Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.
In just a few short weeks, our members will have the chance to vote on our new slate of member representatives to the Equality Federation and Equality Federation Institute Board of Directors.
Today, Equality Federation Institute released What’s Next: Building Strong LGBTQ Organizations Beyond the Marriage Milestone. This report carefully considers what effective advocacy for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) equality looks like after winning marriage for same-sex couples.
From critical victories in legislatures to historic wins in the courts to huge jumps in the polls — we’ve had unstoppable momentum for marriage equality these past few years. We’re closer than we’ve ever been to winning the freedom to marry for all couples all across this country.
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s unprecedented decision in Hobby Lobby, LGBT advocates working across the country are deeply concerned about what will happen next, especially as the President’s staff prepares an executive order protecting LGBT people from discrimination by federal contractors.
For Immediate ReleaseLGBT Movement Leaders Issue Strong Request to President ObamaExecutive Order Shouldn’t Contain Religious Exemptions Beyond the Constitution and Title VII
Hawai’i is often thought of as the state that put in motion our modern march toward marriage equality. Even so, the Aloha State didn’t extend the freedom to marry to same-sex couples until last year. But it did so through a dramatic campaign that ended with a special legislative session and the passage of SB-1 — the Hawai’i Marriage Equality Act.
Across the country, our members are working hard to ensure that young people feel safe and protected at school. In order to build safe environments for students, we need support from decision makers in the community. But it isn’t always easy to build community support for schools that openly affirm people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
Transgender and gender non-conforming children and youth are disproportionately represented in the foster care population and are particularly vulnerable to mistreatment due to widespread anti-transgender bias, prejudice, and transphobia. Young transgender individuals may face unnecessary barriers while under the care of Children’s Services, such as in foster care or juvenile detention.
Each year, millions of students are removed from their classrooms for minor misconduct. This puts them at a significantly higher risk of falling behind academically, dropping out of school, and potentially being forced into the juvenile justice system.
In the past year since the Supreme Court struck down the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), we’ve witnessed 36 consecutive victories, and zero losses, for the freedom to marry. Twenty rulings have been issued in federal court, 13 in state court, and 3 by a federal appellate court.
Monica Meyer became the Executive Director of OutFront Minnesota in 2010, after serving as Public Policy Director since 2001. Under Monica's leadership, OutFront Minnesota and Project 515 co-founded Minnesotans United for All Families, the campaign which defeated the proposed constitutional amendment to limit the freedom to marry in 2012 and won marriage equality just seven months later.
Michael Nordman is the Director of Development at Equality Illinois. Since starting in 2012, he has helped the organization raise more than $2.8 million towards their fight for LGBT equality by mobilizing existing supporters and inspiring Illinoisans from all walks of life to join the movement.
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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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