Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.
Today the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case challenging same-sex marriage bans in four states in the Sixth Circuit, and a ruling is expected in June.
State-based organizations across the country are advancing major progress in the communities we call home -- where the work is hard, but the impact is great. We are only two weeks into 2015, and already another state has won the freedom to marry, and another could be on its way.
Last year, Idaho and Montana became two of the 36 states (and D.C.) that now have the freedom to marry. This was a great advancement for LGBT people in these states, but it also brought about a new reality: it is now legal to marry a same-sex partner in the same state where protections against discrimination are limited.
From incredible wins for the freedom to marry to the passing of over a dozen local nondiscrimination ordinances in cities across the country, 2014 was a year of remarkable advances for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. However, despite these advances, deep disparities still remain in all aspects of life for LGBT individuals.
In just the past few months, the freedom to marry has been granted to same-sex couples in more states than ever before. While the benefits to committed and loving same-sex couples are vast, the economic impact of marriage equality within each state is great as well.
For many of our movement’s state-based organizations, funding is often stretched too thin.Groups continue to make progress, but there is always more work to be done and more support than can be provided. Luckily, there is a new opportunity for some of our groups to receive this needed funding.
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!
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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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