According to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP), people who identify as transgender are 28% more likely to experience physical violence than those who are not trans-identified. And each year, a tragic number of transgender individuals lose their lives due to acts of anti-transgender violence.

All of us at Equality Federation are proud to welcome Mark Snyder to our team as Director of Communications. He will begin working at the Federation next month, and is looking forward to connecting with many of you very soon.

After seven years with the Federation, our wonderful colleague Renée Perry is stepping down from her position as Director of Operations. During her time with us, Renée has kept our completely distributed organization running smoothly across four time zones.

Since 2006, the State of the States report by Equality Federation has documented the strength and sustainability of state-based advocacy organizations that advance equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the communities they call home. Over the past eight years, State of the States has faithfully documented our movement’s triumphs and trials as reflected in the capacity of our state-based organizations.

Over the past several months, we have seen great changes in the state-based LGBT movement. Marriage wins continue in states across the country, and national attention is shifting to work in places where LGBT people aren’t protected from discrimination.

Resources are often scarce for many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals. For transgender individuals, there is often an increased barrier to accessing resources when attempting to find adequate healthcare, attain name change documents, or simply find a safe space to discuss trans-related issues.