Give OUT Day 2021

This year, MassEquality officially opened our new headquarters in Worcester, moving to a more centralized location so we can reach communities across the Commonwealth while maintaining enough proximity to Boston for lobbying efforts.  In addition to maintaining our presence on Beacon Hill, we’ve been active at all levels of government – from submitting testimony to school committees to speaking directly with local housing boards.  In Worcester, our engagement with local sex ed activists has already had a real impact: just this May, after years of delays, the Worcester school committee finally moved forward on an LGBTQ-inclusive comprehensive sex ed curriculum.

We know we have further to go in meeting our community where you’re at – which is why this year, we debuted our regional LGBTQ town hall series. For the past few months, we’ve been meeting virtually with communities across the Commonwealth, from Northern Worcester County to the Berkshires to the South Shore. The stories we’ve heard and experiences individuals have shared during those town halls have been crucial to shaping our agenda. We’re more committed than ever to understanding what issues matter most to each region and to shaping our activism so we can support and respond to the needs of members of the communities across the commonwealth.

We’ve also been dedicated to empowering our community more directly than ever: to helping all members take advantage of the legal victories we’ve won in the past and developing our political power.  We’re proud of MassEquality’s past legislative victories, and continue to advocate for legislation that protects our community but legislation is only a piece of the puzzle.  

Through direct outreach calls, we’ve been help LGBTQ folks navigate these new legal frameworks to secure everything from healthcare to housing to equitable education.  In addition to helping individuals work within these systems, we’ve also worked hard to teach them how to change it.  

We've also been working with local community organizations, such as housing alliances, institutions of higher learning and behavioral healthcare facilities to ensure that they have the tools and training that they need in order to support members of our community without unintentionally harming them.

We partnered with the Canadian government to present a series of international LGBTQ activist panels, where we convened activists from across borders to discuss issues ranging from HIV/AIDS activism to transphobic violence. We also partnered with Boston Gaymers to deliver a 24 hour twitch livestream gaming event, marched for trans rights, and took part in the national efforts to pass the Equality Act as part of the EqualityTime coalition.

Now, we’re turning to our community once again for support to keep up the fight.  From lobbying legislators to pass bills on key issues like elder care to expanding our reach across Massachusetts so that equality isn’t limited by geography, we can’t do it without you.  Will you join us?