Equality New Mexico Foundation

Background and History

The Equality New Mexico Foundation was formed in 1993 as the Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Rights in New Mexico. One founding board member of the group stated that Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign partially inspired the founding of the organization when Clinton acknowledged gays and lesbians. The organization has since founded and operated a variety of programs catering to LGBT issue advocacy and resources. ³

The Equality New Mexico Foundation is the sister organization to Equality New Mexico, and the two organizations function as two arms of the same organization. The Equality New Mexico Foundation acts as the charitable arm of the organization that conducts general advocacy but does not explicitly lobby for legislation or endorse candidates. Equality New Mexico endorses Democratic candidates for public office and supports specific pieces of legislation. ^{4 5 6}

Policy Stances

The Equality New Mexico Foundation supports a variety of policies concerning gender and LGBT issues and Equality New Mexico, as the political arm of the organization, states that it “participate(s) in elections through Get-Out-the-Vote (GOTV) activities, issue advocacy, and endorsing progressive and fair-minded candidates.” ⁴

The group supports both LGBT-specific issues as well as other left-of-center issues including abortion access and allowing 16 and 17-year-olds to vote. ⁷ The group’s website states that the group’s top priorities include “expanding healthcare access and focusing on gender-affirming, reproductive, and sexual health services. We’re fighting for better access to PrEP and HIV prevention tools, ensuring a safer environment for LGBTQ+ youth in schools and beyond.” The group strongly supports increased educational programming around gender and LGBT issues in public schools and supports a lower voting age, stating that “We will push hard to achieve comprehensive sexuality and consent education for young people and give 16 and 17-year-olds a voice in shaping policies that impact their lives.” ⁷

Older Rainbow Community Albuquerque

Equality New Mexico Foundation operates the Older Rainbow Community Albuquerque (ORCA) program, which is intended to assist elderly LGBT individuals. The group is a member of the SAGECollab and is sponsored by the Albuquerque Community Foundation, the Next 50 Initiative, and SCAN Health Plan New Mexico. ⁸

Partner Organizations

Listed partners of Equality New Mexico and the Equality New Mexico Foundation include the Equality Federation, APD Forward, Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico, BoldFutures, the University of New Mexico LGBTQ Resource Center, the Southwest Women’s Law Center, the Santa Fe Mountain Center’s NM GSA Network, Somos Un Pueblo Unido, the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, PFLAG, GLSEN Albuquerque, ProgressNow New Mexico, El Centro, DINE Equality, Center for Civic Equality, Center for Civic Action, Planned Parenthood Rocky Mountains, Planned Parenthood Action Votes New Mexico, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico, and Strong Families New Mexico. ¹