Two weeks ago, our hearts sank here at NCLR as we heard the news that the Atlanta community had been attacked by a terrorist who murdered eight individuals – including six Asian women. While we may not have all the details about the motives of the attacker, it is clear that he specifically targeted Asian-owned and operated businesses in a city with a less than 5% Asian population. What is also clear is that anti-Asian violence has dramatically increased in the last year, incited in large...
The spate of anti-transgender youth bills that are proliferating around the United States is insidious and incredibly harmful to the health and well-being of transgender youth in more than half of the country. NCLR Executive Director Imani Rupert-Gordon speaks about the dangers of these bills restricting medical care and sports access for transgender kids, and urges you to contact your legislators to strongly oppose them NOW! Imani also shares a message of hope and love to the transgender...
“Across the country, the youth who populate carceral institutions and foster care are disproportionately BIPOC, queer, and/or poor. This is not an accident or something that can be repaired; these systems operate exactly as they were intended to operate. NCLR supports the movement to abolish these harmful systems and replace them with a safety net that promotes the health and well-being of low-income LGBTQ youth of color in their homes, schools, and communities.”Shannan Wilber, NCLR Youth...
It’s been an exceptional year of successes for survivors of conversion therapy. Born Perfect had an incredible year in 2020, generously supported by people like you. Although the pandemic changed some of the ways we do our work, we won major victories and moved closer than ever to a world in which every young person knows they are born perfect and the deadly practice of conversion therapy is no more. Born Perfect’s role in the movement to end conversion therapy is vital because our work...
CONTACT YOUR SENATORS SUMMARY OF ISSUE The Equality Act (S. 393) would prohibit discrimination based on an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity in employment, housing, credit, education, public accommodations (things like restaurants, hotels, and theaters), and jury service. It would also prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in programs receiving federal funding. It passed the House of Representatives on February 25, 2021 – and now...
Richard A. Fowler, American Storyteller, Richard Media Company Cofounder, and Fox News Contributor moderates a panel of Black LGBTQ leaders of six national, Stonewall-era LGBTQ organizations, including: Panelists:Imani Rupert-Gordon, NCLR Executive DirectorKierra Johnson, National LGBTQ Task Force Executive DirectorDominique Morgan, Black and Pink Executive DirectorDavid Johns, National Black Justice Coalition Executive DirectorMelanie Willingham-Jaggers, GLSEN Interim Executive Director...
Reflections on Week One of the Biden-Harris Administration President Biden has certainly been busy, hasn’t he? As of January 29, 2021, Biden has issued 22 executive orders and seven other types of executive actions, such as presidential memoranda. (By the time you read this, those numbers will surely have increased.) Of these dozens of policy announcements, a few of them, viewed together, tell an interesting story. Those of us in the LGBTQ community were thrilled, of course, that an Executive...
Watch Legal Director of NCLR Shannon Minter, Transgender Rights Project Director of GLAD Jennifer Levi, and plaintiffs Nicolas Talbott and Blaire McIntyre as they discuss the impacts of President Biden’s lifting of the transgender military ban and how it marks a turning point for transgender rights. Blaire McIntyre (plaintiff, McIntyre v. Whitmer) is a Specialist in the Michigan Army National Guard and previously served in the active-duty Army 101st Airborne Division. She currently works...
I remember where I was when then President-elect Biden was the first to mention gay and transgender people in his Presidential victory address. My wife and I looked at each other in disbelief. It was a bold way to show us that we matter. Yesterday, we learned that this wasn’t an empty promise, when on his very first day in office, one of President Biden’s first executive orders was to apply all federal sex discrimination laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity. This...
The Trump administration has left long-lasting and damaging policies and an LGBTQ unfriendly judiciary that will continue to challenge our efforts for justice. But even within this hostile climate, NCLR made historic gains this past year as a result of the Bostock decision, leading the movement to end conversion therapy, co-founding the LGBTQ Anti-Poverty Network, upholding and protecting marriage, and stepping into a leadership role in protecting youth embroiled in the foster care...
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.