News & Resources

Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.

The Latest

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Meet Lennie & Pearl - Together Almost 50 Years, Their Lawsuit Won Marriage Equality in North Carolina

The Human Rights Campaign is celebrating the love between Lennie Gerber and Pearl Berlin, a couple who has been together almost 50 years! Watch the video below, and be sure to have tissues handy. Their love is contagious! 

April 8, 2015
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Watch: Emotional Reunion Between Transgender Teen & Supportive School Counselor

In this Nightline special, Nathan, a transgender teen, meets with the school counselor who supported him throughout his childhood struggle. Years later, Nightline captures the emotional reunion. 

April 7, 2015
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VICTORY: RFRA will not advance in Georgia!

At midnight last night, the Georgia General Assembly officially closed their doors for this legislative session and with it ended any chance that RFRA could move forward in Georgia in 2015. Congratulations to the teams at Georgia Unites Against Discrimination and Georgia Equality for all your hard work to protect the LGBT community in your state!

April 3, 2015
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New National Campaign Seeks to Close Youth Prisons, Improve Outcomes for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System

While recently on a tour at a juvenile detention facility, one of my colleagues asked the staff how they make housing decisions for transgender youth. The staff responded, "We ask youth how they identify themselves, and if they would prefer to be placed in the girls unit or in the boys unit." 

April 1, 2015
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LGBT, Civil Rights Groups Urge Support for Fairness for All Hoosiers Act

INDIANAPOLIS – In an open letter to Gov. Mike Pence and leaders in the Indiana House and Senate, national LGBT and civil rights groups call on lawmakers to quickly enact legislation fixing SB 101, which could allow discrimination against gay and transgender people, and end the firestorm of protests that “Indiana is already on the verge of losing billions of dollars and thousands of jobs because of this dangerous law.

March 31, 2015
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Walmart, Apple, Salesforce, and Yelp Join Chorus Against Discriminatory Religious Exemption Bills

The list of companies threatening to reduce business or leave states that have passed or plan to pass so-called “religious freedom” bills is growing daily. Walmart, Apple, and the Arkansas Chamber of Commerce are among the business interests that have come out against a proposed religious exemption bill in Arkansas.

March 29, 2015

Press Releases

TN Gov. Signs Anti-LGBTQ Therapist Bill Into Law

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has signed discriminatory legislation that allows counselors and therapists to refuse treatment based on their religious objections or personal beliefs. The American Counseling Association has called the legislation an “unprecedented attack” on the counseling profession.

May 2, 2016
Discriminatory Amendment Attached to National Defense Auth. Act

On Thursday, April 28th, the House Armed Services Committee voted to pass a discriminatory amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act introduced by Representative Steve Russell (R-OK). The amendment applies the private employer religious exemptions of the Civil Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act to religious organizations receiving any federal contract or grant – which could include universities and hospitals employing thousands of people.

May 2, 2016
Breaking: Watch Pres. Obama Call for Repeal of Anti-LGBTQ Laws

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.

April 22, 2016
Federal Court Ruling a Victory for Transgender Students!

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.

April 19, 2016
Louisiana Gov. Edwards Signs Executive Order Banning Discrimination

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.

April 14, 2016
Not Sufficient: NC Gov. McCrory's 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.

April 12, 2016
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