Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.
On July 4, 1999, I left Alabama, the state I had called home for my entire life. Since the moment that I pulled away from my childhood home in a car packed to the gills, I have considered that day my own personal Independence Day.
Equality Federation is proud to have had the opportunity to learn, share knowledge, and mingle with advocates from across the country at the LGBTQ Task Force's Creating Change Conference recently held in Denver, Colorado. (See photos from the conference below!)
With incomplete nondiscrimination protections in 32 states and misleading religious exemption bills popping up across the country that would create loopholes allowing unfair treatment and discrimination against gay and transgender people, it is increasingly important that we raise awareness about the need for complete nondiscrimination protections for all people. Despite the momentous victories for the freedom to marry, many people remain unaware that there is still work to do to ensure full equality under the law.
The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals denied the Alabama Attorney General’s request for a stay on a judge’s ruling allowing same-sex marriage in Alabama. This should clear the way for same-sex marriage to begin next week unless the Supreme Court intervenes.
D.W. Trantham testified in support of a bill that would ensure LGBT citizens of Idaho were protected from discrimination in its statewide human rights law. Unfortunately, the bill was defeated. Idaho is one of the 32 states that urgently need to update their laws so that all people, including LGBT, people are protected from discrimination. Get involved in our #DiscriminationExists campaign to learn more about where your state stands and what you can do to help.
At our annual Summer Meeting, state and national movement leaders from across the country gather to celebrate recent victories, connect with colleagues and friends, old and new, and collaborate for future success. Each year, our host organization partners with us to ensure that the meeting is fun, informative, and unforgettable.
Less than 5% of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community gives to an LGBTQ cause, according to research from the Horizons Foundation and Movement Advancement Project. To increase this number, Bolder Giving created Give OUT Day, a national initiative that aims to mobilize thousands of donors across the country on one day in May to give in support of the LGBTQ nonprofit community.
Based in Salt Lake City, Equality Utah is the state’s leading Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) political advocacy organization. With a vision of a fair and just Utah, Unity Utah was founded in 2001, by a group of visionary members of the Utah LGBT Community.
Based in Salt Lake City, Equality Utah is the state’s leading Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) political advocacy organization. With a vision of a fair and just Utah, Unity Utah was founded in 2001, by a group of visionary members of the Utah LGBT Community. Unity Utah’s initial goal was to increase the number of fair-minded elected officials holding office.
Thinking back to this time last year, I certainly didn’t expect to be looking at an equality map showing that 17 states and the District of Columbia have extended the freedom to marry to same-sex couples. But in nearly every region of this country, we’ve seen monumental progress that has dramatically changed the map.
State-based organizations across the country are making change 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.
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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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