Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.
The cornerstone of our Southern Leaders program is our Southern Leadership Summit, an annual gathering that brings together advocates from the region for two days of intensive workshops and discussion. Challenging legislative sessions in all the Southern states gave us a lot to talk about, and leaders shared what they’d learned so far, with many fights still going on.
On March 23, the North Carolina General Assembly held a special session to rush through—in less than 12 hours—legislation attacking the LGBTQ community. House Bill 2 abolished all local nondiscrimination laws that go beyond state law, leaving LGBTQ people unprotected across the state, and would force transgender people to use bathrooms that match the sex listed on their birth certificates in government facilities, putting them at risk of harassment and violence.
Fresh on the heels of new anti-LGBTQ smears by outside groups trying to mislead people about pending nondiscrimination legislation, Pennsylvania Governor Wolf has signed executive orders providing non-discrimination protections for members of the LGBT community employed by or contracting with the Commonwealth.
Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant has signed into law one of the most extreme, sweeping anti-LGBT bills in the country, HB 1523. The law allows discrimination by individuals, religiously-affiliated organizations (including hospitals, schools, homeless shelters, and more), and businesses based on religious beliefs or moral convictions regarding marriage for same-sex couples; sexual activity outside of heterosexual marriage; and transgender people.
One of the most extreme, sweeping anti-LGBT bills in the country, HB 1523, is making its way through the Mississippi legislature and will reach Governor Phil Bryant’s desk within days. It would allow discrimination by individuals, religiously-affiliated organizations (including hospitals, schools, homeless shelters, and more), and businesses based on religious beliefs or moral convictions regarding marriage for same-sex couples; sexual activity outside of heterosexual marriage; and transgender people.
On Friday, April 1st the Kentucky Senate unanimously approved a single marriage license form, a move in stark contrast to a divisive vote on the same issue several weeks ago. The Senate had previously approved Senate Bill 5, a measure introduced by Senator Stephen West (R-Paris) that would have created separate marriage license forms for gay and straight couples in Kentucky.
The State Equality Index (SEI) is a comprehensive state-by-state report that provides a review of statewide laws and policies that affect LGBT people and their families. The SEI rates all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. in six areas and assigns the states to one of four distinct categories.
Texas, Kentucky, and Florida have anti-transgender bills making their way through the legislative process. The bills could have very real, harmful consequences for transgender people and anyone else who may not fit in with the narrow assumptions some people have about how a man or woman is expected to appear.
On March 5th, more than 300 Republicans filed a friend of the court brief at the Supreme Court in support of same-sex marriage nationwide. Organized by former Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman, the amicus brief was filed for the four same-sex marriage cases the Court will hear on April 28th that could legalize marriage nationwide.
SAN FRANCISCO - Today, Equality Federation hails the progress made by Federation member Equality Utah in bringing together faith and political leaders to draft nondiscrimination legislation, Senate Bill 296, to ensure no hardworking Utahn is unfairly fired from a job or denied a place to live.
A year and a half ago, I flew to Tulsa to work with The Equality Network. At that time, TEN was a small organization of committed volunteers. While they were doing remarkable work with few resources, they recognized it was time to grow so they could have an even bigger impact on their state.
Just last week, former Georgia Republican Attorney General and prominent GOP leader Michael Bowers joined the fight over the proposed Religious Freedom Restoration Act in the Peach State, but not on the side you would expect.Bowers, who is well known for defending anti-gay sodomy laws in the Supreme Court’s 1986 Bowers v. Hardwick decision, is now standing on the right side of history and supporting those who believe in fairness for all.
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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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