Equality Federation won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities, experiencing full equality in their lives.
Equality Federation is proud to participate in the annual Municipal Equality Index with HRC, which illustrates both the tremendous progress we have achieved as well as the challenges that still lie ahead in our fight for equality in the communities we call home. This important tool provides a roadmap to a future in which every LGBTQ person experiences fairness and equality no matter where they live. Click here to see your city's score!
Since 2013, the Affordable Care Act (or “Obamacare”) has made it possible for LGBTQ people and families get access to quality, affordable health insurance. Thanks to the law, the rate of uninsured low- and middle-income LGBTQ people has dropped by 35%! More people in our community have access to medically necessary services they need, from life-saving HIV drugs to gender affirming health care.
Equality Federation is committed to promoting racial justice and equity in all facets of our work. When we began our racial justice initiative in 2014, we decided that it was not enough to have a stand-alone program or project.
Equality Federation’s conferences, convenings, and trainings provide an extraordinary opportunity for member organizations to learn from and support each other.
Equality Federation members scored key municipal policy wins this year. While we often focus on statewide wins, these city and county victories are critical components of the fight for equality in the communities we call home.
In 1997, a few LGBTQ movement leaders, including our current executive director, Rebecca Isaacs, came together at the Highlander Center in Tennessee. Sitting in a circle of rocking chairs in the room where Rosa Parks was trained in civil disobedience, they envisioned coming together as a state-based movement to form the “Federation of Statewide LGBT Political Organizations.” From that loose network, an organization grew.
Thousands of patriotic transgender Americans already serve in our military and are putting their lives on the line. This policy allows them to serve openly and with honor and integrity.
I lived in San Francisco during the height of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. It was a terrifying time full of despair, loss, and anger as we lost so many members of our community. I remember seeing the blood drive vans parked in the heart of the Castro, the city’s gay neighborhood, when gay men were turned away from donating blood to their own community in need.
As U.S. government leaders continue to grapple with addressing gun violence-prevention following last weekend’s homophobic massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, LGBTQ and gun violence-prevention advocates and activists are calling for more stringent checks to keep guns out of dangerous hands.
We the undersigned organizations working on the front lines of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) movement share in the profound grief for those who were killed and many more who were wounded during Latin Night at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Their lives were lost or forever altered in this devastating act of violence targeting LGBTQ people.
Because I work in LGBT rights, people are asking me what they can do in response to Orlando. My response: find a vigil if you need healing or want to show support. If you want to do a bit more, here’s what I’ll tell you:
Our hearts are heavy at this time and we extend our love and condolences to the friends and family of those affected by the horrific tragedy in Orlando.
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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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