Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.
Transgender and gender non-conforming children and youth are disproportionately represented in the foster care population and are particularly vulnerable to mistreatment due to widespread anti-transgender bias, prejudice, and transphobia. Young transgender individuals may face unnecessary barriers while under the care of Children’s Services, such as in foster care or juvenile detention.
Across the country, our members are working hard to ensure that young people feel safe and protected at school. In order to build safe environments for students, we need support from decision makers in the community. But it isn’t always easy to build community support for schools that openly affirm people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
In the past year since the Supreme Court struck down the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), we’ve witnessed 36 consecutive victories, and zero losses, for the freedom to marry. Twenty rulings have been issued in federal court, 13 in state court, and 3 by a federal appellate court.
Michael Nordman is the Director of Development at Equality Illinois. Since starting in 2012, he has helped the organization raise more than $2.8 million towards their fight for LGBT equality by mobilizing existing supporters and inspiring Illinoisans from all walks of life to join the movement.
Monica Meyer became the Executive Director of OutFront Minnesota in 2010, after serving as Public Policy Director since 2001. Under Monica's leadership, OutFront Minnesota and Project 515 co-founded Minnesotans United for All Families, the campaign which defeated the proposed constitutional amendment to limit the freedom to marry in 2012 and won marriage equality just seven months later.
Another Summer Meeting has come and gone, and as in year’s past, our gathering in Minneapolis was full of moments to remember. This year, in what was one of the biggest highlights for me personally, the Federation team took a few moments to tell participants about our work and our vision for the state-based movement in the years to come.
Check out what some of our members are doing to provide you with resources to be an informed voter and to learn more about getting involved in your community.
Over 150 Civil Rights and Public Interest Groups Urge Senate to Oppose Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court Nomination
Equality Federation responds to the news that President Trump’s nominee to the United States Supreme Court will be Judge Amy Coney Barrett.
From the fall of 2018 through spring 2019, Equality Federation members across the country played important roles in registering and turning out hundreds of thousands of voters to elect pro-equality candidates and win ballot measures. But what we learned as the national partner to these groups is that it isn’t just during elections that they need volunteers and donors to advance their missions — state-based equality organizations need this year round.
Words fall short to describe the woman who led some of the fiercest legal battles in service of making this country more just — more equal.
Yesterday at the kick-off of Equality Federation’s virtual Leadership Conference, I made the bittersweet announcement that after a long and wonderful run, I have decided to step down at the end of 2020—on my 10th anniversary—as leader of the Equality Federation. It has been a great honor to not only serve in this position for a decade but also to have been involved with the Equality Federation from its very inception.
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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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