Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.
Growing up in Alabama, I loved visiting the farm where my dad was raised. We’d ride four wheelers, hunt, fish, and all pitch in during hay season. Well, mostly my cousins and I got in the way. In some ways, I felt at home in the country, as my family called it.
Dear Supporters,In 2018, our 43 state-based member organizations made a lot of headway despite the tough political struggles at the national level. Equality Federation is a strategic partner to our member organizations, making sure that the whole movement for LGBTQ equality and justice is linked, from one end of the country to the other.
Big congrats to Freedom Oklahoma!The organization has recently welcomed their new executive director Allie Shinn.
Today Equality Federation lauded the reintroduction of the Equality Act by Representatives David Cicilline (D-RI) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) in the House and Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) in the Senate. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has made passage a top priority for the new Congress.
Four anti-transgender bills were defeated in South Dakota’s legislature this month! HB1225 and SB 49 would have made it difficult for transgender youth to participate in school sports and programs; HB1108 would have banned discussion about gender identity and expression; and HB1205 would have allowed parents to deny healthcare for transgender children.
Recently, I got to spend the weekend at one of my favorite Equality Federation programs: our New Executive Director Boot Camp. Fran Hutchins, our deputy director, and Diana Gonzalez, our director of leadership programs, joined me for an intensive two days of training with three talented new state leaders: Jamie Foster of Equality Alabama, Kendra Johnson of Equality North Carolina, and Abbi Swatsworth of Out Nebraska.
Last week I traveled to Massachusetts to work with the country’s first ever statewide ballot campaign to uphold protections for the transgender community. The campaign is running an impressive operation, from building a massive volunteer-driven voter contact program to putting up some of the best television ads making the case for dignity and respect under the law.
Earlier this month, I participated in something historic: for the first time ever, LGBTQ leaders from across North Dakota came together to connect, strategize and build a strong movement in their state. Equality Federation member organization North Dakota Human Rights Coalition and their partner Dakota Outright hosted nearly 80 people in Bizmarck for the inaugural North Dakota LGBTQ+ Summit.
In this political moment, as we face unprecedented challenges to fairness, justice, and democracy at the federal level, we look to localities to lead the way in advancing equality for the LGBTQ community. Equality Federation is committed to our partnership with HRC on the Municipal Equality Index because it sets a bar that most localities want to reach.
Every day you are bombarded with bad news. And although there is a lot to be angry about, we want to bring some sunshine into your newsfeed.
The current fight in Massachusetts—the birthplace of marriage equality—has been called “the next transgender rights battleground” and “the biggest test to date” on transgender rights. But, without a doubt, this is about more than Massachusetts.
Kavanaugh is an immense threat to the rights of LGBTQ people. A Supreme Court with Brett Kavanaugh will be far more likely to give a license to discriminate to business owners, health care providers, adoption agencies and others who object to LGBTQ people or to same-sex relationships, marriage, or parents.
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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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