About Us
"Equality Florida was born in fire in the late 1990s, as Floridaâs state government took a sharp turn to the rightâat a time when we couldnât adopt children, couldnât marry, and had almost no workplace protections. Back then our schools offered almost no anti-bullying protections for LGBTQ youth. And transgender Floridians had virtually no protections at allâeven at the local level.
And yetâdespite an always challenging political climateâwe have won every single one of those fights. And our greatest victories are still ahead."
Equality Florida is Florida’s statewide civil rights organization dedicated to securing full equality for Florida’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community.
For nearly 30 years, Equality Florida has worked hard to make our state a welcoming and inclusive place to live, work, and visit. We’ve led the passage of policies at the local and state level to respect and protect our community in schools, the workplace, healthcare, and caring for our loved ones.
This experience has made Equality Florida uniquely suited to create real and lasting change for LGBTQ Floridians. Through lobbying, grassroots organizing, education, and coalition building, we are changing Florida so that no one suffers harassment or discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Since our founding in 1997, weâve become one of the largest statewide LGBTQ groups in the country with nearly 500,000 supporters, more than 1,000 volunteers, and staff located in major Florida cities to organize and support our work.
Equality Florida was co-founded by Nadine Smith and Stratton Pollitzer.
Our Impact
Won Marriage Equality
We secured marriage equality in Florida before any other Southern State. After a two-year education and legal campaign, plaintiffs in Equality Floridaâs marriage case became the first couples to legally marry in the state in 2015.
Overturned Floridaâs Gay and Lesbian Adoption Ban
We played a key leadership role in overturning Floridaâs shameful ban on gay and lesbian adoption. The ban was struck down in 2010 and fully repealed in 2015, opening the door for more loving families across the state.
Defeated Hundreds of Anti-LGBTQ Bills
For decades, weâve helped defeat or block hundreds of anti-LGBTQ bills, including 32 of the 34 hateful bills filed in Tallahassee in the last two years alone.
Won Historic Settlement Against Donât Say Gay or Trans Law
We played a decisive role in challenging Floridaâs âDonât Say Gay or Transâ law and securing a landmark legal settlement that significantly narrowed the lawâs scope and added new protections for students, families, and educators.
Partnering With All 67 Florida School Districts
Through our Safe & Healthy Schools program, we are building partnerships with all 67 Florida school districts to advance supportive policies and inclusive practices for LGBTQ students. These efforts have helped create safe, more welcoming schools for more than 2 million Florida students.
Passed 200+ Local Pro-Equality Policies
60% of Floridians are protected from anti-LGBTQ discrimination thanks to more than 200 local non-discrimination, safe schools, and domestic partnership policies passed on our watch.
