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.
HIV is still very much an LGBTQ issue. Yet, for the past two decades, HIV has not been a high priority for many LGBTQ advocacy organizations; it’s past time for that to change. HIV organizations and advocates living with HIV are doing important and successful work but there are significant gaps in HIV advocacy capacity in many states.
Equality Federation applauds this week’s decision by the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, ruling that transgender students’ right to use the restroom and locker rooms matching their gender identity is protected by federal and state law. Congratulations to our member FreeState Justice, who filed the original suit, and the ACLU of Maryland, who joined as co-counsel, on this historic victory!
Our mission to advance and empower the state-based LGBTQ movement has remained constant for the almost 21 years of Equality Federation’s existence. The communities we call home continue to be attacked, which means we must be strategic in our work and growth.
In the nearly three years since the Obergefell ruling legalized marriage in all fifty states, we’ve faced an uphill battle. Victory has often meant defeating anti-LGBTQ legislation rather than passing proactive, pro-equality legislation.
As part of our Raising the States development training program, Equality Federation is excited to team up with Network for Good to provide training opportunities open to all members!
Equality Federation is proud to support our member Alaskans Together for Equality and the rest of the steering committee of Fair Anchorage, the No on Prop 1 campaign. This week, they released their first TV ad, which features David Lockard and his son, Col, who is transgender.
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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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