Equality California Institute

TO CREATE A WORLD THAT IS HEALTHY, JUST AND FULLY EQUAL FOR ALL LGBTQ+ PEOPLE.

EQUALITY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE'S NEVADA-BASED DBA SILVER STATE EQUALITY INSTITUTE CONDUCTED COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND INCREASED CIVIC ENGAGEMENT ON CRITICAL ISSUES IMPACTING THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY. THIS INCLUDED CRITICAL ONGOING RESPONSE EFFORTS TO COVID-19, RAPID RESPONSE TO ADDRESS THE SPREAD OF MPOX, AND ONGOING WORK TO REDUCE THE STIGMA AROUND HIV. SILVER STATE EQUALITY INSTITUTE ALSO CONDUCTED PUBLIC EDUCATION ON NEVADA'S PRIMARY AND GENERAL 2022 ELECTIONS. ADDITIONALLY, SILVER STATE EQUALITY'S NEVADA STUDENT ADVISORY COUNCIL CONVENED STUDENTS FROM ACROSS THE STATE TO DISCUSS NEEDED PROTECTIONS AND BEST PRACTICES FOR SUPPORTING LGBTQ+ STUDENTS AND THEIR ALLIES. MOREOVER, SILVER STATE EQUALITY INSTITUTE BEGAN WORK ON ITS LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES FOR 2023 BY MANAGING THE NEVADA EQUALITY COALITION THAT SUPPORTS PRO-EQUALITY BILLS MOVING THROUGH THE LEGISLATURE THROUGH PUBLIC EDUCATION AND ADVOCACY. SILVER STATE EQUALITY INSTITUTE ALSO CONTINUED TO RUN AN LGBTQ+ YOUTH IN OUT OF HOME PLACEMENTS WORKGROUP CONSISTING OF ORGANIZATIONS PRIMARILY LOCATED IN NEVADA (WITH A FEW NATIONAL PARTNERS) TO CONTINUE TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE, JUVENILE JUSTICE SETTINGS, AND YOUTH EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.

EQUALITY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE IMPLEMENTS PROGRAMS AIMED AT EMPOWERING THE NEXT GENERATION OF LGBTQ+ LEADERS. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CALIFORNIA LGBTQ LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS FOUNDATION, EQUALITY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE CONVENED MORE THAN 100 OPENLY LGBTQ+ ELECTED AND APPOINTED OFFICIALS FROM ACROSS THE STATE FOR THE 2022 CALIFORNIA LGBTQ+ LEADERSHIP SUMMIT IN SACRAMENTO. WITH SUPPORT FROM THE COMCAST FOUNDATION, CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OFFERED AN ONLINE, PAID SUMMER FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM THROUGH LEGISLATIVE OFFICES IN SACRAMENTO TO GIVE COLLEGE STUDENTS FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH LEGISLATORS ON STATE POLICY. WITH THE SUPPORT OF EDISON INTERNATIONAL AND PG&E, EQUALITY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE CONDUCTED THE 2022 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LGBTQ+ LEADERSHIP ACADEMY IN LONG BEACH AND THE 2022 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA LGBTQ+ LEADERSHIP ACADEMY ONLINE. THE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY RECRUITS LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY LEADERS AND ADVOCATES THROUGHOUT THE STATE AND PREPARES THEM TO RUN FOR OFFICE OR SEEK APPOINTMENTS TO STATE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS. OUR LGBTQ+ APPOINTMENTS PROCESS RECOMMENDS AND ADVOCATES FOR HIGHLY QUALIFIED, DIVERSE LGBTQ+ LEADERS, INCLUDING ALUMNI OF OUR LGBTQ+ LEADERSHIP ACADEMY, FOR APPOINTMENT TO EXECUTIVE BRANCH POSITIONS, JUDICIAL OFFICES, AND STATE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.

