Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.
The balloons have deflated, the risers and sound systems from celebrations across the country have been taken down, but I hope you’re still feeling a little of the euphoria left over from the day that the U.S. Supreme Court announced its historic marriage ruling.
In the 90s I was the lead organizer in Lawrence, Massachusetts working to create the first LGBT Pride march. The effort was a huge undertaking fighting in the face of constant threats of violence.
Today HRC reported that five new major American companies announced their support for the Equality Act. Each of these new leading corporations – American Airlines, Facebook, General Mills, Google and Nike demonstrated their belief that all Americans, including LGBT people, should have the protections from discrimination. These companies join Apple, The Dow Chemical Company, and Levi Strauss, & Co. in supporting comprehensive federal LGBT non-discrimination legislation.
Charlotte, NC - Today the Equality Act was introduced by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) in the U.S. Senate and Representative Cicilline (D-RI) in the U.S. House of Representatives, including co-sponsors Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Representatives Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and John Lewis (D-GA).
Equality Federation hails the momentous decision by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) that Title VII of the 1967 Civil Rights Act includes protection from employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. Previously, the EEOC found that gender identity-based discrimination against transgender Americans is also prohibited by Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Equality Federation condemns new legislation introduced by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rep. Raul Labrador (R-ID), the so-called First Amendment Defense Act (FADA), that would allow individuals and organizations to discriminate against millions of Americans—including LGBT people, single mothers, unmarried couples, same-sex couples and others—based on their marital status.
It’s been almost a year since the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling striking down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in Windsor v. United States, and in that short time, we have seen a promising surge in impact litigation to secure marriage for same-sex couples. In fact, since the Supreme Court’s ruling last summer, not one federal judge has ruled against the freedom to marry.
Have your staff meetings started to feel like a waste of time? Do they drag on with each person reporting out in excruciating detail on what they’re doing?About a year ago, we realized our staff meetings at Equality Federation weren’t as productive as we wanted them to be and decided to try a different approach.
No student should feel too afraid to go to school. No student should face discrimination and harassment while trying to learn. No student should be denied the opportunity to succeed and thrive as who they are.
At this critical moment for our movement, the South is playing a growing role in the fight for full equality. And the state-based movement, working with local and national partners, is key to success.
State-based organizations across the country are making changes in the communities we call home -- where the work is hard, but the impact is great. Nearly every week, we hear about another victory that provides LGBT people with the protection, respect, and dignity they need and deserve, but far too often, these wins go unsung by the broader LGBT movement.
When Equality Federation Institute was looking for a city to host our annual Summer Meeting, we were looking for a place that embodies our commitment to working locally, to building a true grassroots movement, and to winning big, even when it’s hard.We found it all in Minneapolis, with member organization OutFront Minnesota as our host.
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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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