 | |
 U.S. State of Pennsylvania | |
| Founded | 1996 |
|---|---|
| Purpose | LGBT issues |
| Location | |
Area served | Pennsylvania |
Formerly called | Center for Lesbian & Gay Civil Rights Equality Advocates Pennsylvania |
Equality Pennsylvania is an organization which advocates throughout the state of Pennsylvania for LGBT rights. Equality Pennsylvania also attempts to "advance LGBT-friendly policy and legislative initiatives". [1] The organization is a member of the Equality Federation. [2]
Equality Pennsylvania was founded by Andrew Park in 1996 [3] in Philadelphia as the Center for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights. [1] Upon its founding, the Center provided legal services to members of the LGBTQ community in Philadelphia. The organization specifically provided assistance with HIV/AIDS discrimination and transgender name-change cases for the LGBT community. The organization eventually developed into Equality Advocates PA, which helped to advocate for LGBT rights along with its previous goal of providing legal representation to the LGBT community. Equality Advocates PA was instrumental in defeating constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage in 2006 and 2008. [1] In 2007, the organization also began to help draft LGBT non-discrimination legislation throughout the state. In 2009, Equality Advocates PA reorganized under the name of Equality Pennsylvania. Along with change of name, this reorganization saw the installation of a new board of directors and a new mission, which is to advocate for LGBT rights and LGBT legislation throughout Pennsylvania as a 501(c)(4) organization. The organization also reassigned its legal responsibilities to the Mazzoni Center so it could focus on advocating for equality for LGBT individuals. In 2010, the organization hired Ted Martin to become the Executive Director and opened an office in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to help expand the focus of the organization beyond Philadelphia and to allow for easier access to the General Assembly and the Governor. Following Martin's resignation in June 2017, the organization closed its Harrisburg office and established an even greater statewide network through the activation of regional chapters and with board members across the Commonwealth.
Equality Pennsylvania's related entities include:
Equality Pennsylvania routinely endorses candidates seeking office both nationwide and in the state of Pennsylvania. On December 15, 2011, the organization endorsed President Barack Obama in his re-election campaign. [4] Equality Pennsylvania also endorsed numerous candidates during the Pennsylvania State Primaries. These candidates include Brian Sims, whose victory in the Democratic Primary in the 182nd District made him the first openly gay member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly. [5] [6]
Equality Pennsylvania, in its role as an advocacy group for LGBT rights, has engaged in numerous political activities. This includes negotiating LGBT non-discrimination legislation throughout the state. Currently, 28 local communities have adopted non-discrimination legislation. Equality Pennsylvania also was instrumental in the establishment of the LGBT Equality Caucus in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. [7] The organization has also partnered with the Freedom to Marry and the Courage Campaign to attempt to convince Senator Bob Casey to support the Respect for Marriage Act. [8]
Equality Pennsylvania is also administers the Equality Pennsylvania PAC, which is a political action committee that supports candidates throughout the state who the organization believes will help "secure and protect equality and opportunity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Pennsylvanians and their families". [9]
The Equality Pennsylvania Educational Fund is the 501(c)(3) wing of the organization which looks to "provide educational programming on LGBT issues, conduct research to understand public opinions, mobilize a community of LGBT people and straight allies, and develop campaigns to build public support for fairness and equality". [10]
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for LGBTQ individuals, including advocating for same-sex marriage, anti-discrimination and hate crimes legislation, and HIV/AIDS advocacy. The organization has a number of legislative initiatives as well as supporting resources for LGBTQ individuals.
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) is legislation proposed in the United States Congress that would prohibit discrimination in hiring and employment on the basis of sexual orientation or, depending on the version of the bill, gender identity, by employers with at least 15 employees.
The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) is a nonprofit social equality organization founded in 2003 by transgender activist Mara Keisling in Washington, D.C. The organization works primarily in the areas of policy advocacy and media activism with the aim of advancing the equality of transgender people in the United States. Among other transgender-related issue areas, NCTE focuses on discrimination in employment, access to public accommodations, fair housing, identity documents, hate crimes and violence, criminal justice reform, federal research surveys and the Census, and health care access.
Basic Rights Oregon is an American nonprofit LGBT rights organization based in Portland, Oregon. It is the largest advocacy, education, and political organization working in Oregon to end discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Basic Rights Oregon has a full-time staff, a contract lobbyist, and more than 10,000 contributors, and 5,000 volunteers. It is a 501(c)(4) organization that maintains a 501(c)(3) education fund, a state candidate PAC and a ballot measure PAC. The organization is a member of the Equality Federation.
Equality California (EQCA) is a non-profit civil rights organization that advocates for the rights of LGBT people in California. It is the largest statewide LGBT organization in the United States and the largest member of the Equality Federation. The organization is based in Los Angeles.
