Equality Federation

05/01/2026

"What does a person seeking abortion care have in common with a young trans person seeking gender-affirming care? More than most people think.

The campaign to restrict gender-affirming care follows a well-worn and ultimately successful playbook designed by anti-abortion advocates. That success has emboldened them to target intersecting issues and groups who face the steepest barriers to accessing s*xual and reproductive health care, like young people.
..As state policy experts tracking attacks on LGBTQ+ communities and on reproductive health and rights, we can connect the dots between these strategies that increasingly depend on criminalization, expanding state surveillance of personal health care decisions, and limiting young people’s autonomy. Understanding how these attacks overlap is critical to resisting them and building solidarity across both fights."

Reproductive Justice and LGBTQ+ liberation go hand in hand. Every person should have the right to access the care they need and to determine what is best for their own body. 📣

Opinion: Lawmakers are using the same tactics, including criminalization, surveillance, and restrictions on young people to limit access to both abortion and gender-affirming care, write state policy experts with the National LGBTQ Task Force and the Guttmacher Institute.

04/30/2026

"The Montana Supreme Court has ruled that two state agencies violated the state constitution by not allowing trans residents to change their gender markers on identity documents. In a 5-2 decision, the court blocked the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, as well as the Department of Justice, which runs the state’s Motor Vehicle Division, from refusing to update trans people’s identity documents, siding with two trans plaintiffs."

Some good news!

The court found that anti-trans discrimination is “by its very nature, s*x discrimination.”

04/26/2026

Let's go le***ans! 🩷🤍🧡

Sending so much love and appreciation to all of the le***an icons who paved the way and to the many who continue to lead us forward. 💐

Don't forget to call up your le***an loved ones and send them some extra love and gratitude today and every day. 💌

04/23/2026

Join us on April 30 for our first public health advocacy training of the year! ⭐️

This training is designed to help advocates make sense of the 2026 landscape and identify where action is needed most. Attendees will get a grounded overview of the major federal and state policy trends shaping HIV and broader public health advocacy, including medication access, prevention, criminalization, funding threats, and the growing intersection of HIV policy. This session will help folks understand what is moving, what is at risk, and where there are real opportunities to intervene, lead, and build stronger state-level strategies in a rapidly changing environment.

All are welcome! Register today at eqfed.org/PHtraining1 🔗

04/21/2026

Congratulations to Fran "Hutch" Hutchins, Executive Director of Equality Federation, on making the Curve Power List 2026! 💯

The annual Curve Power List honors LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary changemakers making a monumental impact in communities across North America. From their roots as an organizer for marriage equality to their continued dedication to expanding Equality Federation's support across the state-based LGBTQ+ movement, Hutch's contributions to LGBTQ+ advocacy run deep. Congratulations to Hutch on such a well-deserved honor! 🎉

We are also incredibly proud to see Brielle Winslow-Majette (Garden State Equality) and Alex Sheldon (GLMA) from our board, alongside Dr. Carla Smith, CEO of our partner The Le***an, Gay, Bis*xual & Transgender Community Center, recognized on this list! 👏

Visit curvemag.com to view the full list. ***anVisibilityWeek

04/18/2026

Today is National Transgender HIV Testing Day 🏳️‍⚧️, a time to recognize the disproportionate impact of HIV and barriers to care that transgender and nonbinary folks face. Dismantling HIV stigma and making sure our communities are able to access testing, prevention, and inclusive treatment options is essential to our collective liberation.

Getting tested is one essential way we can show up for ourselves and each other. 🩵

Explore your HIV testing options, including HIV self-tests at cdc.gov/HIVtesting. 📍 .

04/08/2026

"Georgia Equality is celebrating the defeat of more than a dozen anti-LGBTQ+ bills as state lawmakers wrapped their legislative session in the early hours of April 3."

