Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.
Based in Salt Lake City, Equality Utah is the state’s leading Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) political advocacy organization. With a vision of a fair and just Utah, Unity Utah was founded in 2001, by a group of visionary members of the Utah LGBT Community. Unity Utah’s initial goal was to increase the number of fair-minded elected officials holding office.
Based in Salt Lake City, Equality Utah is the state’s leading Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) political advocacy organization. With a vision of a fair and just Utah, Unity Utah was founded in 2001, by a group of visionary members of the Utah LGBT Community.
In just a few weeks, advocates, attorneys, organizers, ministers and community members will come together to strategize about new approaches to LGBT advocacy in the South. The Federation’s Ian Palmquist will join the conversation.
State-based organizations across the country are making change in the communities we call home -- where the work is hard, but the impact is great. Nearly every week, we hear about another victory that provides LGBT people with the protection, respect and dignity they need and deserve, but far too often, these wins go unsung by the broader LGBT movement.
Thinking back to this time last year, I certainly didn’t expect to be looking at an equality map showing that 17 states and the District of Columbia have extended the freedom to marry to same-sex couples. But in nearly every region of this country, we’ve seen monumental progress that has dramatically changed the map.
On November 5, 2013, voters in the Michigan community of Royal Oak approved a local ordinance protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people from discrimination. Passage of this ordinance, in a 54 to 46 percent vote, comes 12 years after Royal Oak residents previously voted down a similar proposal. Federation member Equality Michigan was a key player in the fight for fairness and equality in Royal Oak. We talked with Emily Dievendorf and Sommer Foster about the campaign that led to this historic win.
As part of their TransVisible project, Equality Texas launched their #TransTuesday campaign on Coming Out Day. Every Tuesday, via social media, they will share a personal story, a blog, or a video highlighting transgender Texans.
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.
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.
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.
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.
In this Star Wars themed talk, Equality Ohio's Alana Jochum explains how transgender nondiscrimination protections were won in Cleveland.
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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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