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

BGM Forum logo
State Equality Index: How Does Your State Score?

Today, Equality Federation Institute and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation and the released their annual State Equality Index (SEI), a comprehensive state-by-state report detailing statewide laws and policies that affect LGBTQ people and their families and placing states in one of four categories based on their pro- and anti-LGBTQ state laws.

January 10, 2018
BGM Forum logo
Breaking: Supreme Court Lets Discrimination Continue...

The Supreme Court has denied to review two cases that challenged Mississippi‚ dangerously broad anti-LGBTQ law, HB 1523.

January 9, 2018
BGM Forum logo
Progress! Wisconsin and Michigan Governors Sign Executive Orders Banning Discrimination

On Monday, January 7th, Michigan’s Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order banning discrimination against LGBTQ state employees and Wisconsin’s Governor Tony Evers signed an executive order expanding nondiscrimination protections to transgender state employees.

January 8, 2018
BGM Forum logo
30 LGBTQ State Leaders Attend West by Midwest (WxMW) 2017

Our regional summits are growing! This year’s West by Midwest (WxMW) Leadership Summit was our biggest and best ever. For the third year in a row, we’ve invited members from the Western states to join us at what used to be the Midwest Leadership Summit.

December 21, 2017
BGM Forum logo
The Boot Camp for Executive Directors in the LGBTQ Movement

On a cold December night in Chicago, Fran Hutchins, our deputy director, and I hustled from our hotel to dinner with four executive directors who’ve stepped up to lead in their states in 2018. We’d just wrapped up the first of two intensive days of training at our New Executive Director Boot Camp.

December 21, 2017
BGM Forum logo
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

Press Releases

Victory! Oregon Passes Milestone Transgender Birth Certificate Bill

Equality Federation congratulates Basic Rights Oregon on the historic passage of HB 2673A. This legislation allows transgender individuals to amend both name and gender marker on their birth records without going to court.

May 31, 2017
Texas On Verge of Passing Extreme Anti-LGBTQ Laws

Governor Abbott has called for a special session to continue pushing for an anti-transgender bathroom ban.

May 24, 2017
Victory! Connecticut and Nevada Ban Anti-LGBTQ Conversion Efforts

Equality Federation congratulates our partners and advocates on the ground who have worked tirelessly for these victories in Connecticut and Nevada. This week, we add two more to the list of states that have banned conversion “therapy” for minors.

May 17, 2017
Equality Federation Condemns Tennessee Gov. for Signing Anti-LGBTQ Bill

Equality Federation has condemned Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam for signing HB 1111/SB 1085, requiring that all words in Tennesee state code be defined as their so-called “natural” or “biological” meanings.

May 9, 2017
Trump's Executive Order

Today President Trump signed a troubling and unnecessary executive order (full text below) that directs the Justice Department to draft religious exemptions guidelines that could promote anti-LGBT discrimination, promotes limiting access to contraception, and promotes partisan political spending by churches.

May 4, 2017
Alabama Governor Signs Discriminatory Adoption Bill HB24 into Law

Governor Kay Ivey has signed the discriminatory bill, deceptively named the Alabama Child Placing Agency Inclusion Act, into law.

May 3, 2017
A young man looking up, smilingA young man smiling straight at the camera
Confident young woman standing with crossed arms.

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.