Rainbow Railroad

Common card · No. 316478

Rainbow Railroad is a North American charitable organization that helps lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) individuals escape violence and persecution in their home countries. The organization was formed in 2006, with its name and concept inspired by the Underground Railroad that was used by enslaved African-Americans to escape into free states. Rainbow Railroad has assisted nearly 15,000 individuals since their founding in 2006, including over 1,500 persons supported through emergency relocation assistance. It received charitable status from the Canada Revenue Agency in 2013, and received 501(c)(3) charity organization status in 2015. The organization is based in Toronto and New York City. Human rights lawyer Ilana Landsberg-Lewis became executive director in 2026. After the revelations about the anti-gay purges and concentration camps in Chechnya (and on a smaller scale in neighboring Ingushetia and Dagestan), Rainbow Railroad began to mobilize emergency...

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