Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.
This week, the Obama Administration announced support for banning so-called conversion therapy practices nationwide. This is an important step for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, as these harmful practices particularly impact the lives of LGBT youth.
From Ava DuVernay’s award-winning film to President Obama’s speech at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, to the thousands we crossed the Bridge with and the millions that joined by TV, America has remembered Selma this year.
(TALLAHASSEE, Fla.) – A coalition of some of the state’s top employers and business leaders today sent a letter to Gov. Rick Scott, Senate President Andy Gardiner and House Speaker Steve Crisafulli asking lawmakers to hear House Bill 33 by Rep. Holly Raschein (R-Key Largo) and Senate Bill 156 by Sen. Joe Abruzzo (D-Boynton Beach) and to support the Competitive Workforce Act.
The Human Rights Campaign is celebrating the love between Lennie Gerber and Pearl Berlin, a couple who has been together almost 50 years! Watch the video below, and be sure to have tissues handy. Their love is contagious!
In this Nightline special, Nathan, a transgender teen, meets with the school counselor who supported him throughout his childhood struggle. Years later, Nightline captures the emotional reunion.
At midnight last night, the Georgia General Assembly officially closed their doors for this legislative session and with it ended any chance that RFRA could move forward in Georgia in 2015. Congratulations to the teams at Georgia Unites Against Discrimination and Georgia Equality for all your hard work to protect the LGBT community in your state!
BREAKING (Stay tuned for updates): Equality Federation calls upon North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory to veto the extreme, anti-LGBTQ legislation that was passed in the General Assembly on Wednesday. HB2 is one of the most discriminatory pieces of legislation to emerge in the country this year.
In state after state this year, opponents have used ever-evolving strategies to legislate anti-LGBTQ discrimination. The two most common strategies are religious exemption bills (so-called “religious freedom” bills) and bills focussed on restroom access.
March 10th came and went without much fanfare, yet it was a milestone day for Equality Federation member Freedom Oklahoma. When the Oklahoma Legislature gaveled into session earlier this year, Oklahoma’s LGBTQ community faced a daunting challenge to overcome 27 anti-LGBTQ pieces of legislation — many carried over from the previous legislation.
Update: Equality Federation extends our deepest gratitude to the eight courageous Senators in Missouri who filibustered for a historic 39 hours to prevent a discriminatory religious exemption bill from moving forward in the legislature. SJ39 is a dangerous bill that would ask the voters of Missouri to amend their constitution to allow religious organizations and individuals to use their faith to legally justify refusing services and benefits to LGBTQ people.
Over 400 companies including major corporations like Delta, Coca Cola, Home Depot, SalesForce, and Hyatt, along with small businesses throughout Georgia and the Georgia Visitors and Convention Bureau, have come together to say no to discrimination and stand in opposition to the antii-LGBTQ religious exemption bills making their way through the legislature.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch Carmichael delivered a tearful floor speech in support of a “civil rights amendment” to an anti-LGBTQ religious exemption bill, #HB4012, to prevent the bill from being used to discriminate. The amendment passed, and on Wednesday, March 2nd, the entire bill was killed in a 27-7 vote.
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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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