In 2020, I began my first year as a law student at UC Davis, moving from my home state of Utah to Northern California. After arriving in Davis I knew I wanted to continue working on behalf of LGBTQ people as I had done in the past as part of the close-knit queer community in Salt Lake City, but I wasn’t sure where to start. Beginning college in a new city, I didn’t have any friends or connections, and the COVID-19 pandemic made it challenging to get involved and meet new people in...
[Re-published with permission from Gay Parent Magazine | July-August 2021 | Issue #137] Catherine “Cathy” Sakimura, Esq. is the Deputy Director & Family Law Director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR). Cathy identifies as queer, using she/her pronouns, while her spouse, Melia, identifies as non-binary, using they/them pronouns. Cathy and Melia live just outside of San Francisco, California with their two children, ages 2 and 4. Cathy asked that her children’s names not...
Happy Juneteenth! Something pretty incredible happened this week. On June 17th, President Biden signed a bill that officially commemorates Juneteenth as the 11th annual federal holiday in the United States. Slavery is perhaps our country’s most appalling and shameful legacy. Even after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 declaring the end to slavery in the United States, this was not enforced in every part of the country. In fact, it was not until more than two years...
As we celebrate Pride Month and the one-year anniversary of the United States Supreme Court decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, which held that employment discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits sex discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, we must continue to fight for LGBTQ equality. When we reflect on the Bostock decision and its incredible impact on our community, we must also remember the tough work that still remains to ensure...
Today marks the five-year anniversary of the tragic shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, FL that took the lives of 49 mostly Black and Brown LGBTQ people who were out enjoying their night in what they considered a safe space. As a native Orlandoan, and someone who started going to Pulse when they first opened in 2004, I will never forget the feeling of shock, grief, and anger that coursed through my body when I first saw the news about the horrendous loss of life in a place I once...
Protecting families has been a core part of our work at the National Center for Lesbian Rights since we started in 1977. We envision a world where all families — no matter how they are formed — are given equal dignity and respect. Even though we have made a lot of progress over the last 45 years, LGBTQ families are still separated in every state because of discrimination and lack of legal recognition of our family relationships. Last year, NCLR’s client, LaNesha Matthews, was removed from her...
At the end of April 2021, President Joe Biden released a proclamation declaring May as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. AANHPI Heritage Month is a time in which our country can honor and recognize the contributions and influence of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders on the United States’ history, culture, and accomplishments. This recognition is especially significant currently, as many AANHPI communities face heightened fear...
“I love when young LGBTQ athletes are able to complete and participate fully in sports with the joy that comes from that – especially when they have to fight for that right, the pure happiness of that athlete just fills my heart.”Helen Carroll, NCLR LGBTQ Sports Consultant One of NCLR’s current LGBTQ Sports Consultants, Helen Carroll (she/her) originally joined the organization’s staff in 2001 as Sports Project Director, holding that position until 2016. Prior to her time at NCLR,...
On May 17, 2021, NCLR submitted comments on behalf of 14 LGBTQ and sexual health advocacy organizations encouraging the Biden Administration to adopt new regulations for the Title X family planning program. This critical federal program provides funding for health centers around the country that provide contraception, STI testing and other important health services to primarily low-income people, including many who are LGBTQ. The Trump administration had imposed harsh rules that drove Planned...
International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) is an annual event observed on March 31 that is dedicated to celebrating transgender individuals and raising awareness of discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide. For Transgender Day of Visibility 2021, NCLR is highlighting the voices of our transgender youth staff members who have chosen to share their experiences, expertise, and what visibility means to them. Lexi Adsit (she/her)NCLR Donor Engagement Manager “When I...
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.