PRESS RELEASE: Equality Federation Welcomes 200+ LGBTQ Leaders For Leadership Conference 2019

July 15, 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 17-20th, Equality Federation and Fairness Campaign will co-host the 22nd annual Leadership Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. The conference is the premier gathering of LGBTQ movement leaders focusing on the crucial work of winning equality in state legislatures and local communities across the country. Over 200+ people will be in attendance to strategize, mobilize and connect on critical movement conversations on issues like: racial justice, HIV, conversion therapy and nondiscrimination.

Among those in attendance will be representatives from 39 organizations including national partners and state leaders working on the ground from Florida to Maine and North Dakota to California.

As Executive Director Rebecca Isaacs notes, “The Fairness Campaign has been working throughout Kentucky for years to push for LGBTQ equality policies, which now are in place in 12 communities throughout the state. We are excited to bring the Equality Federation Leadership Conference to Louisville this year so that state leaders from 39 member organizations, along with many national leaders, can celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Louisville fairness ordinance and experience Kentucky hospitality. Fresh off state legislative sessions with big wins and some challenges, state equality leaders and the Equality Federation are looking forward to three days of strategy, reflection and fun which will spur all of us to return to our communities and continue the struggle next year.”

Chris Hartman, Executive Director of local host Fairness Campaign, says “We are extremely excited to host the Equality Federation’s Leadership Conference during this landmark year for Louisville, celebrating 20 years of Kentucky’s first LGBTQ-inclusive Fairness Ordinance. In partnership with the Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau and Mayor Greg Fischer’s office, the Fairness Campaign continues to seek new ways we can showcase our city’s LGBTQ inclusiveness and perfect 100 rating from the Equality Federation and Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index. Hosting state and national LGBTQ movement leaders for this important conference is another concrete example of Louisville’s commitment to the LGBTQ community and fairness for all.”

Ahead of the conference, Equality Federation offers day-long institutes focused on building skills and strong peer connections for state leaders working in: Communications, Development, Executive Leadership, and Field.

About Equality Federation
Equality Federation is the strategic partner and movement builder to state-based organizations that are advancing equality in the communities we call home. Learn more at equalityfederation.org.

More You might like

Solidarity with Trans Kansans

The new anti-trans bill in Kansas is one of the most severe and harmful limits that we’ve seen on the freedom and civil rights of our community. We brought the power of our network to Kansas last week when 42 Equality Federation member organizations signed a letter of solidarity with transgender, nonbinary, intersex, and gender diverse Kansans affected by it.

June 12, 2025
HIV Is Not a Crime Awareness Day: A Conversation About Laws, Loss, Love, and the Village That Keeps Us Alive

In honor of HIV Is Not a Crime Awareness Day, we sat down with 3 Black LGBTQ+ leaders and executive directors whose state-based LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations successfully modernized or repealed HIV criminalization laws for a candid conversation about what it actually takes to win—and why victory can still feel incomplete.

June 12, 2025
A Look into Equality Texas’ Rainbow Rights Roadshow 🌈

It’s hard to be a queer or trans Texan right now, especially in deep-red rural areas. But Equality Texas has the answer: the Rainbow Rights Roadshow, a 15-stop tour of the state is a chance for LGBTQ+ Texans to connect, learn, advocate, and be in community.

June 12, 2025
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.