Advancing equal rights

Gay people and their families deserve equal rights and an equal opportunity to participate in their communities and in the institutions that bring Americans together. Working with our partners at the local, state and national levels, the Haas, Jr. Fund seeks to ensure that gays and lesbians are able to enjoy the same freedoms as everyone else, including the freedom to marry someone they love. This focus is an integral part of the Haas, Jr. Fund’s commitment to fundamental rights and opportunities for all.

The Fund’s continued focus in this area recognizes that while the movement for gay equality has made tremendous strides, stark inequities remain. No federal law protects gay people from discrimination and it is still perfectly legal in more than 30 states to fire an individual simply because of his or her sexual orientation. Even today, gay people are more likely to be victims of bias-motivated violence than any other minority. And, anti-gay forces have succeeded in passing thirty state constitutional amendments barring same sex couples from the freedom to marry, an unprecedented use of the ballot box to deprive a minority of equal rights.

The Haas, Jr. Fund is honored to be a leader in the struggle to right these wrongs. Nearly a decade ago, we were the first foundation to embrace marriage equality as a priority and helped create Freedom to Marry and the Civil Marriage Collaborative. Today, we are also privileged to work with many other funding partners - including the State Equality Fund - to press the fight for equality. In spite of many setbacks, progress has been remarkable: now, six states are in the marriage equality column and ten more offer some form of relationship recognition. Together, these states cover more than one-third the nation’s population.

In addition to championing the struggle for marriage equality, the Haas, Jr. Fund has made significant investments in changing other policies and practices that keep gay men and lesbians from becoming full, contributing members of society, including efforts to allow gay people to openly serve in the military and to educate policymakers about the need for measures that protect gay people from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations. More recently, the Fund has become a leader in investments to make faith communities more welcoming and supportive for gays and lesbians and their families.

Over the past five years (2005-09), the Fund has made grants totaling more than $30.4 million in this program area.