Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.
Nearly 200 leaders from Equality Federation’s state-based partner membership as well as leaders from national LGBTQ organizations attended our annual Leadership Conference this July in Portland, Oregon. Local hosts Basic Rights Oregon supported the efforts and an array of new sponsors ensured the event was a smashing success.
Tina Kotek, a Representative from Oregon, became the nation’s first openly lesbian House Speaker when she was sworn into office in 2013. She’s a longtime advocate of LGBTQ equality but is also well-known for her advocacy efforts around housing, health care, and other important issues that most impact marginalized communities.
Summer of Action has kicked off in Phoenix, Atlanta, Jacksonville, and Cleveland! Over the next three weeks we will have thousands of conversations about nondiscrimination with people on their front porches and on the phone!
Equality Federation is proud to partner in the launch of a groundbreaking ad depicting the challenges faced by transgender people in accessing public restrooms—and highlighting the lack of state and federal nondiscrimination protections for transgender people.
The I-1515 campaign – an effort to repeal Washington State’s 10 year old non-discrimination law protecting our transgender friends, co-workers and family members – failed to turn in enough (246,372) signatures to qualify for this year’s fall election ballot. The WA Secretary of State’s office announced late this afternoon that the I-1515 campaign cancelled its appointment to turn in signatures.
Each day, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students face ongoing hostile school climates that impact their safety and mental health. Equality Federation and our members are working to build safe and just schools for LGBT youth nationwide so that students can learn, grow, and thrive.
For many of our movement’s state-based organizations, funding is always stretched too thin.Groups continue to make progress, but there is always more work to be done and more support that can be provided.
In 2013, 76% of intimate partner violence homicide victims were gay men. Gay men, LGBTQ and HIV-affected communities of color, LGBTQ and HIV-affected youth and young adults, bisexual survivors, and transgender communities are the groups most impacted by intimate partner violence (IPV).
The movement for full LGBT equality is making incredible headway and state-based equality organizations have played a critical role. That’s why I’m proud to share with you Equality Federation’s 2013 Annual Report, which provides a look at how we work with states to make change happen at the local and state level.
It is almost hard to keep up with the incredible marriage progress over the past week. In the span of just a few days, the Supreme Court extended the freedom to marry to couples in Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin and Indiana, and the 9th Circuit Court ruled against bans in Nevada and Idaho.
All young people deserve the opportunity to succeed in a safe and protective school environment. But far too often, LGBTQ youth, and especially LGBTQ youth of color, face extreme barriers to achieving success.
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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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