Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.
President Obama called for the repeal of Anti-LGBTQ bills in North Carolina and Mississippi at a joint press conference with British Prime Minister, David Cameron. The British Government recently issued a travel warning to LGBTQ tourists visiting those states.
In a case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the ACLU of Virginia, a federal court of appeals ruled in favor of plaintiff Gavin Grimm, a transgender student at Gloucester High School who was not permitted to use the facilities and participate in the programs that match the gender he lives everyday. This is a historic victory for transgender students who, like all students, deserve a fair opportunity to fully participate and succeed in school as their authentic selves.
Equality Federation member Forum For Equality issued the following statement praising Governor John Bel Edwards for signing an executive order forbidding state government and government contractors from discriminating based on a person’s sexual orientation and gender identity, while also repealing Gov. Bobby Jindal’s maligning Marriage and Conscience executive order.
Equality Federation continues to call upon North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory and the legislature to repeal House Bill 2 (HB 2), one of the most extreme anti-LGBT laws in the country. The Governor’s executive order purports to create protections in public employment for gay and transgender North Carolinians but does not repeal the law or provide comprehensive nondiscrimination protections for LGBT people in housing, public spaces, and so on.
South Carolina Senator Lee Bright has introduced a sweeping anti-LGBTQ bill that has some similarities to the law recently passed in North Carolina, which is drawing the outrage of hundreds of corporations and small businesses alongside community and faith leaders.
The cornerstone of our Southern Leaders program is our Southern Leadership Summit, an annual gathering that brings together advocates from the region for two days of intensive workshops and discussion. Challenging legislative sessions in all the Southern states gave us a lot to talk about, and leaders shared what they’d learned so far, with many fights still going on.
Over the past few months, many of our members have expressed interest in learning more about the Voter Activation Network (VAN).The VAN is a voter database containing information on voters for the purpose of assisting your get out the vote (GOTV) efforts and other areas of your campaigns.
Over the last two years, Equality Federation has been partnering with state equality groups, GSA Network, and education justice colleagues like Advancement Project and Dignity in Schools Campaign (DSC) to raise awareness of the impact of school pushout on LGBT young people. School pushout refers to school policies, practices, and procedures that make it more likely for students to leave school instead of finish it.
Every year, the Equality Federation Institute hosts its annual Summer Meeting, bringing together LGBT movement leaders from across the country to build skills and forge connections that strengthen the incredible work that’s happening in all the communities we call home. Even as many of us are still energized from the 2014 Summer Meeting in Minneapolis, next year’s meeting will be here before you know it, and we want you to save the date!
Are you running into challenges with your board of directors? Do you wonder how to recruit engaged and active leaders?
At this year’s Summer Meeting, we invited state leaders to take five minutes to share a big idea, talk through an innovative strategy, or offer up an exciting concept in a FEDtalk.These energetic and captivating presentations about the most innovative parts of our members’ work stood out, once again, as a major highlight of Summer Meeting.
We’re in the midst of a unique moment in the movement for equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. As marriage wins continue in the courts, and national attention shifts to work in places where LGBT people aren’t protected from discrimination — strong leadership in the states is more important than ever.To guide the movement beyond the marriage milestone, we need adaptive leaders.
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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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