Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.
Today New York’s legislature passed GENDA, the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, that will ensure New Yorkers are protected from discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression in employment, housing, and public accommodations. The legislature also passed a ban on the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion therapy.
Today, Equality Federation Institute and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation and the released their annual State Equality Index (SEI), a comprehensive state-by-state report detailing statewide laws and policies that affect LGBTQ people and their families and placing states in one of four categories based on their pro- and anti-LGBTQ state laws.
The Supreme Court has denied to review two cases that challenged Mississippi‚ dangerously broad anti-LGBTQ law, HB 1523.
On Monday, January 7th, Michigan’s Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order banning discrimination against LGBTQ state employees and Wisconsin’s Governor Tony Evers signed an executive order expanding nondiscrimination protections to transgender state employees.
On a cold December night in Chicago, Fran Hutchins, our deputy director, and I hustled from our hotel to dinner with four executive directors who’ve stepped up to lead in their states in 2018. We’d just wrapped up the first of two intensive days of training at our New Executive Director Boot Camp.
Our regional summits are growing! This year’s West by Midwest (WxMW) Leadership Summit was our biggest and best ever. For the third year in a row, we’ve invited members from the Western states to join us at what used to be the Midwest Leadership Summit.
Our movement has secured historic victories in recent years because of the passion and commitment of activists and leaders who are creating incredible change in the communities they call home.
When the legislative session began in Utah this year, Equality Utah (EQUT) felt prepared to pass a nondiscrimination bill -- they had spent years building relationships on both sides of the aisle, had worked closely with the LDS church, and were planning to run a robust legislative campaign to show lawmakers that the public supports a law allowing gay and transgender Utahns to live free from discrimination in housing and employment.
When individuals go to work each day, they want to be judged on their professionalism, their experience, their performance, and their ability to get the job done. By working hard, meeting their responsibilities and playing by the rules, they strive for a fair chance to achieve a piece of the American Dream.
Minnesota’s bullying prevention law had long been considered one of the country’s weakest. Now, it’s one of the strongest. After more than a decade of tireless work and countless battles over the details of the proposed bill -- at 12:20 am on Wednesday, April 9, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed the Safe & Supportive Minnesota Schools Act by a vote of 69 to 63, following almost 12 hours of debate by Republicans.
Since its founding in 2010, One Colorado has celebrated a number of major victories -- from protecting LGBTQ students in their schools to securing civil unions for same-sex couples to removing barriers that transgender Coloradans face in getting the health care they need. In early 2014, One Colorado welcomed its second-ever executive director: Dave Montez. We reached out to Dave to talk with him about his experience and his plans for One Colorado.
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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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