Our Victories

Presidential Endorsement

Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton earned the Human Rights Campaign Fund's first presidential endorsement in 1992. After his election, HRCF's executive director took part in the first-ever meeting between LGBT leaders and a sitting president.

In 2008, HRC endorsed Barack Obama for president and worked tirelessly across the country to elect him - from raising money online to rallying volunteers in key states. One year later, President Obama was the keynote speaker at HRC's 13th Annual National Dinner. HRC again endorsed Obama for re-election, mobilizing thousands of volunteers, steering committee members, and HRC staff around the country to successfully re-elect the most supportive president in LGBT American history. 

Defeat of the Federal Marriage Amendment

Twice – in 2004 and 2006 – HRC led the successful fight against the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would have banned marriage equality. The massive field and lobbying effort in 2004, coupled with a $1 million TV, print and online advertising campaign, effectively communicated the message that the FMA was discriminatory and unnecessary, and would undermine the U.S. Constitution. HRC led the way again in 2006, in a campaign that culminated in the delivery of nearly 250,000 postcards to Capitol Hill offices just ahead of a second congressional defeat of the FMA.

Hate Crimes

After 11 years of advocacy work by HRC and countless other groups and individuals, President Barack Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law in 2009. The law gives the Justice Department the power to investigate and prosecute bias-motivated violence where the perpetrator has selected the victim because of the person's actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Repeal

After 17 years of the discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law, during which the military discharged more than 14,000 brave LGBT service members, the law has finally been repealed. HRC's nationwide strategy helped lead to the historic congressional votes that sent DADT to the dustbin of history. HRC's efforts included:

• "Voices of Honor" National Tour: 50 cites, in partnership with Servicemembers United (SU), culminating in DC with Veterans Lobby Day where hundreds of veterans lobbied Congress.
• "Voces de Honor": first Spanish-language Take Action page and event.
• Countdown 2010 Grassroots Campaign: partnership with SLDN to drive constituent visits and letters.
• 625,000 emails generated from constituents urging repeal.
• 50,000 pro-repeal handwritten cards & letters to Congress.
• 1,000 grassroots lobby visits in Congress and in-district.
• Polling in key districts to educate decision makers.
• Print and online advertisements, including full-page ads in Politico, the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Ohio), the Boston Herald (Massachusetts), the Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.), and the Indianapolis Star (Indiana)
• 20,000 veterans mobilized for public events and local media.

Marriage in the States

Momentum is building for marriage equality – and the Human Rights Campaign is at the forefront of these state battles. In 2006, when Massachusetts was the only state to recognize equal marriage rights, HRC and its allies helped beat back anti-marriage amendments in New Hampshire and Iowa – and continued on-the-ground efforts through November to help win fair-minded majorities in both states' legislatures. This helped lay the groundwork for marriage equality in these states in 2008 and 2009, respectively.

HRC led the effort to enact marriage equality in the District of Columbia. It committed two full-time staff members who, working with coalition members, identified hundreds of supporters to testify before the DC Council; co-hosted a rally on the eve of the Council's vote; and hosted three of the first weddings at HRC headquarters. Additionally, the Religion and Faith program helped organize and sustain DC Clergy United for Marriage Equality, one of the key players in the fight.

In the fight for marriage equality in New York, HRC led the largest field campaign ever in support of state LGBT rights legislation. An unprecedented 30 full-time field organizers were employed by HRC across the state and they generated over 150,000 constituent contacts to targeted legislators. To reflect the deep and diverse support for marriage equality, HRC also created "New Yorkers for Marriage Equality," a video campaign that eventually featured more than 40 iconic New Yorkers.

In partnership with the Courage Campaign, HRC launched NOM Exposed in 2010 – holding the National Organization for Marriage accountable for the misinformation and hate spread in its effort to thwart equality.

In 2012, HRC remains at the forefront of the marriage equality fight. HRC campaigned tirelessly alongside state and local partners to secure passage of marriage equality in Maine, Maryland and Washington state, to defeat a proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in Minnesota, and to help successfully defend marriage rights in New Hampshire.  With an eye toward future challenges from our opponents, HRC and its allies continue to work toward full marriage equality across the country.

