Equality Florida Institute Inc

CIVIL RIGHTS EDUCATION DEDICATED TO EQUALITY FOR THE LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL & TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY

EDUCATION:SAFE & HEALTHY SCHOOLS:- TRAINED 6,443 SCHOOL DISTRICT LEADERS IN LIFESAVING BEST PRACTICES FOR LGBTQ YOUTH.- CONTINUED EMBEDDING OF SAFE AND HEALTHY SCHOOLS WORK INTO SCHOOL DISTRICTS' "MENTAL HEALTH PLANS" WHICH HAVE BEEN REQUIRED BY THE STATE. THIS EMBEDDED WORK PROPELS STRUCTURAL AND SYSTEMIC INCLUSION OF LGBTQ+ NEED AND RESILIENCY WITHIN THE STATE'S APPROACH TO MENTAL HEALTH. (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O) - EMBEDDED THE "SAFE SCHOOLS EQUALITY INDEX," A CLEARLY ARTICULATED GUIDE HALLMARKING BOTH MACRO AND MICRO GOLD STAR BEST PRACTICES THAT SCHOOL DISTRICTS INCORPORATE INTO ALL STRATEGIC, ONGOING EFFORTS TO ENSURE THE WELL-BEING AND RESILIENCY OF LGBTQ+ STUDENTS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE DISTRICTS. - DESIGNED, MANAGED, AND HOSTED THE EIGHTH ANNUAL "ALL TOGETHER NOW: SECURING SAFE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS FOR LGBTQ+ STUDENTS IN FLORIDA" CONFERENCE THIS YEAR WITH OVER 400 ATTENDEES FROM OVER 40 SCHOOL DISTRICTS PRESENT. THE CONFERENCE FEATURED A KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION'S ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR THE OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS. - LAUNCHED THREE HALF-DAY "TRANSGENDER MENTAL HEALTH SUMMITS" ACROSS THE STATE IN LARGE, URBAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS AS WELL AS SMALL, RURAL DISTRICTS, BRINGING TOGETHER 450 SCHOOL DISTRICT LEADERS, PSYCHOLOGISTS, SOCIAL WORKERS AND COUNSELORS TO LEARN FROM A SUITE OF PROFESSIONALS SPECIALIZING IN TRANSGENDER NEEDS IN SCHOOLS, HOME AND THE COMMUNITY. - CONTINUED "LEGAL NOTES" VIA OUR EQUALITY FLORIDA SCHOOL DISTRICT ATTORNEY ADVISORY GROUP AND SOUTHERN LEGAL LAW FIRM FOR THE PURPOSE OF ENSURING THE KNOWLEDGE GAPS BETWEEN POLICY, LAW, AND PRACTICE WERE BRIDGED. - HOSTED THE YOUTH LEADERSHIP COUNCIL WHICH SUPPORTED 15 YOUTH FROM ACROSS THE STATE FOR A YEAR-LONG LEADERSHIP JOURNEY TO TEACH LEADERSHIP SKILLS, SELF-AGENCY, AND YOUTH EMPOWERMENT IN AN INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT. - SUSTAINED ONGOING RELATIONSHIPS AND CONTINUED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO IMPACT ALL 67 FLORIDA SCHOOL DISTRICTS. OUR ONGOING RELATIONSHIPS WITH MANY OF OUR SMALL, RURAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND EVERY MID-SIZED AND LARGE, URBAN DISTRICT STATEWIDE, HELPS TO EXPAND OUR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING TO PRINCIPALS, ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS, COUNSELORS, SOCIAL WORKERS, SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS, AND TEACHERS TO OVER 34,250 INDIVIDUALS. - WORKED CLOSELY WITH SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS WHO NEEDED CONSULTATION AND GUIDANCE DURING ONGOING CHALLENGES AND PUSHBACK FROM ANTI-LGBTQ+ ORGANIZATIONS. TRANSGENDER INCLUSION:- CONDUCTED OVER 50 TRANSGENDER CULTURAL COMPETENCY WORKSHOPS FOR FLORIDA'S MAJOR EMPLOYERS, WHICH INCLUDED CORPORATIONS, LAW ENFORCEMENT, FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS, AND GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS. WE CONDUCTED TRANSGENDER CULTURAL COMPETENCY WORKSHOPS IN 5 SHRM COUNTY CHAPTERS AND AT THE ANNUAL SHRM STATE CONFERENCE. - CONDUCTED NUMEROUS VIRTUAL TOWN HALL EDUCATIONAL EVENTS FEATURING RESPECTED EXPERTS AND PANELISTS WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE THAT INCLUDED TOPICS SUCH AS THE TRANSGENDER IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE, ADDRESSING THE IMPLICATIONS OF HARMFUL