Equality Ohio was founded in 2005 by approximately 65 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and ally activists after the Ohio Constitutional amendment banning marriage equality and civil unions was passed. Equality Ohio envisions an Ohio where everyone feels at home, and we have an ambitious mission of achieving full equality and inclusion for the LGBT community in Ohio.
We cannot achieve our vision or fulfill our mission without broad support from the LGBT community and our allies in Ohio. Without the financial support of individuals who believe in our mission, we could not maintain a staff that travels around Ohio educating the public on our issues, organizing our community, and lobbying legislators on pro-equality legislation.
Staff alone -- however passionate, committed and effective they are -- will not achieve equality in Ohio. We need to leverage the grassroots support for equality around the state.
Equality Ohio needs your help. How?
First, you can join our email list and respond to our Action Alerts. When there is an issue that needs immediate attention, we activate our email list of more than 17,000 people to call or email their legislators or other policymakers, or to join us at a public action. Having thousands of people call or email the Statehouse at the same time sends a powerful message at critical junctures.
Second, you can join one of Equality Ohio’s Local Action Teams. There are Local Action Teams around the state, made up of supporters of equality who want to help make a difference in their community and state. Local Action Teams work in their local community to increase support for LGBT civil rights -- they conduct in-district lobbying visits to legislators, write letters to the editor and editorials for local newspapers, organize public events around the annual Equality Ohio film tour, and participate in events sponsored by Equality Ohio to educate local communities on LGBT issues. It is important for local LGBT activists and allies to be involved in the efforts to expand support for our civil rights in their own communities.
Third, you can volunteer or intern for Eq
uality Ohio. Equality Ohio hosts regular volunteer nights at its office in Columbus. We are also planning bi-monthly volunteer nights at various locations around the state. At these events, volunteers do everything from data entry to legislator research to phone-banking. Volunteers also assist with events like Pride and Lobby Day. We also have volunteer opportunities at other times in the office. In addition, we have internships for people interested in community organizing, communications, fundraising, and non-profit management.
Finally, there are many public events sponsored by Equality Ohio -- lobby day, town halls on marriage equality and safe schools, and rallies -- that you can join us for. This includes Pride events in many cities around the state, including Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, Dayton, Youngstown, and others.
Equality Ohio is a community organization. We fight hard for the LGBT community in Ohio, and we cannot succeed without your participation, at whatever level works for you. Please join us today in the struggle for full equality and inclusion. Contact Aliya Rahman at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 614-224-0400 to get involved today!
