Equality Connecticut’s news and events blog. Read up on current issues facing the LGBTQ+ community or enjoy articles of queer joy and power.

  • Equality Connecticut Announces 2026 Legislative Priorities
    Equality Connecticut (EqCT), the statewide queer-led social justice organization, announced its legislative priorities for the 2026 short session today. The agenda was crafted with input from community members, educators, health care providers, and religious leaders from across the state.  Matt Blinstrubas, EqCT’s executive director, said, “After a full year of repeated and vicious federal attacks on our community, we are laser-focused on what the state can do to strengthen protections and services for Connecticut’s LGBTQ+ people. Our state can and should be a leader in rebuffing the administration’s ambition to erase the gains we’ve made and the rights we have.”  …
  • Equality Connecticut Statement on EEOC Vote to Withdraw Guidance on Workplace Protections
    This past Thursday, the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission voted to withdraw guidance on expanded protections for LGBTQ+ and other vulnerable workers. We condemn but are not surprised by this move, which is consistent with the administration’s malice toward LGBTQ+ people, women, and Black and brown people. It is a radical departure from the EEOC’s core mission of ensuring fair American workplaces for all. At the same time, it’s critical for LGBTQ+ people to know that the EEOC cannot rewrite federal civil rights law and that Connecticut has strong state-level protections, fought for by our community, that are also still…
  • Statement on Proposed CMS Rules
    Yesterday, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that it will pursue policies to cut off funding and access to medically necessary care for transgender youth. The proposed regulations would prevent states from using federal Medicaid funds to pay for gender-affirming care for people under 18 and would also ban the use of federal Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) funds for this care for individuals under 19. Although the restriction applies only to federal dollars, states would still have the option to cover these services using state funds that are separate from federally matched Medicaid or CHIP programs. The…
  • Statement on directed investigation into Cromwell Public Schools
    The Out Accountability Project and Equality Connecticut are deeply concerned about the recent directed investigation initiated by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights targeting Cromwell Public Schools’ inclusion of LGBTQ+ students. This investigation, which questions the district’s efforts to create an inclusive learning environment, comes at a time when LGBTQ+—and especially transgender—students are already facing unprecedented levels of hostility nationwide. The importance of this moment cannot be overstated. Across the country, a wave of politically motivated misinformation is fueling efforts to roll back basic rights and dignity for LGBTQ+ youth. In this climate, school districts have a…
  • Equality Connecticut 2025 Legislative Session Policy Priorities 
    The Network is studying initiatives including increasing grantmaking capacity; conducting a needs assessment; adding a public schools grant program to fund professional development related to guidance from the State Department of Education and U.S. Department of Education; expanding access to gender-affirming care; adding staff capacity to support new programs; and creating an LGBTQIA+ policy analyst position. Equality Connecticut endorses and supports the strategic priorities contained within the Network plan and budget. An Act Concerning The Standards of Care for Members of the LGBTQIA+ Community in Long-term Care Facilities (HB6913) codifies the provisions of federal and state nondiscrimination laws and regulations,…