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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Municipal Equality Index: How Does Your City Score?

HRC Foundation in partnership with the Equality Federation Institute, announced that a record-setting 88 cities across the U.S. earned the highest possible score in the eighth annual Municipal Equality Index (MEI). The MEI is the only nationwide assessment of LGBTQ inclusion in municipal law, policy and services.

October 17, 2016
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It's Final! HUD Protects Transgender People in Shelters

HUD announced that they have finalized their rule that ensures transgender people needing shelter will be provided housing in accordance to their gender identity.Equality Federation hails this as a vital clarification and we express our greatest thanks to all the advocates who worked on these policy changes.

September 20, 2016
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Michigan Votes to Adopt LGBTQ Safe Schools Guidance

After a months-long public engagement campaign, the Michigan State Board of Education voted 6-2 yesterday to adopt the “Guidance on Safe and Supportive Learning Environments for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Students.” This guidance creates more supportive learning environments for LGBTQ students, who are at greater risk of suicide, and cannot succeed academically without a supportive school environment.

September 15, 2016
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NCAA Pulls All Championship Events from NC over Anti-LGBTQ HB2 Law

Update: On Wednesday, September 14th, the Atlantic Coast Conference (A.C.C.) followed suit and announced it will pull all “neutral-site championships for this academic year” from North Carolina.Equality Federation joins Federation member Equality North Carolina in hailing the NCAA’s decision to pull their championship events from North Carolina due to the state’s anti-LGBTQ law HB2.

September 14, 2016
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Bathroom Wars! How Cleveland Won Transgender Nondiscrimination Protections

In this Star Wars themed talk, Equality Ohio's Alana Jochum explains how transgender nondiscrimination protections were won in Cleveland.

August 31, 2016
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Advocating for the Inclusion of Gender Expansive Youth in your State or Local Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (YRBS)

Last week we held a webinar for Equality Federation members about how your organization can engage in Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) advocacy in your states and municipalities by adding an optional question on gender expansive youth.

August 31, 2016

Press Releases

Equality California Sues Trump

Equality California has filed a lawsuit challenging President Trump’s Aug. 25 directive prohibiting transgender people from joining the military and banning military healthcare plans from providing vital services to transgender servicemembers. Equality California is an organizational plaintiff in the lawsuit, together with seven transgender individuals impacted by the ban.

October 11, 2017
Victory: California Updates HIV Laws

Right now, all across the country, there are dozens of outdated laws based on old stereotypes, not science, that treat people living with HIV differently. California is now leading the nation in changing course with the passage of SB 239. Federation member Equality California prioritized this legislation for 2017.

October 11, 2017
Breaking: DOJ Issues Anti-LGBTQ License to Discriminate

Attorney General Jeff Sessions just issued guidance granting an anti-LGBTQ “license to discriminate.” Federal government staff and contractors will now be able to claim a broad religious exemption from federal laws, rules and regulations meant to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination.

October 6, 2017
Victory: Birmingham Enacts LGBTQ-Inclusive Nondiscrimination Ordinance!

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Sept 26, 2017) — After a public hearing and over five years of groundwork, the Birmingham City Council has passed a fully inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance, and Mayor William Bell has committed to signing the ordinance into law immediately.

September 26, 2017
Watch: #TAKEIT: I’M PREP’D

Equality California’s #TakeIt:I’m PrEP’ed program is a statewide educational campaign to educate the LGBTQ community and healthcare providers on the availability and benefits of PrEP, the daily pill to prevent HIV, as well as other forms of HIV treatment and prevention. More broadly, this program falls under our broader efforts to end the HIV epidemic in California by “Getting to Zero” – zero new HIV transmissions, zero HIV-related deaths and zero HIV stigma.

September 21, 2017
Gov. Brown: Sign the Gender Recognition Act

Equality Federation applauds Transgender Law Center and Federation member Equality California for their leadership on this legislation and calls on Governor Brown to sign it into law.

September 19, 2017
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