Equal Rights Washington (ERW) is Washington’s largest statewide LGBTQ advocacy and community outreach organization. ERW's mission is to ensure and promote dignity, safety, and equality for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Washingtonians.
Equality Maryland (EQMD) was a non-profit organization formerly headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, now based in Baltimore. It was at the time, the largest organization in Maryland whose activities focused on advocacy and education with regard to LGBT social and political movements. Its mission included: the passage of laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender expression, and gender identity; the expansion of Maryland's hate-crimes statute; the increase of domestic partner benefits; the legal recognition of same-sex marriage in Maryland and laws banning the practice of conversion therapy on minors. In 2016, the organization merged with FreeState Legal Project, to form FreeState Justice.
Equality NC(ENC) is the largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights advocacy group and political lobbying organization in North Carolina and is the oldest statewide LGBTQ equality organization in the United States.
Equality Utah is an American non-profit 501(c)(3) organization which is Utah's largest LGBT rights group based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The organization is a member of the Equality Federation.
The Empire State Pride Agenda (ESPA) was a statewide political advocacy organization in New York that advocated for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) rights, including same-sex marriage. ESPA has since disbanded after an executive order was passed by Governor Andrew Cuomo which protects the rights of transgender citizens as long as future governors uphold the law. ESPA was founded in 1990 through the merger of the New York State Gay and Lesbian Lobby and the Friends and Advocates for Individual Rights. ESPA was considered the leading gay political organization in the State of New York before it disbanded. As of 2005, ESPA was the largest statewide lesbian and gay political advocacy and civil rights organization in the United States.
Fair Wisconsin, previously called Equality Wisconsin is a 501c4 nonprofit civil rights political advocacy organization dedicated to securing equal rights under the law for Wisconsin's LGBTQ+, transgender and non-binary community. The organization focuses on expanding rights for LGBTQ+ and transgender Wisconsinites, most notably working to enshrine same sex marriage protections, HIV/Aids Advocacy and adding gender identity to the states non-discrimination laws. The organization was founded in 1994 as LGBT Center Advocates, consolidating elements of the Domestic Partnership Task Force, the Human Rights League, and the LGBT Alliance for Equality. The organization claims several accomplishments in areas of domestic partner recognition, non-discrimination, and securing greater resources for LGBTQ+ social services.
EqualityMaine is Maine's oldest and largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender political advocacy organization. Their mission, outlined on the organization's website is to "secure equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in Maine through political action, community organizing, education, and collaboration."
Brian Kendall Sims is an American politician, activist and attorney. A Democrat, he was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 182nd district from 2013 until 2022. Sims is also a lawyer and advocate for LGBT civil rights. Sims became the first openly gay elected state legislator in Pennsylvania history. He won re-election on November 6, 2018. He was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania in 2022, finishing in second place behind Austin Davis with 25% of the vote. Since leaving public office in 2022, Sims has served as the Managing Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy at Out Leadership. In 2023, he joined the Board of Trustees of the Tyler Clementi Foundation.
Equality Florida is a political advocacy group that advocates for civil rights and protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) residents of the U.S. state of Florida. Equality Florida consists of two organizations - Equality Florida Institute, Inc., the 501(c)(3) educational charity and Equality Florida Action, Inc., the 501(c)(4) advocacy organization. Together with over 300,000 supporters, these organizations form the largest civil rights organization dedicated to Florida's LGBTQ community.
The Civil Rights Agenda (TCRA) is a civil rights advocacy organization founded in June 2010 by Jacob Meister, with a stated mission "to maintain and increase individual rights for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) citizens in Illinois through inter-generational volunteerism and community-driven project-based education, statewide coalition and network building, and leadership in supporting underserved communities with the necessary tools that will equip members of those communities with the resources and confidence to establish equality for all persons, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity."
Equality Illinois (EI) was founded in 1991 to work towards building a better Illinois by advancing equal treatment and social justice through education, advocacy, and protection of the rights of the LGBTQ community.
The Fairness Campaign is a Louisville, Kentucky-based lobbying and advocacy organization, focusing primarily on preventing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The Fairness Campaign is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(4) organization. The organization is a member of the Equality Federation.
SAVE is a grassroots nonprofit political advocacy organization located in Miami, Florida. Founded in 1993, the organization's stated mission is to "promote, protect and defend equality for people in South Florida who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender."
Equality Arizona is a statewide political advocacy organization in Arizona that advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) rights, including same-sex marriage.
The 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania were held on November 3, 2020, to elect the 18 U.S. representatives from the state of Pennsylvania, one from each of the state's 18 congressional districts. The state's primary election occurred on June 2, 2020. The elections coincided with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections.
