Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.
We are excited to announce the addition of two new member organizations to the Equality Federation: Gender Justice League and Wyoming Equality! Gender Justice League is a Washington State trans* and allied activist group based out of Seattle.
In the past few years, we have seen growing public support for allowing same-sex couples to marry. This support has come from years of important public and private conversations about marriage for same-sex couples -- between friends, families, neighbors -- and in the media for all to hear.
It's an exciting time here at the Federation! Each year, we ask our beloved members to complete our recertification survey. Recertification is a chance for you to update the Federation about your work, your priorities, and your team. It’s also an opportunity to let us know of any changes we can make to improve your experience as a member.
Have your staff meetings started to feel like a waste of time? Do they drag on with each person reporting out in excruciating detail on what they’re doing?About a year ago, we realized our staff meetings at Equality Federation weren’t as productive as we wanted them to be and decided to try a different approach.
It’s been almost a year since the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling striking down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in Windsor v. United States, and in that short time, we have seen a promising surge in impact litigation to secure marriage for same-sex couples. In fact, since the Supreme Court’s ruling last summer, not one federal judge has ruled against the freedom to marry.
At this critical moment for our movement, the South is playing a growing role in the fight for full equality. And the state-based movement, working with local and national partners, is key to success.
Based in Salt Lake City, Equality Utah is the state’s leading Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) political advocacy organization. With a vision of a fair and just Utah, Unity Utah was founded in 2001, by a group of visionary members of the Utah LGBT Community. Unity Utah’s initial goal was to increase the number of fair-minded elected officials holding office.
Based in Salt Lake City, Equality Utah is the state’s leading Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) political advocacy organization. With a vision of a fair and just Utah, Unity Utah was founded in 2001, by a group of visionary members of the Utah LGBT Community.
In just a few weeks, advocates, attorneys, organizers, ministers and community members will come together to strategize about new approaches to LGBT advocacy in the South. The Federation’s Ian Palmquist will join the conversation.
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 with the protection, respect and dignity they need and deserve, but far too often, these wins go unsung by the broader LGBT movement.
Thinking back to this time last year, I certainly didn’t expect to be looking at an equality map showing that 17 states and the District of Columbia have extended the freedom to marry to same-sex couples. But in nearly every region of this country, we’ve seen monumental progress that has dramatically changed the map.
On November 5, 2013, voters in the Michigan community of Royal Oak approved a local ordinance protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people from discrimination. Passage of this ordinance, in a 54 to 46 percent vote, comes 12 years after Royal Oak residents previously voted down a similar proposal. Federation member Equality Michigan was a key player in the fight for fairness and equality in Royal Oak. We talked with Emily Dievendorf and Sommer Foster about the campaign that led to this historic win.
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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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