ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - The St. Joseph City Council voted to pass a LGBTQ+ inclusive non-discrimination ordinance, late Monday, by a vote of 8-1.  ...

The ACLU of Missouri has filed a lawsuit against the Missouri Commission on Human Rights (MCHR) for failing to protect Missourians from sex-based d...

Gov. Bruce Rauner betrayed Illinois’ values of equality and fairness by vetoing a significant bill to strengthen workplace non-discrimination prote...

Seventeen leading civil rights organizations in Illinois are urging Gov. Bruce Rauner, in a letter sent to him on Tuesday, to sign legislation that...

CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo. - A Southeast Missouri man is being charged with three felony counts of assault motivated by discrimination after allegedly punc...

House to take up measure that helps all students have fuller understanding of history   SPRINGFIELD,Ill. – On a bipartisan roll call, the Il...

Equality Illinois legislative agenda items will ban anti-LGBTQ panic defense, modernize birth certificate changes and build LGBTQ leadership. ...

Boards and Commissions Initiative will build LGBTQ policy and political power in the state CHICAGO, Ill. — Equality Illinois is launching a new i...

CHICAGO, Ill. - The Equality Illinois PAC is endorsing 32 incumbent legislators in its first round of endorsements as the state heads into the 2018...

CHICAGO, Ill. - LGBTQ and allied groups met with Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner this week to discuss challenges faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transg...

HOUSTON, Mo. - Four people have been charged in the brutal murder of Ally Lee Steinfield, 17, a Southwest Missouri transgender teen who was recentl...

Criminal defendants who kill LGBTQ people can no longer be acquitted by claiming a panic defense–that they were provoked by a fear of the victim's ...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Equality Illinois is at the Illinois State Fair, which opened Thursday, seeking support from fairgoers against President Trump’...

Advocates urge Gov. Rauner to sign bill to help transgender Illinoisans SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – House Bill 1785, a measure to modernize Illinois law ...

Equality Illinois initiative says victims' sexual orientation or gender identity no excuse for murder SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois General Ass...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A measure to modernize Illinois law allowing people to change the gender marker on their birth certificate, House Bill 1785, pa...

CHICAGO, Ill – LGBTQ Americans find themselves in a position we haven't been in for nearly a decade: fighting against an administration that wants ...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Equality Illinois announced on Monday its 2017 legislative agenda, a package of bills to advance the civil rights protections o...

CHICAGO, Ill. – A proposal to update and modernize a more than half-century old law allowing people to change the gender marker on their Illinois b...

A Statewide Coalition of Organizations that Work with LGBTQ Illinoisans Issued the Following Statement ...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Equality Illinois on Thursday denounced a new attempt by anti-LGBTQ forces in the Illinois General Assembly to discriminate aga...

CHICAGO, Ill. – Chicago Human Relations Commissioner Mona Noriega and Personal PAC CEO Terry Cosgrove will be the 2017 recipients of the Equality I...

28 LGBTQ people and allies to assist with policymaking at state's largest LGBTQ civil rights organization CHICAGO, Ill. - Equality Illinois on Mo...

CHICAGO, Ill. - More than 1,400 attendees, including more than 100 political figures and community VIPs  will descend on the Hilton Chicago fo...

CAMDENTON, Mo. - A double homicide in Camden County, Mo. is being investigated as an anti-LGBT hate crime by local and federal officials. ...

CHICAGO, Ill. - Equality Illinois today condemned the lawsuit filed by a small handful of pastors against Illinois' law protecting LGBT youth from ...

CHICAGO, Ill.– Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan on Wed. joined 12 other attorneys general throughout the U.S. in support of the Obama Adminis...

U.S. District Court Judge Staci Yandle to honor recipients     CHICAGO – Forty Illinois law firms that lead the way in providing a wel...

CHICAGO, Ill.– Of the many personal, medical and legal challenges faced by transgender Illinoisans, Equality Illinois, The John Marshall Law School...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois General Assembly on Tuesday passed legislation ensuring pension fairness for LGBT individuals who retired from pub...

CHICAGO, Ill. – As LGBT Pride Month begins June 1, Brian C. Johnson assumes the leadership of Equality Illinois with a pledge to expand the organiz...

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Columbia Police Department has appointed Officer Clinton Sinclair as its first LGBT Liaison, KOMU reports. CPD said they create...

CHICAGO, Ill. – U.S. Rep. David Cicilline, chief House sponsor of the Equality Act, will be the keynote speaker at EqualityCon 2016, a two-day conv...

PULASKI COUNTY, Mo. - A St. Robert Missouri City Councilman has published a series of anti-LGBT posts on Facebook in opposition to the upcoming "dr...

