mission.

This project would not be possible without the enduring generous support of our current partners: Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, Center for Values in International Development, Council for Global Equality, Eden, Franklin & Marshall College, Global Philanthropy Project, Grindr 4 Equality, Outright International, Safespace Alliance, and Tower Marketing; and without the support of our past partners, including the F&M Center for Opinion Research, HER, and Interpride.