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Welcome to Equality Arizona's Action Center! Equality Arizona is fighting for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights at both the Arizona Legislature and in the voting booth. We are a non-partisan political advocacy organization that supports LGBT equality by influencing public policy through lobbying, coalition-building, educating voters, and supporting LGBT and LGBT-friendly candidates. 2008 Legislative Session We have introduced a record 8 pieces of legislation in the 2008 session of the Arizona Legislature. In addition, we are actively working to defeat a referendum (HCR 2065 and SCR 1038) that would place another anti-equality marriage amendment on the ballot. Scroll down to TAKE ACTION on our current advocacy campaigns! The bills we have introduced are: SB 1371 and HB 2743 (Domestic Partner Registry and Rights), which would allow same- and opposite-sex couples to register as domestic partners and receive all the same state rights and responsibilities afforded to married couples. SB 1416 and HB 2712 (Civil Rights Protections), which would add protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression to state civil rights laws pertaining to housing, employment, and public accommodations. SB 1342 and HB 2708 (HIV/AIDS Prevention Education), which would repeal an existing state statute that prohibits schools and educators from providing medically-accurate HIV/AIDS prevention education to gay and lesbian students. SB 1483 and HB 2752 (Amancio Corrales Act), which is named after a gay man and gender performer who was murdered in Yuma in 2005 in an apparent bias-motivated attack based on his gender expression. This bill would add gender identity or expression to the existing hate crimes statute to allow law enforcement officials to prosecute anti-transgender and anti-gender variant crimes as hate crimes. SM 1004 and HM 2001, which would urge Congress and the President to enact the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, federal legislation that would end the discriminatory “don’t ask don’t tell” policy that prohibits gays and lesbians from openly serving in the military and Arizona national guard. SM 1002 and HM 2002, which would urge Congress and the President to enact the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, federal legislation that would add gender, gender identity, sexual orientation and disability to existing federal hate crimes statute, granting local law enforcement agencies additional resources to combat bias-motivated crimes. SM 1003 and HM 2004, which would urge Congress and the President to enact the Uniting American Families Act, federal legislation that would strengthen American families by allowing U.S. citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their same-sex non-citizen permanent partners in the same manner that heterosexual couples can. Current Advocacy Campaigns from Equality Arizona Advocacy Center
Previous Advocacy Campaigns from Equality Arizona Advocacy Center
Recent Messages from Equality Arizona Advocacy Center
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