News & Resources

Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.

The Latest

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Your City Enacted LGBTQ Protections! Oop, Your State Just Killed Them

The LGBTQ community is no stranger to state overreach – when legislatures swoop in to eradicate local nondiscrimination measures or take other sweeping actions that, ultimately, hurt our ability to live, work, and raise our families free from discrimination. In fact, the first time most Americans even became aware of the concept of preemption legislation was when North Carolina enacted HB 2 – the discriminatory law that attacked the very humanity of transgender people, and eviscerated local nondiscrimination measures across the Tar Heel state.

September 26, 2019
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Meet Our First Digital Strategist and Kairos Fellow

Chrissy Etienne joined Equality Federation in October 2019 as the organizations first Digital Strategist and Kairos Fellow.

September 20, 2019
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I’m Bi, I’m Valid, and I’m Allowed to Take up Space

I took a job working for Equality Federation because I believe it is everyone’s job to help make the world a better place. The fact that I can do that while working for a cause I so deeply believe in was a double win.

September 19, 2019
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New Report Offers Look at Lives of LGBT People of Color in Rural America, Shattering Stereotypes of Life in Rural Communities

Des Moines, IA—Media coverage often portrays rural America as singularly white, conservative and working-class. Yet at least 10 million people of color, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people of color, call rural America home.

September 19, 2019
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Building Trans Political Power

Our Legislative Action Center curated a conversation about building trans political power with experts Emmett Schelling, Executive Director at Transgender Education Network of Texas, and Dylan Waguespack, president of the board of directors for Louisiana Trans Advocates. Check out some of the highlights from our conversation.

September 6, 2019
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Meet the Equality Federation's Newest Team Member

Dione Friends joined Equality Federation as Director of Communications in August 2019. Prior to joining Equality Federation, she spent eight years on the communications team at the ACLU of Texas, where she substantially grew their digital presence, communications capacity, and ability to reach people offline.

September 5, 2019

Press Releases

VICTORY: RFRA will not advance in Georgia!

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!

April 3, 2015
New National Campaign Seeks to Close Youth Prisons, Improve Outcomes for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System

While recently on a tour at a juvenile detention facility, one of my colleagues asked the staff how they make housing decisions for transgender youth. The staff responded, "We ask youth how they identify themselves, and if they would prefer to be placed in the girls unit or in the boys unit." 

April 1, 2015
LGBT, Civil Rights Groups Urge Support for Fairness for All Hoosiers Act

INDIANAPOLIS – In an open letter to Gov. Mike Pence and leaders in the Indiana House and Senate, national LGBT and civil rights groups call on lawmakers to quickly enact legislation fixing SB 101, which could allow discrimination against gay and transgender people, and end the firestorm of protests that “Indiana is already on the verge of losing billions of dollars and thousands of jobs because of this dangerous law.

March 31, 2015
Walmart, Apple, Salesforce, and Yelp Join Chorus Against Discriminatory Religious Exemption Bills

The list of companies threatening to reduce business or leave states that have passed or plan to pass so-called “religious freedom” bills is growing daily. Walmart, Apple, and the Arkansas Chamber of Commerce are among the business interests that have come out against a proposed religious exemption bill in Arkansas.

March 29, 2015
Opposition Mounting Against Georgia’s Anti-Gay Religious Exemption Bill

Georgia lawmakers are considering the passage of a so-called “religious freedom” bill that would overturn all existing state and local civil rights ordinances protecting gay and transgender people. However, SB 129 stands to harm Georgians of all backgrounds.

March 26, 2015
How 17 Anti-LGBT Bills Died in Oklahoma

While anti-LGBT legislation makes its way through legislatures across the country, one state stands out as a beacon of hope. Already in 2015, the incredible team at Freedom Oklahoma fended off a whopping 17 discriminatory bills. We caught up with Executive Director Troy Stevenson to get an inside look at how they won.

March 25, 2015
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