News & Resources

Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.

The Latest

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Anne Stanback

Anne Stanback is the Director of Strategic Partnerships for the Equality Federation, the movement builder and strategic partner to state-based organizations winning equality in the communities we call home. Anne’s primary focus is working with states to develop plans, strategies and resources to pass laws to protect LGBT people from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations.

September 4, 2013
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Equality Federation Welcomes “Historic Announcement” from Department of Treasury, Celebrates “Unprecedented Leadership” of Obama Administration

Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) ruled that same-sex couples, legally married in jurisdictions that recognize their marriages, will be treated as married for federal tax purposes. The ruling applies regardless of whether the couple lives in a jurisdiction that recognizes same-sex marriage or a jurisdiction that does not recognize same-sex marriage.

August 29, 2013
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Executive Director Betsy Smith Steps Down from EqualityMaine After 14 Years of Incredible Work

Executive Director Betsy Smith has been leading EqualityMaine for fourteen years. After securing many incredible wins for LGBT Mainers, she has announced that she will soon step down from her position. Before Betsy officially leaves the Federation family (though we'll always count her as one of our own), we wanted to learn everything we could from her work and experience. So we caught up with her to talk about her successful tenure at EqualityMaine.

August 28, 2013
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Momentum for Marriage

Every day, the momentum for full marriage equality across this country builds. And our members are right in the thick of this critical work, achieving some major victories. Just look at what’s been happening these past ten months.

August 28, 2013
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The Federation's Expanded Communications: How It's Already Making a Big Impact with State Groups

For years, our members have requested assistance and guidance in the area of communications. And although we have always been able to connect state groups with resources and provide some useful advice, we simply weren’t equipped to offer comprehensive communications support.

August 28, 2013
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FEDtalks Daily: John Smallwood of Fair Wisconsin--Watch Now!

Our final FEDtalk given at the Summer Meeting 2013 is from John Smallwood, Advocacy & Organizing Director at Fair Wisconsin.

August 26, 2013

Press Releases

Businesses Serving the Public Should be Open to All

When two-year-old Katie fell and knocked her tooth out, her mom, Jane, did what any mom would do, she rushed her crying, bleeding child to the dentist. But when she arrived, the dentist told her, “A child cannot have two mothers so the ‘real mom’ has to be here.”

December 8, 2017
Watch: Why We're Fighting HIV Stigma and Criminalization

December 4, 2017
Giving Tuesday: Support Our Movement!

Today is #GivingTuesday, a national day of charitable giving, and we need you to support the state-based LGBTQ resistance.

November 28, 2017
Honor Trans People on November 20 and Every Day

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an annual observance on November 20 that honors the memory of people who were killed in acts of anti-transgender violence. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder on November 28th, 1998 kicked off the “Remembering Our Dead” web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999.

November 20, 2017
Freedom Oklahoma targeted by gunfire over the weekend

In 2017, there have been multiple attacks, drive-by shootings, and episodes of vandalism targeting LGBTQ advocacy organizations and community centers in New Jersey, Florida, and Tulsa. Freedom Oklahoma appears to be the latest victim. When the cleaning crew arrived on Sunday morning they discovered bullet holes riddled across the glass wall which serves at the entrance to Freedom Oklahoma’s office.

November 16, 2017
Transgender Candidates Make History! [updated with more]

Update: Raven Matherne won a seat on the Stamford Connecticut Board of Representatives and is believed to be the city's first openly transgender lawmaker.On Tuesday, November 7th EIGHT transgender candidates made history!

November 9, 2017
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Want To Make A Difference? Support Our Work

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.