Equality Florida Institute

The group was initially formed to counter the social policies of then-Florida Governor Jeb Bush (R) and has opposed the policies of subsequent Republican governors in Florida, particularly those of Governor Ron DeSantis (R). Equality Florida lobbies for pro-transgender issues, including supporting a variety of LGBT programming in public schools, and opposes Republican-backed legislation regarding transgender and LGBT issues while also supporting other left-of-center policies such as firearm bans. The group receives funding from left-of-center foundations including the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, the Wellspring Philanthropic Fund, the AmazonSmile Foundation, and the Southern Partners Fund. ^{1 2 3}

Background

Equality Florida was established in 1997 by Nadine Smith and Stratton Pollitzer. According to the organization, the group was founded “as Governor Jeb Bush took office and Florida’s state government made a hard turn to the right.” Smith is a former journalist who was one of four national co-chairs of the 1993 March on Washington, and has served as the executive director of Equality Florida since its founding. Pollitzer has co-led the organization since 1997 and leads Equality Florida’s Safe and Healthy Schools project. ^{3 4 5}

At its founding, Equality Florida founded a lobbying arm called Equality Florida Action which expressly lobbies for and against legislation in the Florida legislature and operates a political action committee called the Equality Florida Action PAC that endorses Democratic candidates for public office. The Equality Florida Institute operates as the charitable educational and policy arm of the organization and receives the bulk of the revenue. ^{2 6}

Activity

The Equality Florida Institute operates a variety of programs and projects, some of which have separate branding and websites. ³

The group’s Safe and Healthy Schools Project is aimed at promoting LGBT advocacy and resources in public schools, stating that the group “aims to create a culture of inclusion while countering the bullying, harassment, social isolation, and bigotry that dramatically increase risk factors for LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning) students.” The project further states that “we seek to shift the culture so that each of Florida’s 67 school districts will adopt comprehensive, nationally recognized best practices for meeting the needs of LGBTQ+ students and in doing so build a model that can be replicated nationwide.” ⁷

The group also operates a project called Parenting With Pride, which hosts monthly webinars and provides resources for parents and families of LGBT students. The project is operated in partnership with over a dozen LGBT and transgender advocacy groups including PFLAG, the Human Rights Campaign, the National PTA, the Trevor Project, Gender Spectrum, Family Equality, GLAAD, GLSEN, and the National Center for Transgender Equality. ⁸

Equality Florida also operates TransAction Florida, an advocacy group established in 2014 aimed at conducting advocacy and outreach specifically regarding transgender issues. The group states that it has been active in policy issues including “supporting inclusive Human Rights Ordinances across Florida and pushing back on anti-trans legislation like the Trans Youth Sports Ban and the Trans Youth Medical Care Ban.” The program has also conducted “hundreds of diversity trainings throughout the state at major corporations, health care systems, law enforcement agencies, faith organizations, schools, and universities.” ⁹

The group also operates the Equality Means Business coalition, which includes a variety of national and Florida-based companies including most of the state’s professional sports teams and the Walt Disney Company. ¹⁰

Funding

Equality Florida is funded by many left-of-center foundations including the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, the Wellspring Philanthropic Fund, the AmazonSmile Foundation, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, JP Morgan Chase Foundation, the Catherine F. and James H. Stenzel Foundation, and the Southern Partners Fund. ^{1 2 3}