It took hundreds of hours, thousands of miles, and countless conversations. But it was worth it.

As a result of that work, the Equality Federation helped secure more than $650,000 to fuel the campaign to win nondiscrimination protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Pennsylvanians. That brings our “dollars marshaled” total to more than $1.5 million invested in state-based campaigns.

The Work of the Federation
Thanks to generous funding from the State Equality Fund (a philanthropic partnership that includes the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr Fund, the Gill Foundation, anonymous donors, and Ford Foundation), the Federation is working to chart a course and create a plan for building support for passage of statewide nondiscrimination laws. In 2013, we focused on Pennsylvania, Ohio and North Carolina -- three places where state leaders are working with local and national partners to seize political opportunity and develop a campaign to win.

Throughout the summer and fall of last year, to create the plan to win in Pennsylvania, our nondiscrimination team of Roey Thorpe and Anne Stanback, made several trips to the commonwealth and met with more than 120 community leaders. These conversations highlighted the challenges and opportunities to advancing nondiscrimination in the Keystone State, and they gave our team the insight they needed to chart a path to victory.

According to Ted Martin, executive director at Equality Pennsylvania:

"The work of Equality Federation has been a game changer in Pennsylvania, to say the least. We have so much potential to win big victories for LGBT equality here in the state, but we needed the support to build our capacity to take advantage of that potential. Thanks to Equality Federation's strategic guidance, 'money marshaling,' and ongoing support, Equality PA is now poised to make history."

The Challenges Facing Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania is quintessentially American. Its history is wrapped up nostalgically in the country’s founding, even as its current challenges mirror those of much of the rest of the country.

The commonwealth is home to two of the most vibrant and progressive large cities in the country, to traditional Pennsylvania Dutch and Amish cultures, and to post-industrial towns searching for new identities, new revenue, and new ways to keep young people from moving away.

These deeply regional geographical tugs and cultural differences are embedded in a complicated political environment. A state often colored purple on our electoral maps, the Governor’s office switches parties every eight years while the legislature remains firmly in Republican control.

The Opportunity of Pennsylvania
Blue-collar Democrats and “Reagan Republicans.” A strong, well-positioned state equality group. An emerging coalition of local leaders, businesses and partner organizations.

With these strengths, we can create a climate of support that will demand passage of inclusive nondiscrimination legislation within three years.

Political Climate
While the legislature is conservative, with Republican majorities in both the House and the Senate, the nondiscrimination bill (HB/SB300) has won the support of the state’s Republican Governor and a bipartisan group of more than 100 legislators. The LGBT Caucus boasts 60 members, mostly straight allies with many members of the legislative Black Caucus.

Equality Pennsylvania (EQPA)
EQPA is well respected by elected officials and positioned as a leader on LGBT issues within the legislature and with state media, particularly the capitol press corps. The organization is seen as the state’s leading advocate on LGBT legislative issues by most in the activist community. With a strong leader and an expanding staff, EQPA is poised to lead the campaign to create an environment that will allow the enactment of a nondiscrimination statute.

Coalition
More than three dozen localities have enacted nondiscrimination ordinances -- and in the process, local activists and advocates have been trained and developed. HB/SB 300 has the support of many of the state’s largest corporations as well as small businesses -- and it’s been endorsed by some of the state’s largest labor unions. These community leaders are ready to be engaged in the campaign.

What’s Next?
The generous investment in Pennsylvania is already being put to use as local and national coalition partners begin building the infrastructure that’s necessary for a robust campaign. Equality Federation remains involved as a resource, problem solver, and monitor to ensure that the plan to win stays on track.

The successful and ongoing partnership between Equality Federation and Equality Pennsylvania has sparked incredible success already -- with more expected to come. And now we’re expanding our program so that we can partner with more states all across this country.

Equality Federation recently welcomed Andy Garcia to our staff, as the third member of our nondiscrimination team. Andy will strengthen our strategic partnerships across the country to support work to end discrimination against LGBT people in every state. Whether advocates are focused on local policies, state laws or ballot victories, Andy’s role is to coordinate the movement’s existing resources -- and create others that are needed -- to help state and local leaders win equality in the communities we call home.