HIV Travel Ban Ends

The U.S. prohibition on HIV-positive people entering the country for travel or immigration purposes was finally reversed in 2009. HRC had been a lead organization lobbying on Capitol Hill for the statutory repeal and working to ensure that Department of Health and Human Services' regulations were changed. In July 2009, when the proposed regulation lifting the ban was open for public comment, more than 19,000 HRC members and supporters submitted statements in favor of ending the discriminatory policy.

Election Heavyweights

The success of HRC's electoral efforts has earned widespread recognition. Its Political Action Committee is among the National Journal's top-rated progressive PACs, as more than 90 percent of its endorsees win their elections. This success dates back to its first major electoral effort in 1982, when HRCF donated $140,000 to 118 congressional candidates. Eighty-one percent of those candidates went on to win.

In 2008, HRC engaged in the largest electoral campaign in the history of the organization - called Year to Win, an aggressive $7 million election effort to mobilize and motivate millions of LGBT and allied voters - and helped to elect more than 200 pro-equality congressional candidates. More than a year before the election, HRC co-hosted the first-ever televised presidential forum devoted to LGBT issues. Six of the leading Democratic presidential candidates participated.

In 2012, the most recent presidential election, HRC engaged in the largest electoral campaign in the history of the organization. Along with our energized supporters, HRC raised or contributed more than $20 million to re-elect President Obama and to win marriage equality in all three states where marriage was on the ballot, to defeat a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in Minnesota, and to elect a Congress that includes both the most openly LGB individuals and also the most straight allies ever. Electoral victories included sending Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) to the U.S. Senate, making her the first openly gay Senator in U.S. history.

Standing Up Against Transgender Discrimination

HRC had a strong presence in the first-ever congressional hearing that focused exclusively on transgender Americans and workplace discrimination. Former HRC President Joe Solmonese and Business Council members Meghan Stabler and Diego Sanchez provided testimony. The hearing was an effort to educate federal lawmakers on transgender issues and lay the groundwork for congressional action to ban arbitrary discrimination.

Since 2009, HRC’s annual Corporate Equality Index has held employers accountable for how well they protect employees from discrimination based on gender identity or expression. In addition to publicly rating companies’ protection policies for transgender employees, HRC works to support employers striving to fully insure transgender employees. In an effort to specifically to address the gap between the current product offerings and accepted medical practice, in June 2011 HRC launched an “Insurance Equality Task Force,” which engages in direct advocacy with the insurance industry. 

Promoting Diversity in the Movement

HRC is only LGBT national partner organization to join the Ya Es Hora campaign, a national non-partisan citizenship and voter registration program. HRC has mobilized more than 500 volunteers for 40 citizenship workshops in 20 communities, including Las Vegas and San Diego. As a result of this partnership, many Latino leaders and organizations pledged to support LGBT issues.

Each year, HRC hosts its Women & Leadership program, which brings dozens of women from around country together to encourage and train them to serve as visionary and courageous social change leaders.

The LGBT Mentorship program is another annual effort - this one nurtures and promotes promising religious scholars and theologians interested in LGBT studies. By bringing scholarly networks and mentorship opportunities to the next generation of LGBTQ and allied scholars, this project helps a new generation of scholars of religion and theologians promote and develop how LGBT issues and religion are discussed in seminaries and schools of religion. And, by extension, they will help recast the conversation about LGBT and religion in our congregations and communities.

Hundreds of people have attended Gender Identity and Our Faith Communities education and advocacy workshops in cities from Virginia to California. The program, based on the contributions of transgender people, their families and clergy, draws on a wide array of personal experiences, religious and cultural analysis, and diverse faith journeys, to empower people of faith with the knowledge and skills necessary to transform communities and congregations into welcoming environments.

HRC's newest pastoral resource, the bilingual A La Familia: A Conversation About Our Families, the Bible, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, released in partnership with coalition groups, will generate and support conversations among Latino/a Protestant and Catholics about family, the Bible, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, and what God calls us to be to one another.

