Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.
We, the undersigned, recognize we cannot remain neutral, nor will awareness substitute for action. The LGBTQ community knows about the work of resisting police brutality and violence.
ALOK and Vivian Topping from Equality Federation teamed up to share some important updates with you about anti-transgender legislative trends from around the country.
The 2020 legislative session has been interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the current coronavirus crisis, many state legislatures have either suspended session or are focusing primarily on pandemic relief bills.
As Director of Advocacy and Civic Engagement, Vivian Topping works with state-based LGBTQ organizations to craft smart, effective legislative and electoral campaigns.
Earlier this month, the FDA decided to relax its rule of banning donations from gay men, bisexual men, and trans people from 12 months to 3 months. This is a good start but it's not a win. Any ban based solely on identity is wrong.
Emmett Schelling, Executive Director of TENT: Being an immigrant born in South Korea always plays a factor in who I am and how I am treated in America. However, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the xenophobia that I am experiencing related to the pandemic is heartbreaking.
In June, the Federation launched a weekly "Members Only" newsletter for member staff and boards as well as a biweekly "Friends of the Fed" newsletter for our supporters, donors and friends. Over the past few months, we've gotten a wealth of positive feedback about our new communications, and we've also heard some great suggestions.
The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people ages 13-24.
Made possible by support from Gill Foundation and written by three Federation staff members -- Fran Hutchins, Ian Palmquist, and Jace Woodrum -- Building Momentum for Change carefully considers the power of local and incremental campaigns, making a strong case for doing and funding this work. The report also offers recommendations for movement leaders to ensure that these efforts avoid a number of common pitfalls.
After two decades, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) has passed the Senate, moving us one step closer to ensuring that LGBT individuals are secure and free from discrimination at work. With a final vote count of 64 to 32, this transgender-inclusive bill passed with bipartisan support in the Senate for the first time in history.
Despite the significant advances that have been made to win marriage for same-sex couples, a majority of states in this country still lack basic protections for LGBT people in employment, housing, and public accommodations. At the Equality Federation, we're working to change that.
In the course of just one month, our movement has charged forward -- winning marriage for same-sex couples in three more states. Like many of you, I’m in awe of what has happened in just a matter of weeks.
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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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