Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.
Summer Meeting 2013 just wrapped, and I’m feeling inspired and energized by the three incredible days we spent together in Salt Lake City.
State-based organizations across the country are making change in the communities we call home -- where the work is hard, but the impact is great. Nearly every week, we hear about another victory that provides LGBT people the protection, respect, and dignity they need and deserve.
Every year at our Summer Meeting, we take the time to recognize our members who are doing exceptional work in the fight for LGBT equality. This year, as we gathered in Salt Lake City, we honored two state leaders whose work over the past year showcased the absolute best our movement has to offer: Monica Meyer from OutFront Minnesota and Ann Kaner-Roth from Project 515.
In the weeks following the Supreme Court’s ruling on DOMA and Proposition 8, member groups across the nation have held statewide celebratory rallies in response to these historic decisions. But Federation member organization Equality Alabama went one step further, holding a Marriage Town Hall Meeting focused on shedding some light on what the Court’s rulings mean for residents of Alabama.
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 6-3 ruling in U.S. v. Skrmetti, upholding Tennessee’s ban on affirming healthcare for transgender youth.
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Maryland Governor Wes Moore today signed into law comprehensive legislation to modernize the state's approach to HIV and end the criminalization of people living with HIV. The reform, HB 39/SB 356, will align state policy with modern medical science and remove barriers to life-saving care.
We’re so excited to introduce you to the newest members of our state partner network: IYG and Fairness Pennsylvania!
We joined The Center for HIV Law and Policy (CHLP), PrEP in Black America (PIBA), Afiya Center (Dallas), Women with a Vision (New Orleans), SisterLove (Atlanta), and BlaqOut (Kansas City, Missouri) in filing an amicus, or “friend of the court,” brief in the Braidwood v Kennedy case on appeal in the Supreme Court in order to take a stand defending access to preventative health care nationally and to protect the Black and brown lives that will be lost should this access be overturned.
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Last month, we hosted our New Executive Director Intensive, one of our longest-running leadership programs. For over a decade, this program has brought together Executive Directors who are new in their role to foster healthy, sustainable organizations and leadership practices. Here are inspiring takeaways we got out of this year’s intensive!
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In recognition of HIV is Not a Crime Day and Maryland's recent groundbreaking progress toward HIV law reform, we sat down for a conversation with Ronnie at FreeState Justice, one of our state partners. We discuss Maryland’s historic progress, its significance in the current landscape of HIV criminalization across the United States, and the importance of Black LGBTQ+ leadership in shaping HIV justice.
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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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