Equality Federation

07/24/2026

We’re wrapping up this year’s Leadership Conference feeling energized, inspired, and full of gratitude for the people who are the beating heart of this movement. 💫

Centered around the theme, “Constellations of Care: Mapping our Futures,” this week reminded us what’s possible when we share space together. We spent our days strategizing, connecting, and learning alongside visionary leaders from across the LGBTQ+ movement, and the power of community was truly felt throughout our time together. This week was a powerful reminder that our strength lies in each other because when we organize together, we build pathways towards liberation for all.

Thank you to FreeState Justice for welcoming us so warmly to your home state of Maryland. And thank you to every attendee, speaker, sponsor, staff member, board member, volunteer, and to every person who helped bring this conference to life. You made this week unforgettable, and we can't wait to see y'all again IRL next year!

P.S. We're logging off to rest and recharge after an incredible week of conference! Equality Federation staff will be out of the office July 27-31. We will be back online on Monday, August 3. ✨💖

Art by: adnanwalena.com

07/22/2026

Big news! Next year, we're reaching a major milestone: 30 years of Equality Federation. 🏳️‍🌈✨

2027 will officially mark 30 years of building LGBTQ+ power across the country, grounded in the belief that lasting change is built state by state. For three decades, we've developed an intersectional state-based movement that not only meets the moment in times of need but also strengthens the long-term capacity needed to build lasting change. At a time when LGBTQ+ communities are facing sustained opposition and uncertainty, we're continuing to build upon the legacy of the generations who built this movement by resourcing those carrying it forward.

As we count down to our next chapter, stay tuned for ways to join us in strengthening the LGBTQ+ movement from state to nation and celebrate our 30th with us! 🌟

07/17/2026

REAL TALK: Access to PrEP, still, almost fifteen years after it was first made available, depends on who you are, where you live, and whether the system decides your health is worth the effort. That gap in services for our communities is not an accident. It’s a flaw in our public health system, and we have the power to fix it. 🗣️

The good news is, advocates across the country are doing something about it. In our latest blog post, we spoke with Georgia Equality, Garden State Equality, and Equality NC about the bold steps they've taken to make critical preventative treatments an integral part of community care.

Visit eqfed.org/PHwins to hear direct insights from our state partners who helped secure progress across Georgia, New Jersey, and North Carolina and learn how these statewide wins are shifting the landscape at both the local and national levels. 📝

07/14/2026

It's International Non-Binary People’s Day! 🌟 Today and always, we’re celebrating all of the beautiful, diverse identities of non-binary folks across all the places we call home.

To our non-binary family: May you always feel affirmed, safe, supported, and celebrated as your full self wherever you are. You are so loved, and the world is infinitely better with you in it. 💛🤍💜🖤

07/10/2026

Tune in to Middays with Julia to hear from Skye, our Director of Data and Systems, about the importance of the many ongoing fights for LGBTQ+ equality, all year long! 🏳️‍⚧️ 🏳️‍🌈

It’s often said that the first pride was a riot, and although there’s a lot more to pride than that, it is important to remember that as pride month winds down there are many fights for LGBTQIA+ equality that are ongoing — all year long. […]

07/09/2026

New blog post out now! 🌟

Check it out to read powerful and candid reflections from Jay, our Director of Leadership & Capacity Strengthening, and for a look into our Executive Director (ED) Sustainability Intensive.

Our ED Sustainability Intensive is a two-day convening for leaders who are new to the executive director role or to our network. Executive director work is isolating. This program exists to interrupt that isolation and explicitly name that the health of a leader and the health of an organization are not separate. They are inextricably linked, and the leaders in this cohort are proof of that.

Learn more about the program's impact and insights from LGBTQ+ leaders at eqfed.org/EDIntensive! 📑

07/04/2026

Long before the last 250 years, communities have been carving their own pathways for care and resistance. 🌿

This July 4, we want to be clear: The rise of extremism at this precise moment is not a mere coincidence with the 250th anniversary of this nation’s founding. Rather, it reveals what q***r, trans, BIPOC, and immigrant communities have long known to be true: that this country has never truly divorced itself from chattel slavery and the colonization of Indigenous people and land. We are a nation that continues to benefit from the social and economic harms of human exploitation, and we are a nation that has failed in its efforts to truly repair the institutions that propagate these harms.

The responsibility for change lies with each of us to continue organizing, listening, and following the lead of the communities most impacted by the ongoing rise of authoritarianism. Because together, we have the power to transform our neighborhoods into spaces where every person is safe, supported, and free to thrive. No exceptions. 🦋🗣️

Artwork by Alex Albadree

06/23/2026

LAST CHANCE: Tell HUD to protect the Equal Access Rule!

We need YOUR help to fight back. 📣 Submit a comment BEFORE midnight on June 29th and share why equal access to housing for LGBTQ+ people is important to you: https://action.transequality.org/a/equalaccessrule

06/23/2026

Have you checked out our Pride merch collection yet? 🏳️‍🌈

We teamed up with Ash Rudolph again this year to create a design that honors the interconnectedness of our communities and represents how our fights for LGBTQ+ liberation and collective liberation go hand in hand. 🩵

Hear more from Ash about the inspiration behind the design: “I wanted to highlight what it feels like to be part of a community - and when I think of that, I immediately think of a garden, or a bouquet. The phrase sits inside a loosely tied bouquet of clover, leaves, and plant matter. When I was younger, making a bouquet of clovers was a way to show love and give luck to my loved ones. When I think of collective liberation, I think of what it takes to nurture and grow a healthy garden - the entire space, and everything included in it, needs space and care in order to thrive.” 💐

Check out this year’s artwork & shop to support our work at eqfed.org/shop. 👕

Available online only throughout the summer until August 31! ☀️

06/18/2026

"Fran Hutchins, executive director of the Equality Federation Institute, wrote to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Mississippi in August 2025 to advocate for the insurer to cover Cabenuva or Biktarvy, a prescription medication used to treat HIV in adults and children...Hutchins told Mississippi Today that HIV treatment plays a key role in prevention because the medications can lower a patient’s viral load to undetectable levels, effectively preventing transmission of the virus."

Everyone should be able to access the care they need. 📣 💯

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Mississippi has updated its guidelines for HIV prevention medication after a national advocacy group alleged the insurer’s