Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.
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.
All young people deserve the opportunity to feel safe and protected at school in order to learn. That's why the Equality Federation and our members are committed to building welcoming and just schools where students are free from bullying, harassment, discrimination and harsh discipline policies that push our young people out of school.
Just over ten years ago, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize marriage for same-sex couples. At this time, only 32% of Americans supported the freedom to marry. Since 2003, this percentage has increased 21 points, with 53% of Americans now showing support for same-sex marriage, transforming the American religious landscape.
Our fifth FEDtalk given at the Summer Meeting 2013 is from Marina Santiago, Intern at Equality Texas.
Our fourth FEDtalk given at the Summer Meeting 2013 is from Ted Martin, Executive Director at Equality Pennsylvania.
Selecting the right executive director can be a make-or-break moment for our member organizations -- because our movement is only as strong as our leaders.But many of our members just don't have the resources to invest in a professional search firm. While the Federation can't offer that level of service, we are able to help groups manage these transitions more effectively.
Each year our Annual Summer Meeting brings LGBT leaders from across the nation together to share ideas and forge connections. At this year’s Meeting, we introduced a new session that quickly became a breakout star of the conference: FEDtalks.
Our third FEDtalk given at the Summer Meeting 2013 is from Vinita Chaudhry, Intern at Empire State Pride Agenda.
In Massachusetts, 1 in 4 lesbian or gay teens and 15% of bisexual teens are homeless. Because of high rates of discrimination against the transgender population, rates of homelessness among transgender youth are even higher. These rates, coupled with the fact that the Massachusetts shelter system is not organized adequately to serve these young people, spurred MassEquality into action. The organization made youth homelessness a top priority, knowing it warranted immediate and aggressive attention.
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.