Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.
In just a few short weeks, our members will have the chance to vote on our new slate of member representatives to the Equality Federation and Equality Federation Institute Board of Directors.
Today, Equality Federation Institute released What’s Next: Building Strong LGBTQ Organizations Beyond the Marriage Milestone. This report carefully considers what effective advocacy for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) equality looks like after winning marriage for same-sex couples.
From critical victories in legislatures to historic wins in the courts to huge jumps in the polls — we’ve had unstoppable momentum for marriage equality these past few years. We’re closer than we’ve ever been to winning the freedom to marry for all couples all across this country.
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s unprecedented decision in Hobby Lobby, LGBT advocates working across the country are deeply concerned about what will happen next, especially as the President’s staff prepares an executive order protecting LGBT people from discrimination by federal contractors.
For Immediate ReleaseLGBT Movement Leaders Issue Strong Request to President ObamaExecutive Order Shouldn’t Contain Religious Exemptions Beyond the Constitution and Title VII
Hawai’i is often thought of as the state that put in motion our modern march toward marriage equality. Even so, the Aloha State didn’t extend the freedom to marry to same-sex couples until last year. But it did so through a dramatic campaign that ended with a special legislative session and the passage of SB-1 — the Hawai’i Marriage Equality Act.
The accomplishments of Equality Federation members each year is a testament to the dedication of the staff and boards that do the work of winning equality in their communities.The median number of employees for staffed organizations is three, but larger organizations, have up to 26 staff, driving up the average to five.
One year ago, many of us worried that people wouldn’t understand the need to continue contributing to our movement for equality after marriage equality was secured. Ironically, thanks in part to the media firestorms generated by far-right attacks on our civil liberties such as the religious exemption bill in Indiana and cause célèbre du jours like Kim Davis, it is more likely that our funders and donors understand the need for a strong state-based LGBTQ movement.
Equality Federation hosted an amazing fundraising reception on April 24th at the Studio Theater in Washington DC. With the help of Board Members, Sam Nitz and Kellan Baker, we had 14 sponsors and over 175 attendees!
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.