Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.
We the undersigned organizations working on the front lines of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) movement share in the profound grief for those who were killed and many more who were wounded during Latin Night at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Their lives were lost or forever altered in this devastating act of violence targeting LGBTQ people.
Because I work in LGBT rights, people are asking me what they can do in response to Orlando. My response: find a vigil if you need healing or want to show support. If you want to do a bit more, here’s what I’ll tell you:
Our hearts are heavy at this time and we extend our love and condolences to the friends and family of those affected by the horrific tragedy in Orlando.
President Obama and his Administration have shown great leadership in the midst of national, often nasty and negative, attention and attacks on transgender people and their families. Recent public statements made by the president and the Department of Education send an especially inspiring message to our youth; that the most powerful leaders in our nation have their back.
“My answer is that we should deal with this issue the same way we’d want it dealt with if it was our child,” Obama said. “And that is to try to create an environment of some dignity and kindness for these kids. And that’s sort of the bottom line.” – President Obama
Equality Federation congratulates Massachusetts on the passage of a proactive, transgender-specific public accommodations bill. This bill updates Massachusetts state law to ensure explicit protections for transgender people from discrimination in public places, including restaurants, hospitals, parks, and public restrooms. We celebrate this powerful victory, which comes after over a decade of public education and dialogue in the state.
More and more transgender students of all ages are asking their families and communities to support them in living their lives authentically. Having that support in school is critical because of the central role that schools play in their lives. But often, many are unfamiliar with the needs of transgender students, and how to best support them.
One of the greatest challenges nonprofits tend to face is raising funds, especially from individual donors. This is hard for a variety of different reasons, one being that small nonprofits often operate in a vacuum, with no way to compare their goals or results to similar organizations. Until now.
My name is Kevin Patterson, and I am on the Board of Directors of Equality Arizona. Our Board is unique because we all have a volunteer role in the organization’s programming.
Wow! I am still energized from Equality Federation Institute's Summer Meeting that was held in Charlotte just a few weeks ago. Our state-based leaders and national partners bring to the table incredible enthusiasm, creativity, and grit - that unique courage and strength of character it takes to fight for equality.
The balloons have deflated, the risers and sound systems from celebrations across the country have been taken down, but I hope you’re still feeling a little of the euphoria left over from the day that the U.S. Supreme Court announced its historic marriage ruling.
In the 90s I was the lead organizer in Lawrence, Massachusetts working to create the first LGBT Pride march. The effort was a huge undertaking fighting in the face of constant threats of violence.
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.