Equality Ohio
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Equality Ohio is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that supports lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) equality in Ohio.[1] The organization is a member of the Equality Federation.[2]
Since its founding, Equality Ohio has concurrently operated under two separate nonprofit tax identification numbers – one for Equality Ohio and another for the Equality Ohio Education Fund.[3] The latter of these retains most of the funding for the organization.[3]
History
Equality Ohio was founded in 2005 following the passage of Ohio Issue 1, which banned state recognition of same-sex relationships.[4][5]
Leadership transitions
In its twenty-year history, Equality Ohio has had several executive directors. The organization's first executive director, Lynne Bowman, was one of its founders, and she served as its executive director for over 5 years. Following this, Sue Doerfer became executive director in December 2009, but she announced her resignation in late 2010.[6] Doerfer was replaced by Ed Mullen, who was a former candidate for Illinois State Representative and civil rights lawyer from Chicago,[7][8] and Mullen served in this role for nearly two years. In 2012, the organization hired its fourth executive director, Elyzabeth Joy Holford,[9] and Holford left the role to return to California in 2015.[10] Following this, Alana Jochum was named the executive director in 2015.[10] Alana left the role in 2023 and currently serves as Policy Director with Americans for Trans Equity (A4TE). From 2023-2024 the organization was led by Interim Executive Director, Katie Belanger. In 2024, the agency hired its first openly queer Black Executive Director, Dwayne Steward.[11]
Legislative priorities
In the early 2010s, Equality Ohio focused on advancing state legislation to prohibit employment discrimination or housing discrimination based on sexual orientation.[12] During this period, the organization was also focused on the Equal Housing and Employment Act (HB 335/SB 231) and enumeration of the safe schools legislation, which was passed in January 2012. Following this, Equality Ohio focused on marriage equality.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
Given opposition in the state legislature, Equality Ohio endorsed the Citizens Not Politicians campaign for the 2024 Issue 1 ballot initiative against gerrymandering.[13]
Labor union creation
In fall 2022, the organization announced that its employees had elected to form a labor union. The leadership of the organization agreed to voluntarily recognize the labor union, Equality Ohio Workers United.[14]
See also
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References
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