Attention Federation Members: If you want to be a part of this campaign, contact Jace at the Equality Federation, and we'll get you plugged in.

Over the last 30 years, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community has seen great strides in the movement for full equality. Much of this success is the result of a concerted movement, which was galvanized in response to the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s.

In the decades since, our movement has seen incredible victories. Today, twenty-one states and Washington, DC, have implemented nondiscrimination laws in employment to protect LGBT employees. Eighteen states allow gay couples to adopt children.

Sixteen states have passed legislation protecting LGBT students from discrimination, with another fifteen states specifically protecting LGBT students from bullying. Gays and lesbians can now serve openly in the military and more than half of all Americans support marriage equality, including the first-ever sitting president.

Unfortunately, our community hasn't maintained the same momentum in our fight against HIV. Gay and bisexual men recently accounted for 63% of all new HIV infections and perhaps most concerning is the 22% increase among those between 13 and 24 years old. Each day, more than eighty gay and bisexual men become infected with HIV in the United States.

These trends are even more pronounced among gay and bisexual men of color, with young black gay and bisexual men having a higher rate of HIV infection than any other population in this country. While we don't have enough data on transgender populations, studies show that 28% of transgender women are HIV positive in the United States, with rates over 50% for African American transgender women.

One in five gay and bisexual men are living with HIV in the United States. Despite these alarming statistics, which have galvanized our community in the past, the HIV epidemic has seemed to fall by the wayside. Many in our community have simply stopped talking about the issue. This must change.

We, the undersigned, are committed to being part of this change and urge the entire community to join us in this fight. Take the pledge to do your part in the fight against the HIV epidemic.

Attention Federation Members: If you want to be a part of this campaign, contact Jace at the Equality Federation, and we'll get you plugged in.

Signed,

Michael Adams, SAGE
Brett Andrews, Positive Resource Center
Selisse Berry, Out & Equal Workplace Advocates
Rea Carey, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Rudolph H. Carn, NAESM, Inc.
Kevin M. Cathcart, Lambda Legal
Bernard Cherkasov, Equality Illinois
Masen Davis, Transgender Law Center
Victor E. Diaz-Herman, Pridelines Youth Services
Antonio David Garcia, Affirmations
Marjorie Hill, Gay Men's Health Crisis
Jody Huckaby, PFLAG National
Rebecca Isaacs, Equality Federation
Lorri L. Jean, LA Gay and Lesbian Community Center
Paul Kawata, National Minority AIDS Council
Kate Kendell, National Center for Lesbian Rights
Lorraine Langlois, Metro Wellness & Community Centers
Curtis Lipscomb, Kick – The Agency for LGBT African Americans
Carlos Martinez, The Center/GLBT Community Center of Colorado
Monica Meyer, OutFront Minnesota
Candice Nichols, The Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada
Lisa Perry-Wood, Family Equality Council
Terry Stone, CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers
Kara Suffredini, MassEquality
Fred Swanson, Gay City Health Project
Lee Swislow, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders
Glennda Testone, The NYC LGBT Community Center
Rachel B. Tiven, Immigration Equality
Lance Toma, Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center
Modesto Tico Valle, Center on Halsted
Hector Vargas, GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBT Equality
Phill Wilson, Black AIDS Institute
Chuck Wolfe, Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund and Institute
Toni Young, Community Education Group

Attention Federation Members: If you want to be a part of this campaign, contact Jace at the Equality Federation, and we'll get you plugged in.