Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.
A North Carolina "religious exemption" bill that would have permitted discrimination and opened a can of worms of potential unintended consequences was killed today.
So far 2015 has been quite a year. We haven't seen a state-by-state attack on our rights like this since the marriage bans of 2004. There's good news though: we are winning.
In a series of announcements over the past month, the Obama administration has taken critical steps to protect LGBT Americans. These historic steps are necessary to make it possible for LGBT Americans to earn a living, use the restroom, and live without the fear of having to undergo harmful so-called conversion therapy.
This week, the Obama Administration announced support for banning so-called conversion therapy practices nationwide. This is an important step for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, as these harmful practices particularly impact the lives of LGBT youth.
(TALLAHASSEE, Fla.) – A coalition of some of the state’s top employers and business leaders today sent a letter to Gov. Rick Scott, Senate President Andy Gardiner and House Speaker Steve Crisafulli asking lawmakers to hear House Bill 33 by Rep. Holly Raschein (R-Key Largo) and Senate Bill 156 by Sen. Joe Abruzzo (D-Boynton Beach) and to support the Competitive Workforce Act.
From Ava DuVernay’s award-winning film to President Obama’s speech at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, to the thousands we crossed the Bridge with and the millions that joined by TV, America has remembered Selma this year.
Equality Federation is disappointed to learn that six candidates for president signed a pledge supporting the so-called First Amendment Defense Act (FADA). FADA is an unnecessary piece of legislation that would enshrine discrimination into law, prohibiting the federal government from stepping in when people or businesses discriminate because they believe “marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman” or that “sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage.”
Equality Federation is proud to have partnered again with Human Rights Campaign to publish the Municipal Equality Index (MEI). This year’s MEI shows the growing support for LGBTQ people and our families while highlighting the work ahead to ensure full equality.
Equality Federation recognizes Empire State Pride Agenda (ESPA) for their incredible accomplishments, including the passage of over 100 pieces of legislation that advanced LGBTQ equality. For 25 years the ESPA team was at the forefront of the movement, often achieving wins that paved the way for other states and inspiring the nation
Equality Federation is proud to share Funders for LGBTQ Issues’ new report Out in the South: Opportunities for Funding LGBT Communities in the U.S. South.
Equality Federation’s Legislative Action Center (LAC) is a proactive state legislative tracking and assistance program that will serve Federation partners, coalition members, and movement leadership and staff.
This week, we wrapped up the second convening of Fair Share for Equality, our annual forum of California state and local elected officials, LGBT and civil rights leaders and social service agencies, aimed at addressing the daunting disparities in health and wellbeing LGBT people still face compared to the general population. In her address to the audience, California Controller Betty Yee said that “the agenda for California and the rest of the country is quite vast.”
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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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