At Equality Federation, we know how tough it can be to work in the South. 

That's why, for years, we've been facilitating, supporting, and growing partnerships and collaborations across the region that strengthen our state groups and accelerate the progress we've been making. 

As the Fourth Circuit considers the challenge to Virginia's constitutional amendment banning marriage (Bostic v. Schaefer), several of Equality Federation’s Southern state groups are joining together to build momentum for marriage across the region through two unique strategies: CookOUTS for Marriage Equality events and the #Married364 tax day campaign.

This kind of cross-state collaboration has become a hallmark of our work at the Federation. Especially in areas where the work is toughest, these partnerships are critical to building a strong movement to win equality in all the communities we call home.

CookOUTs for Marriage Equality

Last May, Equality Virginia put a new spin on a trusted organizing tactic, turning house parties into CookOUTS for Marriage Equality. The success of these events in Virginia inspired Federation members Equality North Carolina, South Carolina Equality, and Fairness West Virginia to join in this year.

These four Southern state groups have worked together to plan these fun community outreach events that get people engaged in their organizations and provide an opportunity to highlight and share the stories of same-sex couples across all four states. For each CookOUT, a community host invites over friends, family members, and neighbors for a great meal and a conversation about why marriage matters to same-sex couples. 

As a result of this collaboration, hundreds and hundreds of people across four states are coming together in support of marriage.

#Married364

In the weeks leading up to April 15, South Carolina Equality and Equality Virginia partnered with Equality North Carolina for their #Married364 tax day campaign. This online effort featured committed couples (gay and straight) as well as LGBT and allied individuals standing in solidarity against laws, directives, and policies that ignore and undermine the marriages of thousands of same-sex couples on tax day.

Equality NC created this campaign to show the real impact of discriminatory marriage laws -- and the Federation was able to connect them with neighboring state groups and national resources to ensure their campaign was heard far and wide.

These three state groups were able to work together to leverage their time and their reach to make an even greater impact on social media and in their local communities.

Southern Leadership Summit

The collaboration and partnership between our Southern state groups came together at Equality Federation’s annual Southern Leadership Summit in Atlanta this past March. This event brings Southern state leaders together every year to form relationships and learn best practices from each other in order to make collaborations possible.

Successful partnerships like what has developed in the South is why the Federation continues to organize and host these meetings year after year. We’ve seen it happen time and time again: state leaders come together and build relationships, and those relationships become the foundation for ongoing collaborations like CookOUTs for Marriage Equality and the #Married364 tax day campaign.

These new and unique partnerships are important to our movement, especially as our focus shifts to winning in red states. Working across state lines isn’t always easy -- as differing priorities and approaches rise to the surface during collaborations. But our Southern state groups have become a shining example of how powerful we can be when we navigate these challenges effectively, focus on our shared goals, and make these partnerships work.

We don’t know what will happen with Bostic v. Schaefer. We don’t know how the court will rule, whether marriage will soon come to Virginia, or if a ruling will have impact on other states in the region.

But what we do know: Southern states are standing together at the ready for whatever comes. And the Federation is right there with them, helping to make it all happen.