Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.
Equality Federation continues to call upon North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory and the legislature to repeal House Bill 2 (HB 2), one of the most extreme anti-LGBT laws in the country. The Governor’s executive order purports to create protections in public employment for gay and transgender North Carolinians but does not repeal the law or provide comprehensive nondiscrimination protections for LGBT people in housing, public spaces, and so on.
South Carolina Senator Lee Bright has introduced a sweeping anti-LGBTQ bill that has some similarities to the law recently passed in North Carolina, which is drawing the outrage of hundreds of corporations and small businesses alongside community and faith leaders.
The cornerstone of our Southern Leaders program is our Southern Leadership Summit, an annual gathering that brings together advocates from the region for two days of intensive workshops and discussion. Challenging legislative sessions in all the Southern states gave us a lot to talk about, and leaders shared what they’d learned so far, with many fights still going on.
On March 23, the North Carolina General Assembly held a special session to rush through—in less than 12 hours—legislation attacking the LGBTQ community. House Bill 2 abolished all local nondiscrimination laws that go beyond state law, leaving LGBTQ people unprotected across the state, and would force transgender people to use bathrooms that match the sex listed on their birth certificates in government facilities, putting them at risk of harassment and violence.
Fresh on the heels of new anti-LGBTQ smears by outside groups trying to mislead people about pending nondiscrimination legislation, Pennsylvania Governor Wolf has signed executive orders providing non-discrimination protections for members of the LGBT community employed by or contracting with the Commonwealth.
Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant has signed into law one of the most extreme, sweeping anti-LGBT bills in the country, HB 1523. The law allows discrimination by individuals, religiously-affiliated organizations (including hospitals, schools, homeless shelters, and more), and businesses based on religious beliefs or moral convictions regarding marriage for same-sex couples; sexual activity outside of heterosexual marriage; and transgender people.
Nancy Haque, leader of Basic Rights Oregon, made us laugh, cry, and feel charged up and ready to resist the Trump Administration’s attacks on all our communities. In this FEDTalk, she describes her reaction to the election as a single mom and having an immigrant family.
President Trump and Attorney General Sessions are calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to rule in favor of a baker who refused to serve a same-sex couple. SCOTUS’ ruling in the upcoming Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission case could change the landscape of existing non-discrimination laws across the country.
The hurricanes that have battered the southeast over the past month have left devastation in their wake. Our friends in Texas, Florida, the Caribbean, and beyond have a long road ahead.
President Trump’s announcement that he will end DACA, a program that protects undocumented young people who grew up in America from deportation, is a cruel and heartless attack on 800,000 families.
Equality Federation recently held our annual Leadership Conference, featuring our fabulous FEDTalks – 5 minute talks given by the leaders of the state-based LGBTQ movement. We’re proud to debut Sara Burlingame’s (Wyoming Equality) hilarious talk 5 Ways to Stay Active in the LGBTQ Movement (Without Succumbing to Abject Martyrdom)!
Today President Trump signed an unnecessary and divisive directive that bans the military from recruiting transgender service members, and bans the Department of Defense from providing necessary medical care for current transgender service members. At press time, it is unclear if currently serving members will be able to continue since The White House has left questions unanswered.
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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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