Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.
On Tuesday, November 3rd voters in Houston repealed the city’s Equal Right Ordinance (HERO) which provided protections from discrimination based on 15 classes including race, disability, age, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Throughout the campaign, opposition used fear, lies, and misinformation to confuse voters.
This October, I was honored to participate in an event that is a great model for transgender advocacy and community building: the Transgender Information and Empowerment Summit (TIES) organized by Federation member Equality Virginia. I’ve asked James Parrish, executive director of Equality Virginia, some questions about this inspiring event to share the wealth of knowledge.
Here at the Equality Federation Institute, we know that local and incremental work matters. That’s why we began an investigation into the impact these campaigns have on our movement.
We have a unique role that is fundamentally the Finance and Administration Director, which plays a critical role in partnering with other members of the organization in strategic decision making and operations as OutFront Minnesota continues to live out its mission and vision.
Today, our partners at the Movement Advancement Project (MAP) released a new report revealing that a shocking 70% of the geographic area of the United States lacks any city, county, or state employment protections for LGBT people, with comprehensive employment protections concentrated in just 30% of the country geographically.
Equality Federation congratulates two of our staff members for recently being awarded for their work to win equality!
It took years of organizing and lobbying and coalition building and storytelling. But soon, the Fairness for All Marylanders Act of 2014 will become law.
In 2011, the IRS defined marriage as a legal union between one man and one woman, essentially forcing legally married same-sex couples to lie on their income tax returns by filing as single. This legal injustice inspired Nadine Smith of Equality Florida to create the Refuse to Lie Campaign, encouraging legally married same-sex couples to take a stand by refusing to deny our spouses.
It’s time to start thinking about summer. Warm breezes, green trees, vacation days. And Summer Meeting.Each year, the Equality Federation Institute hosts the Summer Meeting to bring together the sharpest minds and the most strategic players in the movement for LGBT equality.
Just this past week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) took another step toward making healthcare available and equitable for married same-sex couples.
Good news for Federation members! Salsa has rolled out a new feature that will make donating to your organization even easier for your supporters. This feature, called Quick Donate, allows supporters to opt-in to a special service that will allow them to donate instantly to you through Salsa -- with no form needed.
Just as a historic 2013 came to a close, LGBT Louisianians celebrated a big win. The town of Shreveport became the second municipality to protect its residents from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.
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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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