Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.
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.
On Friday, August 12th, a federal court in Forth Worth Texas will hear arguments in State of Texas v. United States, a lawsuit that is a clear attack on transgender people with the sole purpose of enshrining discrimination into the law.
ORLANDO, FL – Equality Federation member Equality Florida, faith leaders, and family members of victims of the Pulse shooting were joined by nearly 200 local advocates on August 11th outside the “Rediscovering God in America” conference in Orlando to call out Marco Rubio and Donald Trump.
This summer, Hawaii will become the next state to advance equality for the transgender community.During Hawaii's 2015 legislative session, Federation member Equality Hawaii strongly advocated for HB 631, the transgender birth certificate bill.
Earlier this month, I flew to Albuquerque for a remarkable convening of activists from movements for reproductive rights, reproductive justice, and LGBT issues in the Southwest. Organized by ConwayStrategic (with funding from the Ford Foundation) the gathering included advocates from Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico, including Equality Federation members Equality New Mexico and Equality Arizona, along with some national organizations.
Over the past few months we have seen an increase in the number of anti-conversion therapy bills introduced in legislatures across the country. These bills call for the end of this dangerous practice that causes real harm to the LGBT community, and especially to LGBT youth who are subjected to it against their will.
Louisiana set a dangerous precedent this week. Two different nondiscrimination bills -- both positive pieces of legislation that would have extended protections to LGBT Louisianans -- were tabled.
Like its neighboring state of Oklahoma, Texas has seen a dizzying number of anti-LGBT bills this session, 22 to be exact. Federation member Equality Texas helped to soundly defeat four preemption bills that would have invalidated local LGBT nondiscrimination ordinances.
In the first half of 2015, we have seen many victories and challenges across the nation as advocates fight for protections for LGBT people in their state. In Michigan, opponents of the state’s recently introduced preemption bill have dubbed it a Death Star.
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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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