GUIDANCE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, AND TRANSITIONING WHILE BLACK. - CONDUCTED OUR SECOND AND THIRD TRANSACTION LEADERSHIP ACADEMY CLASSES IN ORLANDO AND SARASOTA/MANATEE. BOTH CLASSES WERE WELL ATTENDED, ENGAGED AND HELPED DEVELOP 20 TRANS AND NONBINARY FUTURE COMMUNITY LEADERS AND ADVOCATES IN FLORIDA. THE SARASOTA/MANATEE CLASS HEAVILY PARTICIPATED IN VOTER TURNOUT EFFORTS TARGETING UNDERSERVED AND UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES SUCH AS TRANS AND NONBINARY FLORIDIANS. - ONCE AGAIN, THIS YEAR'S LEGISLATIVE SESSION WAS AN ASSAULT ON TRANSGENDER FLORIDIANS. A TRANS HEALTHCARE BAN BILL WAS INTRODUCED AND FAILED AND A TRANSGENDER YOUTH SPORTS BAN WAS PASSED DESIGNED TO PROHIBIT TRANS FEMALE YOUTH FROM PARTICIPATING IN SPORTS AT THE HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE, OR ADULT LEVELS. OUR EFFORTS WERE FOCUSED ON MOBILIZING TRANS YOUTH AND THEIR PARENTS TO PUSH BACK AGAINST THIS HARMFUL LEGISLATION. OUR EFFORTS ARE CONTINUING AS WE EDUCATE AND PREPARE TO PUSH BACK AGAINST ANTI-TRANS LEGISLATION IN THE FUTURE. - OUR STATEWIDE TRANSACTION FLORIDA NETWORK NOW CONSISTS OF OVER 1,200 MEMBERS FORMING A STATEWIDE MOVEMENT TO INCREASE AWARENESS OF THE TRANSGENDER AND NONBINARY COMMUNITY AND TO SHARE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES ACROSS THE STATE. - INITIATED A TRANSACTION PARENT NETWORK TO SUPPORT PARENTS OF LGBTQ+ CHILDREN IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA TRANS ACTION HAS PARTICIPATED IN AND/OR HELPED COORDINATE MULTIPLE LISTENING SESSIONS FOR TRANSGENDER AND NONBINARY YOUTH AND LEADERS INCLUDING THOSE HOSTED BY THE WHITE HOUSE, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. HIV MODERNIZATION:- FACILITATED CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN PEOPLE AFFECTED BY HIV/AIDS AND ALLIES AND THEIR ELECTED OFFICIALS AND AGENCY LEADERS TO DISCUSS POLICY PRIORITIES FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS. - OUR PUBLIC POLICY DIRECTOR, DIRECTOR OF TRANSGENDER EQUALITY, HEALTH EQUITY TRAINER, AND PUBLIC POLICY ASSOCIATE BRIEFED THE HOUSE DEMOCRATIC STAFF AND 12 REPRESENTATIVES' OFFICES ON HIV MODERNIZATION AND PREP & PEP ACCESS LEGISLATION. THIS WAS A UNIQUE CHANCE TO CENTER HIV ISSUES WHEN LEGISLATIVE LEADERSHIP REFUSED TO GIVE US A HEARING TO DEBATE THE ISSUES. - MANAGED THE "EQUALITY FLORIDA HIV ADVOCACY GROUP" FACEBOOK PAGE OF OVER 250 MEMBERS WHERE INDIVIDUALS AND HIV-FOCUSED AND HIV-LED ORGANIZATIONS SHARE IN-DEPTH INFORMATION, PROMOTE OR LIVE STREAM COMMUNITY EVENTS, AND NETWORK VIRTUALLY, IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH. LGBTQ+ HEALTHCARE EQUITY:- IN 2021, EQUALITY FLORIDA LAUNCHED OUR STATEWIDE HEALTHCARE EQUITY INITIATIVE DESIGNED TO BRING AFFIRMING HEALTHCARE TO THE FLORIDA LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY. WE ACHIEVED OUR GOAL OF EXPANDING TO FLORIDA'S WEST COAST AND HAVE ESTABLISHED A PARTNERSHIP WITH PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL FLORIDA TO BETTER UNDERSTAND BARRIERS TO CARE FOR LGBTQ PEOPLE AND INCREASE CULTURAL COMPETENCE. WE ARE FINALIZING OUR THIRD PARTNERSHIP IN FLORIDA, FOCUSING ON THE MIAMI-DADE AREA. - A DEDICATED HEALTH EQUITY TRAINER WAS HIRED AND HELD OUR FIRST TWO LGBTQ+ AFFIRMING HEALTHCARE TRAININGS WITH BROWARD HEALTH, QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY TRAINING OVER 40 STAFF, INCLUDING BROWARD HEALTH IMPERIAL POINT'S CEO, TO HELP THEM IMPROVE THEIR HEALTH EQUITY INDEX SCORE WITH THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN. - WE PARTNERED WITH THE SOUTH FLORIDA TRANSGENDER MEDICAL CONSORTIUM TO PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL AND NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES TO 100 OF BROWARD HEALTH'S FRONTLINE MEDICAL STAFF.

