Happy Holidays!

As we enter the holiday season, we think about how important it is for all of us to give and support the people and causes we care about so dearly. The Social Action Committee has been a flurry of activity, planning service events for 2014 and continuing our work with the Jewish Community Relations Council, the Horizons Foundation, and the Council for Global Equality to identify and execute initiatives to help improve the lives of our brothers and sisters in Russia.

As the situation in Russia continues to get dire, even in the bright international limelight of the upcoming Sochi Olympics, LGBT Russian civil society needs help. Fortunately, there's something Americans can do: support the Russia Freedom Fund.

There are fewer than 20 paid staff for LGBT groups in Russia in a country of over 140 million people, a depressingly low number for a country of its size. Persecution of LGBT people, especially LGBT community leaders and youth, continues to carry on at a worrying pace. By supporting the Russia Freedom Fund, we have the opportunity to strike back against Putin's grotesque clampdown on civil society and his efforts to single out and demonize a minority group, all for the sake of appearing anti-Western to shore up his power.

We hope that you will join celebrities, athletes, and community leaders with the Uprising of Love campaign to spread the word and support the Fund. If you love social media, than this campaign is tailor-made for you!

Also, if you are interested in helping LGBT immigrants seeking asylum or refugee status in the U.S., especially here in California , please stay tuned for pro bono opportunities and an important announcement from the Horizons Foundation.

We look forward to celebrating 2013 and seeing everyone at the BALIF Holiday Party this Wednesday, December 18 from 5:30 - 9:00pm at Tank 18 wine bar. Please RSVP here!

Jessica Bogo
BALIF Social Action Committee Co-Chair