Clergy Call for Justice and Equality

Every two years, HRC's Religion and Faith Program brings more than 200 religious leaders from every U.S. state and every faith tradition to Washington, D.C., for Clergy Call for Justice and Equality. The leaders lobby their members of Congress to pass legislation to advance LGBT equality. The two-day event includes a plenary conference, an interfaith celebration, a press conference, and hundreds of clergy meetings with their members of Congress.

Advocating for All Families

President Barack Obama signed a historic memorandum in 2010 that protects the visitation and healthcare decision-making rights of LGBT people. All hospitals that participate in Medicare or Medicaid must now respect the rights of all patients to designate visitors and must respect all patients' advance directives. HRC worked with White House and Department of Health and Human Services staff in support of the memorandum. In addition, the HRC Foundation worked for years to encourage hospitals and other healthcare providers to adopt pro-LGBT policies.

The All Children-All Families initiative seeks to enhance LGBT cultural competence among child welfare professionals and educate LGBT people about opportunities to become foster or adoptive parents to waiting children. As of August 2012, 56 agencies across the country are participating in ACAF, 26 of which have achieved the Seal of Recognition that indicates they achieved each of 10 benchmarks of LGBT competence.

Corporate Equality Index

Since its inception, the Corporate Equality Index has helped lead a sea-change in workplaces across the country. When HRC first began the CEI in 2002, 89 companies voluntarily provided their employment policies for LGBT employees and they were rated on seven basic criteria. Just 13 companies received a score of 100 percent. In 2012, 636 companies actively participated and were rated on more than 40 specific policies and practices covering nearly every aspect of employment for LGBT workers – from pension benefits to gender transition guidelines to supplier diversity. Of these, 190 businesses achieved a 100 percent rating on significantly more stringent criteria.

The 2013 CEI saw the largest growth in the survey’s history -- with 54 new businesses opting in -- proving that Corporate America is committed to LGBT equality. In addition, a record number of businesses, spanning nearly every industry and major geographic area of the U.S., ranked as top scorers on this year's CEI. A record 99% of companies prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation; 89% offer domestic partner health care benefits; and 84% prohibit discrimination based on gender identity. An incredible 252 businesses received perfect 100% ratings this year, and that number is sure to increase even more in the coming cycle.

Historic Defense of Marriage Act Hearing

The issue of repealing the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act had its first hearing in Congress in 2011, nearly 15 years after its enactment. Former HRC President Joe Solmonese testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in favor of the Respect for Marriage Act, which would repeal DOMA. "In 1996, DOMA was just hypothetical discrimination because every state excluded same-sex couples from marriage," said Solmonese. "Today we see it in much more concrete terms – as tangible, heart-wrenching, real-life discrimination." It was the first time that an HRC president had testified in front of Congress since 1996.

Protecting Our Youth

Protecting students from bullying is among HRC's priorities. The HRC Foundation's Welcoming Schools program addresses family diversity, gender stereotyping, bullying and name calling in schools. It is a resource for elementary schools, educators and parents.

Over the past few years, HRC has stepped up its anti-bullying efforts. In 2010, the organization led the campaign to oust bigoted Arkansas school board member Clint McCance. In 2011, HRC launched its Call it Out campaign, which aims to "call out" homophobia and transphobia and to promote respect and civil discourse.

In 2012, HRC released a groundbreaking study of LGBT-identified young people. With more than 10,000 respondents ages 13-17, “Growing Up LGBT in America” is the largest known survey of LGBT teens and shows how critical the work of achieving equality is for future generations. It provides a stark picture of the difficulties they face. The report is the first in a series of efforts to analyze the landscape for LGBT youth.

Leading Through Innovation

HRC is a leading non-profit organization in terms of technological innovation. One part of this is the active use of social media networks as a major form of communication. HRC's Facebook page now has more than 1,150,000 fans and its Twitter base is growing with more than 180,000 followers. Cutting-edge applications - including the Coming Out Day app on Facebook and the Buying for Equality app for the iPhone - connect users with tools to become more supportive of the LGBT community. Other recent projects include the Congressional Scorecard search tool, which provides information on the voting records and legislation co-sponsorships of members of Congress; a video livestream of an adoption film and live chat with adoption professionals; a Valentine's Day photo mosaic that allows users to upload their own photos; and much more.