CHICAGO, Ill. – EqualityCon 2016, a two-day conference of LGBT champions, progressive advocates, allies, policy experts, political leaders and comm...

CHICAGO, Ill. – Equality Illinois (EI), the state’s oldest and largest organization advocating for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Il...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - The Old Glass Place in downtown Springfield was filled with members of the Queen City LGBT community on Saturday night to mark t...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Advocates from Equality Illinois and the AIDS Foundation of Chicago–including a transgender university student and the mother o...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Equality Illinois, partner organizations, and citizens from across the state are in the state Capitol Wednesday for meetings wi...

Includes end to panic defenses, non-discrimination in jury service and easier birth certificate changes   SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Equality Illin...

CHICAGO, Ill. – The Equality Illinois Political Action Committee (EI PAC) issued its second and final round of endorsements for the 2016 primary el...

CHICAGO, Ill. – The Equality Illinois Political Action Committee issued its first round of endorsements for the 2016 primary elections on Monday, s...

CHICAGO, Ill. – The Equality Illinois 25th Anniversary Gala this Saturday will celebrate a quarter century of progress for LGBT Illinoisans and the...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Following a spate of similar legislation across the nation, a anti-transgender "bathroom bill" has been introduced in the Illin...

CHICAGO, Ill. - According to Equality Illinois, individuals can use the restroom consistent with their gender identity in the Land of Lincoln. But ...

This week, U.S. Rep. Bob Dold (R-IL) became the first Republican in Congress to co-sponsor the Equality Act now pending on Capitol Hill. The landma...

Kentucky‘s newly appointed governor Matt Bevin is inheriting a legal bill for his state’s failed attempts at blocking same-sex marriage. ...

Statement by Bernard Cherkasov, CEO, Equality Illinois, November 6, 2015: ...

  CHICAGO, Ill. – Leaders from lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) state equality organizations will meet next week in Chicago f...

  SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - The Xi Omicron Iota sorority at Missouri State University has changed its bylaws to accept transgender students who id...

  SPRINGFIELD, IL – Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner signed two more pro-equality bills today, including a measure to protect LGBT youth by prohi...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A transgender woman died in the early hours on Saturday morning after repeatedly being run over near a Kansas City church parkin...

The Mid-America Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (Mid-America GLCC) was honored today with the Rising Star Chamber Award at the National Gay &...

  SPRINGFIELD, IL - LGBT community leaders and allies, progressive advocates, civic officials, community groups and interested individuals ...

  SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner today signed House Bill 3930 or the Enhanced Hate Crimes Law which further protects LGBT I...

Illinois U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk, along with several members of the Illinois U.S. House delegation have co-sponsored the recently i...

CHICAGO, Ill. – Equality Illinois this week launched a new publication and a series of training seminars to help business executives build inclusiv...

  KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon announced today that he has issued an executive order mandating all state government agencies ...

  SPRINGFIELD – In a bipartisan vote on Tuesday the Illinois Senate approved a measure to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgend...

  SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois Senate on Wednesday unanimously gave final approval to a bill enhancing hate crimes protections for lesb...

  SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - In a bipartisan vote on Tuesday the Illinois House approved a measure to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgend...

RAYMORE, Mo. — A Missouri high school teacher was removed from the classroom and placed on administrative leave after he showed students a decades-...

  The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals announced on Wednesday that they will delay the hearing on cases involving challenges to the exclusion o...

  SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - An LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance in Missouri's third largest city went down to defeat tonight as voters n...

  SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Mirroring a wave of anti-equality efforts in state legislatures and cities across the nation, opponents of a recently ...

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Tax commission has denied an application for a personalized license plate supporting the LGBT community because it car...

  CHICAGO – Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner met with LGBT leaders for the first time today committing his administration to strict enforcement o...

  DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa state Senate has passed a bill that would ban mental health providers from practicing therapy aimed at conver...

  SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A notable group of Illinois mental health, medical and academic organizations have signed a letter released today in ...

  CHICAGO – An online petition was launched yesterday by a coalition dedicated to fighting so called conversion therapy of LGBT youth in Il...

Hundreds of businesses in both Arkansas and Nebraska have signed a pledge with the Human Rights Campaign to advance workplace equality for members ...

    COLUMBIA, Mo. — The University of Missouri, Columbia will offer a new gender-neutral housing option starting this fall. ...

  TOPEKA, Kansas – Thousands are expected today at the Kansas state capital to rally in protest against Gov. Sam Brownback's decision to re...

  JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that a St. Louis County Circuit Court judge should not have dismissed a...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau says he is “deeply concerned” about a decision from a Cat...

