News & Resources

Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.

The Latest

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Executive Director Betsy Smith Steps Down from EqualityMaine After 14 Years of Incredible Work

Executive Director Betsy Smith has been leading EqualityMaine for fourteen years. After securing many incredible wins for LGBT Mainers, she has announced that she will soon step down from her position. Before Betsy officially leaves the Federation family (though we'll always count her as one of our own), we wanted to learn everything we could from her work and experience. So we caught up with her to talk about her successful tenure at EqualityMaine.

August 28, 2013
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Momentum for Marriage

Every day, the momentum for full marriage equality across this country builds. And our members are right in the thick of this critical work, achieving some major victories. Just look at what’s been happening these past ten months.

August 28, 2013
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The Federation's Expanded Communications: How It's Already Making a Big Impact with State Groups

For years, our members have requested assistance and guidance in the area of communications. And although we have always been able to connect state groups with resources and provide some useful advice, we simply weren’t equipped to offer comprehensive communications support.

August 28, 2013
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FEDtalks Daily: John Smallwood of Fair Wisconsin--Watch Now!

Our final FEDtalk given at the Summer Meeting 2013 is from John Smallwood, Advocacy & Organizing Director at Fair Wisconsin.

August 26, 2013
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FEDtalks Daily: Shannon McCann of Equality Utah--Watch Now!

Our ninth FEDtalk given at the Summer Meeting 2013 is from Shannon McCann, Intern at Equality Utah. 

August 23, 2013
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Getting Help With Your State Equality Fund Application

The State Equality Fund (SEF) has announced its new guidelines for 2014 and issued an invitation for letters of inquiry (LOI).For the past eight years, Federation members have used support from SEF to make huge policy advances that improve the lives of LGBT people in their state. And at the Federation, we're eager to help even more of our state groups take advantage of this critical funding stream.

August 22, 2013

Press Releases

Social Security Administration to Accept Claims from Married Same-sex Couples

The Obama Administration is continuing to implement the Supreme Court's landmark decision striking down Section 3 of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act.Soon after the ruling was handed down, the President directed the Attorney General to work with other members of his Cabinet to review the Justices' decision and determine its impact on Federal benefit programs to ensure swift and smooth implementation.

July 18, 2013
Thank You!

Thank you for filling out the evaluation for our 2013 Summer Meeting. To enter a raffle for a free registration to the 2014 Summer Meeting, July 30 - August 2, in Minneapolis, MN, just reply to the thank you email you received or email the Federation Institute at summermeeting@equalityfederation.org.

July 17, 2013
New Access to Resources for Our Members

You may have noticed a few changes lately at the Equality Federation – a new website, new member newsletter, new logo. We're working hard to elevate our brand so that we can better tell the story of the state-based movement for equality.

July 17, 2013
Building Leaders: Equality Federation Internships Grow the Next Generation

Here at the Federation, we focus on building the leadership capacity of our movement by enhancing the skills of individuals, particularly those who are just entering the sector as college interns. Created in 2008, the Federation Internship Program was formed to connect smart, engaged, passionate young people with active statewide LGBT advocacy organizations.

July 17, 2013
Fair Wisconsin is Seeking a Regional Program Manager

Following the merger of Fair Wisconsin and Equality Wisconsin, they are seeking a Regional Program Manager based in Milwaukee, WI. This position is responsible for broadening the visibility and capacity of Fair Wisconsin to achieve their vision and mission through strategic outreach in Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin.

July 16, 2013
LGBT Rights Organizations Issue Open Letter: Trayvon Deserves Justice

WASHINGTON, DC— A coalition of national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights organizations, led by the National Black Justice Coalition and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, today issued the following open letter:

July 16, 2013
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