The Rainbow Prize, worth SEK 100,000, goes to the Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT) and its CEO Emmett Schelling, whose leadership and activism have been crucial to the organization's work and to the defense of transgender rights in Texas and the United States.

The Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT) is a trans-led organization that works to strengthen transgender rights in the state and provide transgender people with access to care and support. In a United States where attacks on transgender rights have increased sharply in recent years, TENT has become an important voice in the resistance to increasingly harsh anti-trans policies. Under Emmett Schelling's leadership, TENT has become one of the most influential trans organizations in the United States.

Some examples of TENT’s work:

· TENT and Emmett Schelling played a central role in stopping the so-called “bathroom bill” in Texas in 2017, which would have forced transgender people to use public restrooms that match the gender they were assigned at birth.

· In 2025, TENT introduced over 100 bills to strengthen the rights and improve the lives of LGBTQ people in Texas. The bills were a response to the over 200 anti-trans and anti-gay bills that were introduced in the state assembly that same year and show that there are alternatives to the hostile and hateful narrative that is increasingly directed at LGBTQ people in the state.

· In the same year, the organization launched a so-called “bill tracker” – a website that lists hostile bills against LGBTQ people in Texas and makes it easier for people to follow and thereby influence the legislative process.

· Through the Know Your Rights: Voting While Trans program, TENT has created a tool to help trans people exercise their democratic right to vote and resist anti-trans intimidation at the polling stations.

· Through safe meeting places, workshops and conversation support, TENT strengthens the entire trans community

Due to US immigration policy, Emmett Schelling cannot risk coming to the Regnbågsgalan in Stockholm on April 20th in person, as he risks being denied re-entry. Instead, Lais Milburn (she/her), AndreaSegovia (she/her) and Diaz Reyes Camacho (he) from TENT will come to the Regnbågsgalan to receive the award in his place.

Trans people in Tanzania live under strong stigma, discrimination and violence. Many are forced to hide their identity for fear of harassment and persecution. Access to basic healthcare is characterized by prejudice, which means that many avoid healthcare.

In this reality, the Tanzania Trans Initiative (TTI) is one of the few actors that offers safety and support. TTI is a trans-led feminist organization that works to empower trans and non-binary people. With a small team and an active board, the organization offers safe meeting places, psychosocial support, vocational training and mentoring, and advocates for improved health and financial security for the community.

With support from the Rainbow Fund, TTI focuses on mental health, sports and economic empowerment for young trans and non-binary people in Tanzania. Activities include support groups, vocational training and agricultural projects.

Across Central America, LGBTQ+ people continue to face extreme violence, discrimination, and impunity. In Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala, hate crimes and murders remain alarmingly high—often without justice. Political repression and daily discrimination force many to flee in search of safety and dignity. For many, Costa Rica has become a rare refuge: a country with relative stability, stronger institutions, and access to education and healthcare. Yet LGBTQ+ migrants and refugees still face exclusion, xenophobia, and barriers to work and protection. 

IRCA Casabierta is Costa Rica’s only organization dedicated to protecting and empowering LGBTQ+ migrants and refugees. Founded in 2013, it combines human rights advocacy with psychosocial, legal, and employment support. The organization runs the country’s only LGBTQ+ Employment Office (in partnership with the Ministry of Labor), provides legal and mental health assistance to hundreds of displaced people, and promotes inclusion through advocacy and partnerships. 

The current project strengthens IRCA Casabierta’s capacity by expanding employment training, legal aid, and mental health services; maintaining safe facilities and key staff; and advancing advocacy for displaced LGBTQ+ people. The funding helps secure the continuity of core programs and long-term resilience at a time when international support for LGBTQ+ and migration work in Latin America is rapidly shrinking. From Costa Rica, IRCA Casabierta not only provides lifesaving assistance but also builds inclusive, community-led models that inspire change across the region.