Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.
The I-1515 campaign – an effort to repeal Washington State’s 10 year old non-discrimination law protecting our transgender friends, co-workers and family members – failed to turn in enough (246,372) signatures to qualify for this year’s fall election ballot. The WA Secretary of State’s office announced late this afternoon that the I-1515 campaign cancelled its appointment to turn in signatures.
Leaders of state-based equality organizations—from Equality California to Equality Florida—as well as several national partners, will convene at Equality Federation’s Leadership Conference in Portland, Oregon July 13-16th.
Equality Federation stands in strong opposition to the “First Amendment Defense Act,” known as FADA and has signed a coalition letter demanding the cancellation of the July 12th hearing for the legislation.
Thousands of patriotic transgender Americans already serve in our military and are putting their lives on the line. This policy allows them to serve openly and with honor and integrity.
I lived in San Francisco during the height of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. It was a terrifying time full of despair, loss, and anger as we lost so many members of our community. I remember seeing the blood drive vans parked in the heart of the Castro, the city’s gay neighborhood, when gay men were turned away from donating blood to their own community in need.
As U.S. government leaders continue to grapple with addressing gun violence-prevention following last weekend’s homophobic massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, LGBTQ and gun violence-prevention advocates and activists are calling for more stringent checks to keep guns out of dangerous hands.
My friend Veronica is an incredible woman. She is smart, funny, genuine and sarcastic (a prerequisite for all my friends). We have been an important part of each other’s lives for 20 years. That’s a lot of laughter, a lot of tears and a lot of pedicures. She is my bestie, my heart, my sister, my friend and my family, and, she is transgender.
The Trump administration has made a heartless, extremist political attack on transgender and nonbinary people. By threatening to enshrine a narrow definition of gender into law, it is clearer than ever they are willing to disregard science, medicine, and decency in order to push their own dogma.
Equality Federation recently conducted two successful regional summits and a strategy session in Connecticut, and I am so excited to tell you about them. First, our West by Midwest Leadership Summit drew 20 leaders from 9 states throughout the Midwest, from Equality Ohio to Equality Illinois.
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.
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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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