State-based organizations across the country are advancing major progress 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 are unrecognized by the broader community.

At the Federation, we’re committed to telling the story of these victories. And this time, we're headed to Maryland, Pennsylvania, Missouri, and Minnesota.

• On October 1st, the Fairness for All Marylanders Act went into effect. This law prohibits discrimination based on gender identity and expression in employment, housing, public accommodations and credit. This historic law was put into place after years of organizing, lobbying, and coalition building. Congratulations to the team at Equality Maryland for all of their hard work to expand nondiscrimination protections to the transgender community!
• Following the terrible hate crime in Philadelphia last month, Equality Pennsylvania took immediate steps to achieve hate crimes protections for LGBT people. This week, the House Judiciary Committee passed HB 177 - a bill that includes LGBT and mentally disabled people in hate crimes protections. The bill passed 19-4 in the committee, and could be on its way to the House floor shortly. Thank you to Equality Pennsylvania for working with legislators to advance protections for the LGBT community.
• In Missouri, couples now married legally outside of the state will be fully recognized.  Attorney General Chris Koster said he would not appeal the decision made by Jackson County Judge Dale Youngs that stated Missouri must recognize the marriages of same-sex couples that were granted elsewhere. Congratulations to the team at PROMO for all their work to bring Missouri one step closer to marriage!
• A policy that would assure appropriate inclusion of all students, including transgender students, in sports programs was brought before the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) this past week. After hearing from 40 speakers over the course of two days, attorneys for the MSHSL presented the League's board with a new proposed policy regarding transgender athletes. As a result, the board voted unanimously to table the proposed policy until December to gather input from stakeholders on the new approach. Thank you to OutFront Minnesota, who has been key in supporting these efforts to ensure that all students can participate in sports regardless of their gender identity or expression.

What else? Let us know about a win in your community, and we’ll feature it in an upcoming edition of Unsung Victories! Just send an email to communications@equalityfederation.org.