  LOS ANGELES— LGBT Americans face greater social and economic disparities in the South, Midwest, and Mountain states, according to a new W...

  COLUMBIA, MO – Boone County will grant employment, retirement and survivor benefits to same-sex spouses of county employees beginning Jan...

  Add Arkansas and Mississippi to the growing list of states to have their same-sex marriage bans overturned by federal judges. Both decisi...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri has filed a lawsuit on behalf of an Ozark, Mo., fire department captain seeking s...

  The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, today, denied the Kansas request to stay U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree's decision overturning th...

   CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO – On October 28, 2014, Southeast Missouri State University's Board of Regents unanimously approved extending ben...

ST. LOUIS – When the Supreme Court struck down section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act last year, the federal government recognized marriages of s...

    ST. LOUIS – This year has proven to be a monumental year for LGBT Missourians. Those monumental steps have been the recognition o...

  SPRINGFIELD, MO – In a 6-3 vote last night, the Springfield City Council passed comprehensive nondiscrimination protections for the lesbi...

  KANSAS CITY, MO – The ACLU of Kansas today filed a lawsuit against district court clerks in Douglas and Sedgwick counties for their refus...

  Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster announced Monday that he would not appeal last week’s circuit court judgment in Barrier v. Vasterl...

  KANSAS CITY, MO – Circuit Judge J. Dale Youngs has ruled today that the marriages of 10 same-sex couples married out-of-state must be rec...

  ST. LOUIS – PROMO, Missouri’s statewide LGBT advocacy organization today sent a letter to supporters addressing the delay in decisions in...

  KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Oral arguments were heard Thursday morning at the Jackson County Courthouse in a historic lawsuit filed by the ACLU on...

  KANSAS CITY, Mo. - On September 25 at 9:30am, Jackson County courthouse in Kansas City will hear oral arguments on a landmark marria...

  SPRINGFIELD, MO – Outrage over a prominent southwest Missouri attorney’s letter denouncing equality efforts at the Ozark Fire Department ...

OZARK, MO – A letter penned by a well-known Springfield, Mo. attorney about equality efforts at a southwest Missouri fire department is drawing the...

  OZARK, Mo. — The Ozark Fire Department in southwest Missouri has been told that the state constitution won’t allow extending benefits to ...

  JEFFERSON CITY, MO. — A federal judge will now hear one of the lawsuits challenging Missouri’s ban on same-sex marriage it was announced ...

  Colleen Simon is suing the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph for firing her from her parish food pantry job after learning of her marriag...

  KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jackson County, Mo., will not fight a lawsuit challenging Missouri’s ban on same-sex marriage.   ...

  FORT LEONARD WOOD, MO – The Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood celebrated the army base’s first lesbian, gay, bi...

  WAYNESVILLE, MO – Janell Jackson just wanted some information on an upcoming Pride Luncheon at Ft. Leonard Wood, a U.S. Army base in sout...

  COLUMBIA, MO – This afternoon, the University of Missouri Board of Curators voted in favor of including gender identity and gender expres...

  KANSAS CITY, MO - The St. Louis LGBT History Project joined sister projects from Kansas City (The Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America)...

  JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The 2014 Missouri state legislative session adjourned Friday without a vote on the LGBT-inclusive Missouri Nondiscr...

  COLUMBIA, MO - With marriage equality comes same-sex divorce. Or at least that should be the natural order of things. But a Boone County ...

  JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Impeachment efforts to oust Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon over his decision to allow same-sex couples to file joint state...

  JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Opponents of same-sex marriage have asked a Missouri court to block Gov. Jay Nixon’s order that the state accept jo...

  HANNIBAL, Mo. — An honors-caliber college student says he was denied readmission to a northern Missouri Baptist school after he came out ...

  JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Missouri House Committee on March 13, heard testimony on the proposed Missouri Non-discrimination Act (MONA). &...

  KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The city council in Kansas City, Mo., on March 7, voted in favor of a resolution calling for an end to statewide discr...

  BLOOMINGTON, IL - Republican McLean County Clerk Kathy Michael says she hopes to be issuing same-sex marriage licenses by the middle of n...

  JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — While Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer deliberates the fate of her state’s anti-gay religious freedom bill, legislation was ...

  SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A bill that would prohibit the use of controversial gay-to-straight conversion therapy on LGBT youth, has been introd...

  JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Show Me State’s annual Equality Day was held at the state capitol in Jefferson City on Feb. 19, where dozens of...

  COLUMBIA, Mo. – Members of the Westboro Baptist Church, home of the anti-gay extremists behind the “Gods Hate Fags” and “God hates the Wo...

  ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Missouri joined the growing list of states facing legal challenges to their gay marriage bans, Feb. 12, when the America...