Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.
Recently, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) issued a proposed rule regarding their use of nude body scanners in airports. The proposed rule is in response to a 2011 D.C. Circuit Court ruling that TSA violated the law by introducing the scanners in 2008 without rulemaking. The proposed rule consists of just two sentences, stating that TSA has authority to implement "screening technology used to detect concealed anomalies without requiring physical contact."
Good news for Federation members from the Arcus Foundation! They have announced the Arcus LGBT Leadership Initiative, an array of resources to support leaders of the LGBT movement in the United States. This initiative is a chance for movement leaders to enhance their skills and collaborate with one another, strengthening the movement!
This year’s Summer Meeting is shaping up to be one of the best yet. We’re planning sessions that will fuel collaboration within regions, caucus groups that will connect attendees based on their organizational roles, and workshops that are geared toward helping state leaders build greater success in lobbying, organizing, communications, organizational development, and more.
This weekend, families across the country celebrated Father's Day. My partner Brad and I got to spend the evening with my parents, relaxing on their screened porch here in Raleigh.
This Pride season, we have so much to celebrate in our community. I’m proud of the marriage victories and non-discrimination wins that Federation members have had a part in this year. I’m also extremely proud of the stand that the LGBT community, including many Federation members, has taken on immigration reform.
In November 2012, three states -- Maine, Maryland, and Washington -- extended the freedom to marry to same-sex couples. And in the past few months, three additional states -- Rhode Island, Delaware, and Minnesota -- have followed suit, reaching 12 states in the nation that allow all loving couples to share in the joys and responsibilities of marriage.
Equality Federation supports commuting Chelsea Manning’s court-martial sentence to time served and calls on President Obama to grant her clemency petition. Chelsea has served longer than anyone else with similar charges, and as a transgender woman, has been treated inhumanely and denied fair treatment.
Equality Federation and a coalition of 13 other LGBT, racial justice, and health equity organizations have filed an amicus brief in Whole Woman’s Health v. Cole asking the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down draconian restrictions on abortion providers enacted by the State of Texas in 2013 which, if upheld, would lead to the closing of most abortion clinics in the state. The brief urges the Court to carefully scrutinize the state’s asserted justification for the law, just as the Court has done with other laws that infringe upon fundamental freedoms.
Last year we reported that 17 anti-LGBTQ bills were defeated in Oklahoma thanks to the hard work of Freedom Oklahoma and the many advocates and allies on the ground working for equality. It was an incredible feat in a very challenging political environment; most of the legislators in Oklahoma lean conservative.
Equality Federation is disappointed to learn that six candidates for president signed a pledge supporting the so-called First Amendment Defense Act (FADA). FADA is an unnecessary piece of legislation that would enshrine discrimination into law, prohibiting the federal government from stepping in when people or businesses discriminate because they believe “marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman” or that “sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage.”
Equality Federation is proud to have partnered again with Human Rights Campaign to publish the Municipal Equality Index (MEI). This year’s MEI shows the growing support for LGBTQ people and our families while highlighting the work ahead to ensure full equality.
Equality Federation recognizes Empire State Pride Agenda (ESPA) for their incredible accomplishments, including the passage of over 100 pieces of legislation that advanced LGBTQ equality. For 25 years the ESPA team was at the forefront of the movement, often achieving wins that paved the way for other states and inspiring the nation
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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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