The National LGBTQ Task Force works to
What is the National LGBTQ
TASK FORCE?
For more information, please go to: thetaskforce.org
secure full freedom, justice and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people. For over forty years, the Task Force has been at the forefront of the social justice movement by training thousands of organizers and mobilizing hundreds of thousands of people to advocate for change at the federal, state, and local levels. We were founded by a group of courageous and pioneering leaders who had a vision of a world in which LGBTQ people could be their whole selves without the fear of discrimination, persecution and violence. And these people were willing to fight for it. Today, from Stonewall to the Supreme Court we are tearing down barriers that stand in the way of lived freedom and true liberation. The fight to “be you” continues in all of our work — work that leaves no one behind, delivering long-lasting positive change together.
HOW DO WE CREATE CHANGE? 1.
We mobilize people, law makers and communities to take actions that result in positive change.
2.
We train people to be effective advocates for freedom, justice and equality.
We want to create a world where you can be you without discrimination, persecution and violence. To get there we need freedom, justice and equality.
3. We partner with organizations, faith
communities, government and businesses to advance progress.
4. We grow our movement by creating
opportunities for everyone to participate in building a better future.
THE NEXT FIVE YEARS... JUSTICE FREEDOM We are fighting for strong nondiscrimination protections at local, state and federal levels for all LGBTQ people and our families. This includes our campaign for a comprehensive approach to federal non-discrimination legislation. Action
COMPREHENSIVE LGBTQ NONDISCRIMINATION LEGISLATION
We are advocating for regulations, guidelines and legislation that can help to end racial injustice, unemployment and poverty — especially for people of color and their families. Our public policy goals include working to: reform the criminal justice system; deliver fair and comprehensive immigration reform; empower LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness; ensure that LGBTQ people are accurately counted by the census through our campaign, Queer the Census; stop anti-trans violence and murder of trans people; eliminate LGBTQ poverty; and protect reproductive rights.
Action
ENDING POLICE PROFILING CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM DEFENDING OUR VOTE LIFTING WORKERS OUT OF POVERTY PROTECTING LGBTQ YOUTH EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS FIXING A BROKEN IMMIGRATION SYSTEM STRENGTHENING ACCESS TO ABORTION
EQUALITY
We are advancing equality— and vehemently opposing those who would try almost anything to roll back progress. Action
A CAMPAIGN to stop politicians from using faith as an excuse to discriminate and to shift the phony narrative that LGBTQ people aren’t people of faith and that people of faith aren’t supportive of LGBTQ people.
Our opponents are redefining the original intent of “religious liberty” to discriminate. Make no mistake, this is an all-out effort to impose blanket discrimination and to roll back nondiscrimination protections. In fact they tried to pass more than 100 of these types of laws in 2015 alone. These laws have a devastating impact on all our lives. For example, a gay man could be fired from his job as a janitor or cafeteria worker at a Catholic hospital and a transgender woman could be denied basic emergency care by an EMT — both in the name of “religious liberty.” At the same time, the voices and personal journeys of fair-minded people of faith are being suppressed and derailed by those who do not support LGBTQ equality. We will be dealing with this formidable challenge for years.
We need to fight back — at every level of government — to preserve and advance progress.
Our programs are funded through contributions made by generous people like you.
Donate now at thetaskforce.org
EQUALITY Equality includes being welcomed at your place of worship rather than being turned away because you don’t fit a stereotype or our opponents’ definitions of a person of faith.
IN THE PAST FEW YEARS ALONE, WE’VE ACHIEVED SO MUCH › › ›
Helped win marriage equality by changing hearts and minds across the nation.
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Pushed for the creation of explicit, comprehensive federal non-discrimination protections before the U.S Congress.
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Spearheaded the first historic meeting between trans women of color and the Administration at the White House.
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Changed our name, upped our game: Adopted a new, more inclusive name and tagline “be you” to reflect our values and mission to create a world where LGBTQ people can be themselves. We also published our new strategic plan focused on achieving lived freedom, justice and equality. Grew the LGBTQ movement: Our Creating Change Conference trains and equips more than 3,500 people annually with the skills to advance LGBTQ freedom, justice and equality in communities across the country. Boldly said “no more” to broad religious exemptions after Hobby Lobby and shifted the conversation to real equality. Advanced immigration reform: White House issued executive action to help fix our nation’s broken immigration system. Amplified welcoming faith voices: Trained hundreds of people of faith to advocate and
create welcoming spaces for LGBTQ people.
›› Partnered with the Obama Administration
and won new employment discrimination protections: the White House took executive action — without attaching a religious exemption — to protect millions of federal employees and employees of federal contractors from employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Labor and Department of Agriculture acted to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ people in federally funded programs. Department of Justice (DOJ) ensured LGBTQ victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking can not be denied services on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. DOJ also issued profiling guidance for law enforcement that includes sexual orientation and gender identity.
›› Expanded LGBTQ family recognition:
Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Justice extended benefits to LGBTQ couples and children.
›› Ensured we’re counted and at the table:
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Department of Health and Human Services added sexual orientation and gender identity questions to the national senior survey. Two of our LGBTQ nominees were appointed to Department of Veterans Affairs and Census Bureau committees. Magnified transgender leadership: Supported over 200 transgender and gender nonconforming leaders during an advocacy day on Capitol Hill.
›› Created infrastructure for change: In places
such as Ohio we collaborated to build a strong, sustainable team in Cleveland to pass protections for transgender people and to secure additional statewide LGBTQ protections.
