Last week we held a webinar for Equality Federation members about how your organization can engage in Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) advocacy in your states and municipalities by adding an optional question on gender expansive youth.

This week, the Juneau Assembly passed an ordinance that makes it illegal to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. In passing this ordinance, Juneau became the second Alaskan city to pass an inclusive non‐discrimination ordinance that extends protections in employment, housing, and public accommodations based on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or national origin, race, color, age, religion, sex, familial status, and disability.

Equality Federation joins Federation member Equality North Carolina in hailing a decision by a federal judge to suspend the enforcement of the discriminatory provisions of North Carolina’s anti-LGBTQ law, HB2 until plaintiffs have their opportunity to make their case in court.

On Sunday August 22nd, in Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. District Court Judge Reed Charles O’Connor issued a preliminary order in Texas v. United States, a case in which public officials in Texas and 10 other states are challenging nondiscrimination protections for transgender students and employees.

Two years ago, Michael Brown was shot and killed in Ferguson, Missouri, a city where less than two years before, we worked with the Ferguson City Council to pass the first inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance in North County.