about us
Winning equality in communities we call home.
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We believe that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people should have a fair and equal opportunity to thrive and provide for themselves and their families in every community.
Equality Federation is the movement builder and strategic partner to state-based organizations advocating for LGBTQ people. From Equality Florida to Freedom Oklahoma to Basic Rights Oregon, we amplify the power of the state-based LGBTQ movement.
We work collaboratively on critical issues—from advancing workplace fairness and family recognition to defeating anti-transgender bathroom bans and HIV criminalization laws—that affect how LGBTQ people experience the world from cradle to grave. Together with our partners we work on cross-cutting issues impacting our community such as racial equity, reproductive justice, and immigration.
In our advocacy program we partner with leaders on the ground to fend off attacks on our community and advance protections for LGBTQ people in state legislatures, where hundreds of bills affecting our community are introduced every year.
In our leadership program we ensure that state equality groups build power by training strong, resilient, and adaptive leaders in sustainable organizations.
We won’t stop until all LGBTQ people are fully empowered and represented in their communities and experience full equality in their lives.
We appreciate your support. Every dollar raised helps us strengthen our movement and reach the right people, at the right time, with the right message so that we can win equality in every community.
Advocacy Program
We work collaboratively on critical issues—from advancing workplace fairness and family recognition to defeating anti-transgender bathroom bans and HIV criminalization laws—that affect how LGBTQ people experience the world from cradle to grave. Together with our partners we work on cross-cutting issues impacting our community such as racial equity, reproductive justice, and immigration.
Legislative Action Center
Equality Federation leverages our policy expertise and strong relationships with state based member organizations to prepare for and respond to each legislative milestone along the way–from committee hearings to signing ceremonies.
We track every piece of LGBTQ-related legislation in the states—hundreds of bills each year—so we can provide advocates on the ground with the organizing, messaging, and policy resources they need.
Messaging
Equality Federation offers ongoing messaging and communications resources and strategy sessions to our member organizations, giving them the tools necessary to isolate our opposition, persuade conflicted voters, and motivate our base to support vital legislation to advance equality. We work with our members and their constituents to prepare press releases and op-eds, media interviews, press conferences, public testimony, and rapid response crisis communications.
In partnership with the Movement Advancement Project (MAP), Equality Federation has developed effective messages on nondiscrimination, working with people on the ground to best use these messaging recommendations. This long term training is essential to educate state-based equality organizations on up- to-date messaging to defeat state-level discrimination.
Research and Analytics
Equality Federation develops tools and resources that help state partners be more effective in the fight for full equality.
The Equality Federation Nondiscrimination Model enhances our members’ organizing, public education, and advocacy work by allowing them to target the right people for engagement on our issues, while our tested messaging gives advocates the power to tell the stories of our community to change hearts and minds.
We’re also using cutting-edge field experiments—such as our recent Summer of Action canvass project that showed one-on-one conversations can reduce prejudice against transgender people—to inform movement strategy.
We distill all this information and data into innovative reports that give leaders on the ground just what they need to strengthen their work.
Issue Education
In addition to nondiscrimination protections, fighting back against religious exemption laws and anti-transgender bathroom bans, Equality Federation doesn’t shy away from tackling other critical and pressing issues that impact our communities. This year we’re supporting 20 bills to protect youth from the dangerous practice of conversion “therapy.” We’ve partnered with groups like Advancement Project and Youth First! to call out the harm done to LGBTQ youth through criminalization in schools and the juvenile justice system.
Currently, Equality Federation is embarking on a new initiative to end the criminalization of HIV/AIDS and raise public awareness about how HIV is spread, prevented, and treated. Together with our state-based partners we will work to build coalitions and defeat or overturn discriminatory HIV laws that exist in 30 states while at the same time creating groundbreaking new educational campaigns.
Leadership Program
The success of our movement depends on having strong and sustainable organizations with a diverse pool of resilient, adaptive leaders who are positioned to catalyze change.
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The infrastructure we create ensures that we can advance our issues over the long term and be prepared to swing into action when threats and opportunities arise. We believe that racial justice is a critical area for growth for many organizations and leaders, and strive to integrate a racial equity perspective and strategy into all aspects of leadership and organizational development work. Because the South offers some of the greatest challenges and opportunities for our movement but has received little national investment, we have prioritized building capacity in this region. Because of our ongoing relationships with state leaders, we are able to provide tailored support that meets their individual needs and follow them as their organizations grow.
Personalized Leadership Development
We train movement leaders at all stages of their career. Organizers participate in our learning-by-doing Field Flight School, communications staff benefit from messaging resources and coaching, and executive directors learn valuable skills at our New Executive Director Boot Camp, grow their peer network at our annual Executive Director Institute, and receive executive coaching tailored to their needs.
Conference & Summits
We provide critical opportunities for training, peer learning and networking through the annual Equality Federation Leadership Conference, which has become the movement-wide go-to gathering of state leaders and national partners; our regional Leadership Summits, serving the South, Midwest, and Mountain West; and regular online training opportunities. 
Organizational Development
Equality Federation’s team employs our extensive expertise in organizational development to support our member organizations. We strategize with organizations—from the board to staff to volunteers—figure out how to get strong and stay strong so that they can keep winning equality in their communities.
From on-site training, planning, and facilitation to ongoing coaching and consulting, we leverage our long-term relationships with member organizations to help them grow and thrive.