›› Created LGBTQ allies: Engaged and educated hundreds of people on how to become better LGBTQ community allies, with an emphasis on trans ally trainings and trainings for people of faith to fight religious exemptions.
›› Championed the Harvey Milk stamp:
In partnership with the Imperial Court, a Forever stamp was created to honor the service and sacrifice of Harvey Milk.
›› Trained dozens of activists through our
Transgender Leadership Academy, Leadership Exchange and Transgender Religious Leaders Cohort programs.
›› Focused on anti-LGBTQ violence: Launched the
#StopTransMurders public awareness campaign to highlight the murder epidemic of transgender women of color across the nation.
›› Thought nationally and acted locally against
discrimination: Partnered to keep transinclusive non-discrimination protections intact in Pocatello, Idaho in 2014 and Springfield, Missouri in 2015.
›› Worked at the intersections of people’s lives:
Weighed in on U.S. Supreme Court cases such as Hobby Lobby, McCullen, and Young on reproductive justice and Shelby on voting rights. Led national LGBTQ sign-on efforts to support voting rights legislation and the Black Lives Matter movement.
The 1970’s
OUR WORK THROUGH THE YEARS
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Succeeded in changing the American Psychiatric Association’s classification of homosexuality as a “mental disorder.”
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Worked on the introduction of the first comprehensive LGBTQ rights bill in the U.S. Congress.
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Conducted the first national survey of major corporations to determine their hiring practices, and started advocacy for nondiscrimination policies.
The 1980’s • For more information, please go to: thetaskforce.org
Launched the first national project to combat anti-LGBTQ violence and established the first national crisis hotline.
• Hired the first AIDS lobbyist and obtained the
first federal funding for community-based AIDS service organizations.
• Overturned a law that prohibited teachers from discussing LGBTQ rights.
• Convened the Military Freedom Project to
overturn the ban on military service for gays and lesbians.
• Launched the National Conference on LGBTQ Equality: Creating Change.
The 1990’s •
Launched Equality Begins at Home which would evolve into the Equality Federation, a movement builder and strategic partner to state-based LGBTQ organizations.
• Launched a national campaign against the
Cracker Barrel restaurant chain for their homophobic policy to fire their “obviously” LGBTQ employees for “failing to comply with normal heterosexual values.”
• Led demonstrations at the Republican National Convention in Houston, Texas, where Pat Buchanan declared a “culture war” on gay and lesbian people.
• Deployed field organizers to Wyoming to assist in the ensuing demonstrations surrounding the Matthew Shepard murder case.
• Launched a “hate crimes tour,” which traveled to
more than a dozen cities to discuss hate violence against LGBTQ people.
• Became the first national LGBTQ organization to explicitly include transgender people and issues of gender identity/expression in its mission statement.
• Established the National Religious Leadership Roundtable, an interfaith network of leaders from pro-LGBTQ faith, spiritual and religious organizations.
The 2000’s • Launched the Power Summit program
to provide grassroots organizing training to local activists to help strengthen the LGBTQ movement.
• Helped pass proactive LGBTQ and defeat
anti-LGBTQ, anti-choice and anti-affirmative action efforts through over 20 ballot measures including Florida, Washington, Ohio, Kansas, California, Mississippi, Maine and Michigan.
• Supported the fight against President Bush’s campaign to amend the United States Constitution to prevent same-sex marriage.
• Mobilized the grassroots to fight against stateby-state marriage bans.
• Released ground-breaking homelessness report showing that between 20 and 40 percent of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ.
• Launched an advocacy campaign on the need
for federal employment nondiscrimination protections that include sexual orientation AND gender identity.
• Established the Transgender Civil Rights Project.
The 2010’s • Trained thousands of organizers, leading to
hundreds-of-thousands of conversations about marriage equality and trans-inclusive nondiscrimination protections.
• Worked to advance marriage equality in Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Washington and won.
• Launched our Online Organizing Academy, now known as Creating Change Online — a digital platform to expand our world-class trainings to thousands more people.
• Published the first national level research on
anti-transgender discrimination, “Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey,” with the National Center for Transgender Equality.
• Successfully advanced and secured the
inclusion of married same-sex couples in the 2010 census.
• Worked with the Obama administration to achieve more than 30 policy changes that benefit LGBTQ people and their families including lifting the HIV travel ban.
• Launched Practice Spirit, Do Justice, a movement building program for leaders across faith traditions and for new activists learning more about faith-based organizing.
JOIN US to fight for full equality.
FREEDOM Freedom means walking down any street in the country without fear of being harassed or attacked.
How you can
HELP:
Right now you have an opportunity to change the course of history. You can help improve the lives of LGBTQ people and their families and continue the fight for true freedom, justice and equality for all.
1. Visit thetaskforce.org and sign up for our email updates to stay informed about the work going on across the country to help liberate all LGBTQ people.
2. Learn more about our work to tear down
barriers to full freedom by visiting our blog at thetaskforceblog.org or interacting with us on facebook at facebook.com/thetaskforce.
3. Become a member of the Task Force with a gift of $50 or more to help support the fight for LGBTQ equality across the country.
4. Become a Change Agent by making a monthly commitment of $10 or more.
5. Join our Leadership Council with a gift of
$1,500 or more and you’ll be connected to the front lines of the movement.
JUSTICE Justice means going for a walk in your neighborhood without being stopped and frisked by police because of the color of your skin and your gender identity.
stoptransmurders.org
For more information, please contact: National LGBTQ Task Force 1325 Massachusetts Ave., NW Suite 600 Washington DC 20005
1325 Massachusetts Ave., NW Suite 600 Washington DC 20005 thetaskforce.org