Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.
Today President Trump signed an unnecessary and divisive directive that bans the military from recruiting transgender service members, and bans the Department of Defense from providing necessary medical care for current transgender service members. At press time, it is unclear if currently serving members will be able to continue since The White House has left questions unanswered.
The state-based movement for LGBTQ equality and justice is broad and diverse. That’s why we strive to ensure that our membership reflects the whole country.
Today we join transgender Texans and their families in celebration because, after many months of courageous storytelling and coalition building, the efforts to pass anti-transgender bathroom ban legislation have FAILED.
The violence in Virginia over the weekend of August 12th was a terrible reminder of the racism that is rampant in our country today. The current Administration has emboldened those who wish to divide us.
One thing our movement has learned for sure is that our stories have the power to transform hearts and minds, and that we must never be silent. Last week, the keynote speakers at our 20th Annual Leadership Conference provided extraordinary examples of that.
We are so proud to have had the support of each of our sponsors at our 2017 Leadership Conference last week in Alexandria, Virginia. At Equality Federation, our partnerships go beyond simple monetary support – each and every sponsor works with us in the LGBTQ movement.
When Equality Federation Institute was looking for a city to host our annual Summer Meeting, we were looking for a place that embodies our commitment to working locally, to building a true grassroots movement, and to winning big, even when it’s hard.We found it all in Minneapolis, with member organization OutFront Minnesota as our host.
State-based organizations across the country are making changes 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 with the protection, respect, and dignity they need and deserve, but far too often, these wins go unsung by the broader LGBT movement.
When the legislative session began in Utah this year, Equality Utah (EQUT) felt prepared to pass a nondiscrimination bill -- they had spent years building relationships on both sides of the aisle, had worked closely with the LDS church, and were planning to run a robust legislative campaign to show lawmakers that the public supports a law allowing gay and transgender Utahns to live free from discrimination in housing and employment.
Minnesota’s bullying prevention law had long been considered one of the country’s weakest. Now, it’s one of the strongest. After more than a decade of tireless work and countless battles over the details of the proposed bill -- at 12:20 am on Wednesday, April 9, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed the Safe & Supportive Minnesota Schools Act by a vote of 69 to 63, following almost 12 hours of debate by Republicans.
When individuals go to work each day, they want to be judged on their professionalism, their experience, their performance, and their ability to get the job done. By working hard, meeting their responsibilities and playing by the rules, they strive for a fair chance to achieve a piece of the American Dream.
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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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