EQUALITY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE WORKS TO REDUCE DISPARITIES IN HEALTH AND WELL-BEING FOR LGBTQ+ PEOPLE BY ADDRESSING THE SYSTEMIC REALITIES AND SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH THAT NEGATIVELY IMPACT HEALTH OUTCOMES FOR LGBTQ+ PEOPLE. WITH THE CONTINUED SUPPORT OF GILEAD SCIENCES, SEMPRA, THE E. RHODES AND LEONA B. CARPENTER FOUNDATION, AND THE CALIFORNIA DIALOGUE ON CANCER, EQUALITY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE CONTINUED TO EXPAND ITS LGBTQ+ DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION TRAINING. THE TRAINING PROMOTES LGBTQ+ INCLUSION AND OFFERS HEALTHCARE AND HOMELESS SERVICE PROVIDERS A RANGE OF TOOLS TO IDENTIFY BETTER AND SERVE THE NEEDS OF LGBTQ+ CLIENTS. EQUALITY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE CONTINUES TO MANAGE ITS OUT AGAINST BIG TOBACCO - LOS ANGELES AND OUT AGAINST BIG TOBACCO - CENTRAL VALLEY COALITIONS. BOTH PROGRAMS RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT TOBACCO USE DISPARITIES AMONG LGBTQ+ PEOPLE AND EDUCATE LAWMAKERS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMON-SENSE TOBACCO CONTROL POLICIES. EQUALITY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE IS ALSO COMMITTED TO ENDING THE STIGMA AGAINST PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV BY EDUCATING LEGISLATORS AND MOBILIZING THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY AND THOSE WHO ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED BY HIV. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ELIZABETH TAYLOR AIDS FOUNDATION, THE HIV IS NOT A CRIME CAMPAIGN AND EQUALITY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE SUPPORT STATE-BASED HIV AND LGBTQ+ ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN THEIR WORK TO EDUCATE POLICYMAKERS AND INCREASE PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR MODERNIZING OUTDATED, INEFFECTIVE, AND DISCRIMINATORY LAWS THAT CRIMINALIZE PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV. THIS YEAR, EQUALITY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE ALSO HOSTED ITS SECOND ANNUAL NOSOTROS VIHVIENDO COHORT, A PROGRAM DESIGNED TO SUPPORT AND DEVELOP GRASSROOTS LEADERS WORKING TO REDUCE HIV STIGMA AND INCREASE ACCESS TO CARE FOR LATINX MEN. EQUALITY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE ALSO CONDUCTED EXTENSIVE PUBLIC EDUCATION AND OUTREACH AROUND COVID-19 AND MPOX, TO ENSURE ACCESS TO ACCURATE INFORMATION AND CRUCIAL RESOURCES, SUCH AS VACCINATIONS AND TESTING, IN LGBTQ+ COMMUNITIES. ADDITIONALLY, WITH NEW FUNDING FROM THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, EQUALITY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE LAUNCHED ITS NEW "STOP THE HATE" PROGRAM, WHICH CONVENES LGBTQ+ ORGANIZATIONS TO BUILD POWER AND AMPLIFY LGBTQ+ VOICES IN THE FIGHT AGAINST HATE CRIMES AND INCIDENTS.

EQUALITY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE SIGNIFICANTLY EXPANDED ITS EFFORTS TO ENSURE SAFE AND SUPPORTIVE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTS FOR LGBTQ+ STUDENTS ACROSS THE STATE THROUGH ITS SECOND COHORT OF THE EQUALITY CALIFORNIA MENTORSHIP CORPS. THE MENTORSHIP CORPS PROVIDES LGBTQ+ AFFIRMING MENTORSHIP TO STUDENTS IN FRESNO, PALM SPRINGS, AND OCEANSIDE. THROUGH A COMBINATION OF SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING, MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING, AND OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE THE BROADER LOCAL COMMUNITY OF LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS, THE MENTORSHIP CORPS SEEKS TO IMPROVE THE WELL-BEING OF LGBTQ+ AND OTHER STUDENTS OVER AN ACADEMIC YEAR AND CREATE A SAFE AND SUPPORTIVE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT. EQUALITY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE ALSO PUBLISHED ITS SECOND BI-ANNUAL SAFE AND SUPPORTIVE SCHOOLS REPORT CARD AND CONDUCTED OUTREACH AND ADVOCACY IN CALIFORNIA'S PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO PROVIDE RESOURCES AND ASSISTANCE FOR DISTRICTS SEEKING TO IMPLEMENT BEST PRACTICES AND FURTHER THEIR ADHERENCE TO CALIFORNIA'S EDUCATION CODE IN SUPPORT OF A SAFE SCHOOL CLIMATE. THE REPORT CARD SHINES A LIGHT ON SUCCESSES AND CHALLENGES THAT CALIFORNIA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICTS EXPERIENCE WHEN IMPLEMENTING LGBTQ-INCLUSIVE PROGRAMS AND POLICIES AND SERVES AS A RESOURCE AND ADVOCACY TOOL FOR STUDENTS, PARENTS, TEACHERS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS.IN 2022, EQUALITY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE ALSO STARTED WORK - IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, LA COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION AND AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE OF LOCAL LGBTQ+ CENTERS, LGBTQ+ AND ALLIED NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, AND EDUCATION EXPERTS - ON AN ONLINE LGBTQ+ TRAINING FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS AND OTHER CERTIFICATED STAFF. THIS TRAINING WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR CALIFORNIA'S EDUCATORS TO TAKE STARTING IN 2025.