Local / Regional

CHICAGO, Ill. – Equality Illinois (EI), the state’s oldest and largest organization advocating for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Illinoisans, has named Brian C. Johnson as Chief Executive Officer, the organization announced on Monday. Johnson, 38, currently serves as a...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - The Old Glass Place in downtown Springfield was filled with members of the Queen City LGBT community on Saturday night to mark the 20th anniversary of The Gay & Lesbian Community Center of the Ozarks. The GLO Center...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (MOAAP), representing over 1,100 pediatricians dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults in Missouri, today called on the Missouri...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Michael Sam, the former Mizzou Tiger, St. Louis Ram draft pick and the first openly gay football player in NFL history will be the featured speaker at Equality Day on Wednesday, April 20, at the Missouri...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Advocates from Equality Illinois and the AIDS Foundation of Chicago–including a transgender university student and the mother of a transgender child–met with Gov. Bruce Rauner and legislators this week in Springfield to advance a pro-LGBT equality agenda...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Equality Illinois, partner organizations, and citizens from across the state are in the state Capitol Wednesday for meetings with the state’s leaders on LGBT Advocacy Day and calling on officials to advance a lived equality for lesbian,...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - On the same day as the Emerging Issues Committee has scheduled a hearing on SJR 39, businesses from across Missouri have joined together to form Missouri Competes, a nonpartisan business coalition to stop it. SJR 39 would...

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Washington University in St. Louis hosted the second Midwest Queer Indigenous and People Of Color (QIPOC) Conference, April 8-10, 2016. The annual gathering was billed as an “intersectional movement for racial, sexual, and gender justice" and...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - An Illinois House committee on Tuesday advanced pro-equality legislation that modernizes the state’s birth certificate law. Additionally, the panel, the House Human Services Committee, held back an anti-transgender student bill for further consideration. The birth certificate bill, which...

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Just days after Missouri legislators reconvened from spring break, SJR 39 is on the move in the House. SJR 39 was referred to the Emerging Issues Committee this afternoon. After an almost 40 hour filibuster in...

Following a historic filibuster by Democrats, Senate votes 21 to 11 to pass an extreme ‘First Amendment Defense Act’-style proposal that goes far beyond religious freedom and enshrines discrimination into the Missouri Constitution Business community strongly opposes the discriminatory measure that...

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Today, MasterCard joined other Fortune 500 company Monsanto in publicly opposing SJR 39. The letter, from President Rob Reeg of MasterCard, thanks Governor Nixon for opposing SJR 39 as well as recognizing Nixon’s support of the...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Missouri businesses, faith leaders, and organizations have joined together to tell Missouri General Assembly to reject anti-LGBT legislation. The letter reads in part: We are calling on you to reject anti-LGBT legislation, particularly SJR 39, in Missouri....

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Yesterday, Sen. Bob Onder’s (R-Lake St. Louis) SJR 39 was voted out of the Seniors, Families and Children Committee. SJR 39 would create a constitutional amendment for a public, statewide vote, that would allow businesses to...

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Steph Perkins has been offered and has accepted the position of Executive Director of PROMO, Missouri's statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) advocacy organization. An official announcement is expected tomorrow. Perkins has been serving as...

Includes end to panic defenses, non-discrimination in jury service and easier birth certificate changes SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Equality Illinois on Friday announced its 2016 legislative agenda, including prohibiting the use of panic defenses in murder cases, implementing non-discrimination protections for...

CHICAGO, Ill. – The Equality Illinois Political Action Committee (EI PAC) issued its second and final round of endorsements for the 2016 primary elections, focusing on more legislative races and local offices. The EI PAC, the political arm of Equality Illinois,...

New "Religious Freedom" legislation introduced in the Missouri Senate on Wednesday could bring an anti-LGBT constitutional amendment before Missouri voters this November. SJR 39, introduced by State Sen. Bob Onder (R-St. Charles), would ask voters to prohibit the state from...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Hundreds of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and allied Missourians are expected tomorrow (Feb. 16) at PROMO's annual Equality Day at the Missouri State Capitol building. During the event, organized by the statewide LGBT advocacy organization, equality...

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The Brown School of Social Work at Washington University will hold its 2016 Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner on March 1, 2016. This year's honorees include LGBT community leader Sherrill Wayland. Wayland, who was nominated by A.J....