Even as Latinx Heritage Month has come to a close, we continue to uplift Latinx voices year-round. This month, we are spotlighting our Immigration Project Associate Pamela Mercado Garcia (she/her/ella). Pamela works with our Immigration and Asylum team. In 1994, NCLR was the first national LGBTQ organization to launch an Immigration Project. As part of this program, the work that Pam does daily helps to carry on the life-saving work that this program has always focused on, including advancing...
On June 24, 2022, the Friday of Pride weekend for many major cities, the United States Supreme Court announced the reversal of Roe v. Wade with their decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. We wanted to catch up with our Federal Policy Director Julianna S. Gonen to find out more about what this means for the LGBTQ community and our families – and what NCLR is doing to ensure reproductive justice for everyone going forward. What was your initial reaction when then...
People change – that’s a fact of life. My coming-out story is like many other LGBTQ individuals. My loved ones said horrible, hurtful things when I made the tough and personal decision to come out. I think about these experiences as I reflect on the recent decisions made by the U.S. Supreme Court, including their most recent ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. It’s easy to believe that things are changing for the worse. Without action, we could be headed back to a time with fewer rights and...
NCLR Philanthropy Coordinator Misa Ridgway receives some gender affirmations during Pride Month! Happy Pride Month! This month, we not only celebrate the wins of the LGBTQ community as a whole, but we also want to highlight the wins achieved by queer individuals. Our very own Philanthropy Coordinator Misa Ridgway had a win of his own earlier this month in June 2022. Misa joined NCLR around the same time that I did in the late fall of 2021. He was drawn to work at NCLR because he loves the...
Join the call by The National LGBTQ Anti-Poverty Action Network to show up for the Poor People’s Campaign’s Assembly & Moral March on June 18th in Washington, D.C. There are 140 million poor and working-class people in the United States – with 22% of LGBTQ people living in poverty. As an organization that fights for LGBTQ people and families, economic justice is a vital aspect of our movement. It is because of that that we are answering the call from the National LGBTQ Anti-Poverty Action...
“Urvashi was a trailblazer, a true leader and an inspiration to all she touched. She changed the world, she changed the movement, and on a personal note, she changed me. Her influence is felt everytime we take a more intersectional approach to our work. She will be missed by us all, but her legacy will be felt forever.” – Imani Rupert-Gordon, NCLR Executive Director “We call for the end of bigotry as we know it. The end of racism as we know it. The end of child abuse in the family...
We will not sugarcoat this: the leak this week of a Supreme Court majority opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, a ruling that would eliminate the constitutional right to abortion, is extremely alarming. It is also a wake-up call. While we do not know if the leaked opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization will be the final one issued, it is nonetheless shocking to read a draft opinion showing just how extreme and dangerous the Court has become over the last decade. A...
Sunday, May 1 is the annual celebration of International Workers’ Day – also known as May Day – which honors the struggle of workers all around the world. While the LGBTQ movement typically focuses on nondiscrimination and healthcare insurance as issues in the workplace, the concerns of LGBTQ workers also include those not related to their sexuality or gender identity. In fact, the Black Futures Lab found that low wages are the biggest concern facing Black LGB people, and many trans...
During Lesbian Visibility Week, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, National Center for Transgender Equality, and the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund honor the lives and experiences of transgender and non-binary lesbians. We affirm that trans women are women and that trans and non-binary lesbians are a valued part of the LGBTQ community. As politicians and policymakers seek to strip LGBTQ people, especially transgender people, of their freedoms, it is important for us to stand...
Today is Lesbian Day of Visibility, a day when we celebrate and uplift every lesbian, no matter where they live or how they identify. Today is a day of joy, yes, but this celebration goes much deeper. We are celebrating being out, proud, and seen – things that often don’t come without pain and sacrifice. To me, being out and visibly queer is a way to continue towards progress, as representation of the complex identities within the LGBTQ community is vital to the well-being of queer...
Equality Florida is the largest civil rights organization dedicated to securing full equality for Florida’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community. We’re changing Florida through lobbying, grassroots organizing, education, and coalition building — so that no one suffers harassment or discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.
Come Out With Pride
The mission of Come Out With Pride Orlando is to cultivate visibility, authenticity, and acceptance by curating inclusive experiences that celebrate and embody the spirit of queer resilience.
Orlando Youth Alliance
Since 1990, the Orlando Youth Alliance (OYA) has been providing safe spaces for LGBTQ youth in Central Florida. Their coverage area includes metro Orlando, but also spans out to include the rural counties surrounding Orlando. In 2008, they created a chapter in Lakeland, Florida (Polk County). OYA oversees the highly successful Polk Pride Festival which attracts over 6,000 people annually.
Southern Legal Counsel
Southern Legal Counsel, Inc. (SLC) is a Florida statewide not-for-profit public interest law firm that is committed to the ideal of equal justice for all and the attainment of basic human and civil rights. SLC developed its Transgender Rights Initiative to fill a gap in access to justice for Florida’s transgender community, including in areas such as access to legal authenticity, access to safe and affirming school and work environments, access to medically necessary healthcare, and more. SLC’s Trans Rights Initiative protects the rights of Florida’s LGBTQ+ community utilizing federal impact litigation, policy advocacy, and individual representation. SLC has litigated many of the recent federal cases against the state of Florida, and has successfully overturned the Medicaid Ban on gender-affirming care (Dekker v. Weida); permanently enjoined the medical care bans for minors and restrictions for adults created by SB 254 and the Boards of Medicine rules (Doe v. Ladapo); preliminarily enjoined the pronoun ban for transgender teachers in Florida’s public schools; and more.
Joy Metropolitan Community Church
Joy MCC is the spiritual home to a multi-cultural, inclusive, and diverse community of faith. We are rooted in the life, ministry, and teachings of Jesus. We experience a vibrant spirituality that is positive, practical, and progressive. We’ve always been a totally open and affirming church. We welcome the full participation of people of allraces, cultures, ages, abilities, spiritual backgrounds, sexual orientations, and gender identities. We share a deep sense of community where our diversity is celebrated, not merely tolerated.
ACLU of Florida
The mission of the ACLU of Florida is to protect, defend, strengthen, and promote the constitutional rights and liberties of all people in Florida. We envision a fair and just Florida, where all people are free, equal under the law, and live with dignity.
QLatinx
QLatinx is a grassroots community-led racial, social, and gender justice organization dedicated to the advancement and empowerment of Orlando’s LGBTQ+ Latinx community. QLatinx is committed to building a supportive infrastructure, addressing inequity, promoting inclusionary QLatinx aims to deepen the political consciousness of LGBTQ+ and Latinx individuals about intersections and complexities of institutional, interpersonal, and internalized forms of oppression. This work includes empowering local LGBTQ+ leadership to become cognizant of gender and racial inequities with the LGBTQ+ community and in relation to cisgender populations.
Community Spring
Community Spring is a grassroots organization dedicated to economic justice. The two pillars of our work are income and power: income to meet people’s needs and power to reshape the systems that keep them down.
Pride Community Center of North Central Florida
The Pride Community Center of North Central Florida offers safe spaces, resources, services and events to foster and enhance the well-being and visibility of LGBTQ+ people in North Central Florida. Visibility changes minds. Here in North Central Florida, LGBTQ+ people deserve access to safe spaces where they can not only express themselves, but where they can also be a part of a community. Come join us.
