Seizing Opportunities in the States

August 22, 2019

With bright spots continuing to emerge in the states, the Gill Foundation co-establishes the State Equality Fund, a groundbreaking collaborative to fund positive change at the state level.

New Hampshire and Oregon recognize same-sex relationships through domestic partnership and civil union laws, the Massachusetts Legislature defeats an attempt to repeal the marriage equality win, and an Oklahoma law denying recognition of out-of-state adoptions by same-sex couples is held unconstitutional.

The biggest success comes when four states – Colorado, Iowa, Oregon, and Vermont – pass or expand nondiscrimination laws to include LGBT people, and Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius signs an executive order making it illegal to discriminate against state employees because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.