Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.
To everyone in our community: We are here. We will keep fighting for us, showing up for us, and creating spaces where we can all feel safe and loved.
President Biden signed into law the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act. This annual defense policy bill included a new provision blocking health care for the transgender children of military servicemembers. This provision is the first anti-LGBTQ+ federal law enacted since the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996.
Hear from the Fed team, and take a look at what we’ve been up to in 2024!
Equality Federation Institute is proud to partner on HRC’s 2024 Municipal Equality Index (MEI), a comprehensive tool that shows how cities nationwide foster LGBTQ+ equality through their policies, practices, and services.
We are pleased to announce Janeesha’s promotion from Events Manager to Director of Leadership & Capacity Building!
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In the spirit of finding hope where we can, here are a few key victories from across the states in the 2024 election.
About 24,000 trans individuals in 10 states may be disenfranchised by strict photo ID laws in the November 2014 general election.With one-third of transgender people nationwide unable to update any of their voting IDs, this is a critical issue our movement must address.
The Federation’s Director of Communications, our beloved Jace Woodrum, is leaving us to join the team at the Gill Foundation in Denver, Colorado. Over the past 15 months, Jace has revolutionized our communications with our members, partners, donors, and supporters. Never before have so many people understood what our team does and what impact we’re making in the movement.
Exclusionary policies go against our movement’s commitment to winning equality for all. But our members stand up against such hurtful practices that leave out people in our communities.Groups like Equality Michigan, who recently publicly denounced the exclusion of transgender women from the state’s annual Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival (Michfest), are reaffirming our movement’s commitment to equality for all — with no one left behind.
Many people are surprised to learn that in the fourth largest city in the country, it’s perfectly legal to fire someone, deny them an apartment, or refuse them service at a business simply because of who they are. That’s why, earlier this year, activists in Houston were pushing for HERO, the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, a law protecting Houston residents from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, familial status, military status, religion, disability, genetic information, and sex.
In Maine, Federation member organization EqualityMaine is working beyond the marriage milestone — proving to Mainers and Americans that we have a lot more to do after winning the freedom to marry. In recent months, since completing its new strategic plan, EqualityMaine has shifted its focus to ending transgender discrimination in healthcare.
Every Summer Meeting is special, but the energy of this year’s gathering was as unique as the movement moment we’re in. This energy was felt throughout the Meeting, but especially during our favorite plenary session: FEDtalks.
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With your support, we'll be able to continue our work to build the leaders of today and tomorrow, strengthen state-based LGBTQ+ organizations, and make critical progress on the issues that matter most—like protecting transgender people, ending HIV criminalization and ensuring access to care, and banning conversion therapy across the country.
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