ADVOCACY:LOCAL LEVEL:- SUPPORTED SUCCESSFUL LOCAL EFFORTS TO UPDATE BROWARD COUNTY'S HUMAN RIGHTS ORDINANCE AND REMOVE RELIGIOUS EXEMPTIONS SPECIFIC TO THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY. - WORKED WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO RECOGNIZE NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY IN EXISTING SEX-BASED NONDISCRIMINATION POLICIES. (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O) - MOBILIZED AGAINST SCHOOL BOARD ATTACKS, ATTEMPTS TO INTRODUCE SO-CALLED SANCTUARY CITY ORDINANCES, AND FOUGHT AGAINST ST. PETERSBURG MUNICIPAL FUNDING ALLOCATION TO ANTI-ABORTION CLINICS.STATE LEVEL: CONTINUED MONTHLY GATHERING OF LEADERS IDENTIFYING AND ADDRESSING KEY ISSUES FOR THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY, WITH PARTICIPATION FROM MORE THAN 50 LEADERS INCLUDING FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS, STATE AGENCY REPRESENTATIVES, AND LGBTQ, HIV, AND REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM ORGANIZATION LEADERS.FEDERAL LEVEL: TRAINED ADVOCATES FOR, PARTICIPATED IN, AND LED MULTIPLE MEETINGS WITH FLORIDA'S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION REGARDING THE NEED FOR FEDERAL LGBTQ NONDISCRIMINATION PROTECTIONS.

OUTREACH:EQUALITY MEANS BUSINESS/OPEN DOORS:- GREW OUR COALITION OF SMALL AND LARGE BUSINESSES TO 2,389 MEMBERS THAT HAVE ADOPTED COMPREHENSIVE NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICIES. - LED A COALITION OF 24 CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE AND OTHER BUSINESSES TO SIGN ON TO A STATEMENT OPPOSING THE STOP WOKE ACT. - EXPANDED OUR "EQUALITY MEANS BUSINESS" COALITION TO 157 MAJOR CORPORATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL SPORTS FRANCHISES.

MOBILIZATION:- MOBILIZED 400 VOLUNTEERS IN SUPPORT OF LGBTQ EQUALITY- GREW OUR SUPPORTER BASE BY 15,000