Equality Florida

Equality Florida
TypeLGBTQ Equality
Location
Area served
Florida
Key people
Nadine Smith, CEO
Employees40
Websiteequalityflorida.org

Equality Florida is a political advocacy group that advocates for civil rights and protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) residents of Florida, where several controversial laws have significantly impacted the LGBTQ community. Equality Florida consists of two organizations: the Equality Florida Institute, Inc., a 501(c)(3) educational charity, and the Equality Florida Action, Inc., a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization.[1]

In addition to their work in Tallahassee, they collaborate with local partners, providing resources and helping to build coalitions that have passed pro-equality laws across the state. Equality Florida provides leadership training, volunteer opportunities, and sponsorship opportunities.[2] Equality Florida has been ranked as a top-rated nonprofit by Great Nonprofits,[3] Guidestar,[4] and Charity Navigator.[5]

History

Equality Florida activists marching in Orlando's 2008 pride parade, with some holding signs opposing 2008 Florida Amendment 2

Equality Florida Institute, Inc. was formed in 1997 by Nadine Smith and Stratton Pollitzer.[2] Smith, a former journalist, served as one of the four national co-chairs for the 1993 March on Washington.[6] Smith also led the movement to enact the St. Petersburg Human Rights Ordinance, which was passed in January 2002.[7]

Equality Florida Action, Inc. was formed in 2014 and, along with its predecessor organization Equality Florida Inc. (founded in 1999), has advocated for pro-LGBTQ legislation and successfully halted numerous anti-LGBTQ bills. The organization has also played a key leadership role in overturning Florida's ban on gay and lesbian adoption, which was struck down and repealed in 2015.[2] In 2014, The National Center for Lesbian Rights and Equality Florida file a joint lawsuit, challenging Florida's 2008 marriage ban for same-sex couples.[8] On January 5, 2015, a Miami-Dade Circuit Judge stayed the existing ban. As a result, the ruling allowed for marriage equality in Miami-Dade County.[9]

Programs

Equality Florida's Transgender Inclusion Initiative, known as TransAction Florida, exists to grow grassroots engagement and influence state public policy. Since its inception in 2014, it has grown to 80 members. The charity's efforts have expanded from conducting workshops with major Florida employers to training media, law enforcement officials, health care workers, and faith community leaders. TransAction has also been highly engaged in public policy issues, supporting fully inclusive human rights ordinances across Florida and Equality Florida's statewide non-discrimination bill, the Florida Competitive Workforce Act.[10] Equality Means Business was formed by Equality Florida to spotlight major employers in Florida that have adopted comprehensive LGBTQ non-discrimination policies. The program encourages and provides resources to Florida employers who include respect for diversity as one of their core values.[11]

Equality Florida's Safe and Healthy Schools Program was created in the aftermath of the Pulse massacre in Orlando in an effort to counter anti-LGBTQ animosity. The program aims to create a culture of inclusion while countering negative environments for LGBTQ students. The goal of the program is for each of Florida's 67 school districts to adopt comprehensive, nationally recognized practices aimed at meeting the needs of LGBTQ students and, in doing so, build a model that can be replicated nationwide. As of Fall 2018, the program has worked with over 60 school districts across the state and has delivered LGBTQ+ sensitivity and professional development training to over 12,000 school officials.[12]

In the early morning hours of June 12, after the Orlando nightclub shooting, Equality Florida stated they would do everything they could to care for the survivors of the shooting and the victims’ families. They pledged that all money raised would go directly to those most impacted by the shooting. Over 120,000 people raised more than $9.5 million for the survivors and victims’ families as part of a GoFundMe fundraiser organized by Equality Florida. #HonorThemWithAction is a national campaign that began as a way for individuals to share on social media how they were honoring the survivors, victims, and their families by taking actions in the community to combat discrimination and violence against LGBTQ+ and Latinx people.[13] Over 147 million people were reached by #HonorThemWithAction in 2017 alone. The National Equality March made #HonorThemWithAction their slogan in 2017. The Human Rights Campaign, the National LGBTQ Task Force, Gays Against Guns and GLAAD are among the national organizations that have used #HonorThemWithAction to help spread the message. The effort has also been embraced by elected officials, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Elizabeth Warren, as well as celebrities, such as George Takei, RuPaul, U2, and Sara Ramirez. The NBA's Miami Heat and MLB's Tampa Bay Rays have also used the hashtag to raise awareness about the movement, with the Tamp Bay Rays filming a video that they shared on social media and played at their game during Pride Night.[13]

Florida continues to be one of the leading states for HIV transmission. Equality Florida's HIV Advocacy Project consists of a statewide public education campaign aimed at informing residents about Florida's HIV-specific laws. Equality Florida strives to modernize Florida's HIV laws to end what they consider unjust legal treatment and stigmatization by the government. Equality Florida focuses on outreach to communities of color, with a special emphasis on black and Latino faith-based communities.[14]

In 2007, Equality Florida formed the Equality Florida Action PAC to make direct candidate endorsements for the strongest champions of Florida's LGBTQ community. Equality Florida Action PAC quickly became the largest organization in Florida devoted to electing pro-equality candidates to all levels of government.[15] In the 2018 election cycle, 74% of the Equality Florida Action PAC's endorsed candidates were elected to office.[16]

Equality Florida hosts annual galas in Gainesville, Key West, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Miami, Palm Beach, Orlando, Tallahassee, St. Petersburg, Jacksonville, and Sarasota to raise funds for the organization's activities. The Institute also presents awards to individuals for contributions made to advancing equality at the local and state level.[17]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Financial Data". Equality Florida. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  2. ^ a b c "About Equality Florida". Equality Florida. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  3. ^ "Equality Florida, Inc". greatnonprofits.org. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
  4. ^ "Equality Florida Institute, Inc". Guidestar Equality Florida Institute, Inc. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
  5. ^ "Charity Navigator - Rating for Equality Florida Institute". Charity Navigator. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
  6. ^ "Equality Florida CEO Nadine Smith recalls 1993 March on Washington". Watermark Online. 2017-06-01. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
  7. ^ Hamilton, Joe (2018-05-31). "St Pete 2.0 – through the inclusivity lens with Nadine Smith". St Pete Catalyst. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
  8. ^ "Six Same-sex Couples and Equality Florida Institute File Lawsuit Seeking the Freedom to Marry in Florida". National Center for Lesbian Rights. 2014-01-21. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
  9. ^ Kendall, Jonathan (2015-01-05). "Miami Gets Marriage Equality Before the Rest of Florida After Zabel Lifts Stay". Miami New Times. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
  10. ^ "TransAction Florida". TransAction Florida. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  11. ^ "Equality Means Business Advisory Council". Equality Means Business. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  12. ^ "Safe and Healthy Schools". Equality Florida. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  13. ^ a b "About #HTWA". #HonorThemWithAction. 2017-05-11. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
  14. ^ "HIV Advocacy". Equality Florida. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  15. ^ "Equality Florida Action PAC". Equality Florida Action PAC. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  16. ^ Link, Brittany (November 7, 2018). "'Rainbow Wave' Hits in Florida and Nationwide". Equality Florida. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  17. ^ "2019 Greater Orlando Gala". Equality Florida. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.