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 member Forum For Equality issued the following statement praising Governor John Bel Edwards for signing an executive order forbidding state government and government contractors from discriminating based on a person’s sexual orientation and gender identity, while also repealing Gov. Bobby Jindal’s maligning Marriage and Conscience executive order.
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.
Today, the National Center for Transgender Equality released findings from the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey (USTS), the largest survey ever conducted of transgender people. The USTS examined the experiences of transgender people across the United States, with an incredible 27,715 respondents.
The shocking outcome of the elections has made it clear that likely progress for LGBTQ rights will be happening in each state in the near future. Equality Federation is focused on doing just that.
The Freedom New Hampshire coalition – currently comprised of Transgender New Hampshire, New Hampshire PFLAG, Rights and Democracy, ACLU of New Hampshire, GLAD and Freedom for All Americans – introduced a comprehensive trans nondiscrimination bill this session.
After recently meeting with anti-LGBTQ mogul Jerry Falwell Jr. about education issues, Donald Trump has chosen Betsy DeVos for Secretary of Education. DeVos and her family foundations have donated millions of dollars to extreme, anti-LGBTQ organizations. Some have promoted dangerous, unscientific “conversion therapies” to convert LGBTQ youth and all of them have fought against basic nondiscrimination protections, school safety, and more.
Join Equality Federation condemning President-elect Donald Trump for meeting with one of the nation’s most prominent anti-LGBTQ leaders, Jerry Falwell Jr., to discuss a potential position in his Administration’s Department of Education.
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.