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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Equality Utah Seeks Injunction in Landmark Case

In October, Equality Utah made history by filing a lawsuit against Utah’s state education office. The lawsuit challenges a curriculum law that prohibits discussing homosexuality in a positive way.

February 6, 2017
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Georgia Lawmakers Introduce Historic Civil Rights Bill

Lester Jackson (D-Savannah) introduced a historic, comprehensive civil rights bill in co-sponsorship with five of his colleagues. The bill represents the first time a civil rights bill that includes nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people was introduced in the state.

February 6, 2017
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Read the Leaked Draft of Trump's Religious Exemption Order

A copy of Trump’s religious exemption executive order has leaked, and it is being described by legal experts as staggeringly broad in scope. The order would give license to discriminate to any person or organization and flies in the face of the values Americans hold dear – fairness, freedom, and treating others the way we’d like to be treated.

February 2, 2017
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Trump's Anti-LGBTQ Scotus Pick: Neil Gorsuch

Tonight President Trump announced Neil Gorsuch, a judge of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, as his nominee for the Supreme Court of the United States.

February 1, 2017
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Extremist Jerry Falwell Jr. Appointed to Task Force on Higher Education

Equality Federation condemns President Trump’s decision to name one of the nation’s most prominent anti-LGBTQ leaders, Jerry Falwell Jr., to the Task Force on Higher Education.

February 1, 2017
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Victory! Discriminatory Bill Withdrawn in Wyoming

On Thursday last week, Wyoming’s state legislature withdrew House Bill 135. HB135 would have allowed businesses, state and local governments to discriminate against LGBTQ people.

January 31, 2017

Press Releases

Married Same-Sex Couples Now Protected By Family and Medical Leave Act

The Department of Labor has issued some great news for LGBT couples and their families: married same-sex couples will soon be eligible for benefits under the Family and Medical Leave Act even if they live in a state that doesn’t recognize their marriage. From a release on the Department’s website, workers in same-sex marriages will have the same rights as those in opposite-sex marriages to federal job-protected leave under the FMLA to care for a spouse with a serious health condition.

February 28, 2015
Exposed: Dangerous "Gay Conversion Therapy" Still Practiced in Most States (video)

Dangerous forms of "therapy" are performed every day in the United States and throughout the world in an attempt to "convert" lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people to conform to heterosexuality and traditional gender standards. Despite the progress we've made achieving the freedom to marry in many states and the increased cultural acceptance of LGBT people, this dangerous practice continues.

February 27, 2015
Nathan Schaefer

Nathan Schaefer is the Executive Director of the Empire State Pride Agenda and the Empire State Pride Agenda Foundation. In this capacity, he oversees the organization’s staff across the state and is responsible for advancing equality and justice for LGBT New Yorkers via the various facets of both organizations.

February 26, 2015
Meet The First Legally Wed Same-Sex Couple in Texas!

Sarah Goodfriend and Suzanne Bryant have been together almost 31 years, and this morning they were married in Texas! A Travis County Judge ordered the clerk to issue the license, citing a serious health condition of one of the women.

February 19, 2015
Pediatrician Refuses To Care For Baby With Lesbian Mothers

A Michigan pediatrician has refused to care for the baby of a lesbian couple, a sad illustration of why every state needs inclusive nondiscrimination laws that do not have loopholes that could put lives in danger. Currently, 206 million people live in a state that does not have nondiscrimination laws to fully protect gay and transgender people. 

February 19, 2015
Leadership Opportunity from the Arcus Foundation

Good news for Federation members from the Arcus Foundation! They have announced that applications are now being accepted for the 2015 Arcus Leadership Fellowship.

February 17, 2015
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