“'Georgia state leadership fixating on restricting LGBTQ+ rights as their core priority over the past years, we made it clear that scapegoating LGBTQ+ Georgians is not a winning political strategy,' Georgia Equality Executive Director Jeff Graham said in a statement. 'Georgians want more than culture war distractions; we deserve solutions addressing healthcare access, cost of living, and more affordable housing.'"

Some great news out of Georgia! A huge congratulations to Georgia Equality on an incredible victory! 💯 🏳️‍🌈 👏

Georgia Equality celebrates the defeat of anti-LGBTQ+ bills, including restrictions on gender-affirming care. Advocacy and activism prevailed.

04/02/2026

"As bills aiming to push transgender people out of public life pass through state legislatures nationwide, a new survey shows that most Americans — regardless of party, race or gender — believe that trans people deserve equal protection. In a new survey of over 1,000 respondents, 85% of Americans believe that 'transgender people should have the same rights and protection as everyone else.'" 🏳️‍⚧️

The research suggests that right-wing attacks on trans protections are not aligned with the country’s values.

04/01/2026

Yesterday, the Supreme Court issued its decision in a case about how conversion therapy can be regulated. The Court ruled these debunked practices can be "protected speech" under the first amendment, and sent the case back down to the lower court to be revisited.

This case was not about whether these practices are safe or legal. Medical consensus is clear: Conversion therapy is harmful and unethical — and it puts young people at risk.

Survivors still have a range of legal options to fight back, including consumer fraud claims, medical malpractice, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. No matter the Court’s decision, we are continuing to fight back against these dangerous practices, and working to end the harms of conversion therapy once and for all.

Tell your officials that conversion therapy has no place in your state at Trvr.org/StopConversionTherapy. 📣

03/31/2026

Each year on , we are reminded of how powerful it can be to feel truly seen, and the gaps that still exist between visibility and fundamental rights. Trans folks deserve a future that not only honors who they are, but also ensures they have the right to show up as their authentic selves in every space.

Visibility is one vital part of the path towards a future where every trans person has the autonomy, safety, and access to care they need to live long, joyful lives. It's on each of us to make that future a reality. 🏳️‍⚧️

Every trans person, however visible, should be able to thrive on their own terms. 🩵🗣️

03/27/2026

"Q***r and trans athletes are speaking out against the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to ban transgender women and some inters*x athletes from female sporting events.

The updated IOC policy mandates that athletes get tested for the SRY gene — which is usually attached to Y chromosomes but may also indicate hormone variations — in order to qualify for women’s competitions and Olympic qualifiers. Last month, a coalition of 90 human rights and sports organizations urged the IOC to not use SRY “s*x testing,” which they said would 'set women’s sports back 30 years.'"

All girls, women, and athletes regardless of their identity, should be allowed to compete in the sport they love, free from invasive s*x testing, restrictions, discrimination, and forced changes to their own bodies. 🗣️

Nikki Hiltz, Caster Semenya, and other professional athletes have denounced the IOC's new policy.

03/25/2026

Congratulations to Ian Palmquist, former Equality Federation Deputy Executive Director, on receiving The Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award! 🩵

Senior Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, Anita Earls, presented Ian with the award last week in recognition of his exemplary service to the communities and state of North Carolina that goes above and beyond the call of duty. Ian could not be more deserving of such an honor for his decades of service and commitment to the LGBTQ+ movement and the place he calls home. From his early days as a high school student organizer to his 12 years leading at Equality Federation and beyond, Ian has spent a lifetime dedicated to LGBTQ+ advocacy. 🏳️‍🌈

Ian brought a deep commitment to leadership development in North Carolina, in our network, and across the LGBTQ+ equality movement. The new Ian Palmquist Leadership fund, hosted by Pride Foundation, extends Ian's support by providing scholarships for emerging and senior leaders to attend high-impact leadership programs. Visit https://secure.givelively.org/donate/pride-foundation/ian-palmquist-leadership-fund to learn more about the fund, and stay tuned for opportunities to apply.