Affecting Policy Starts with You!
Know Who Represents You
Find Your Legislator is an easy tool that tells you which Connecticut lawmakers are assigned to represent you based on your address. Find out your State Representative, State Senator, US Senators, and US Congressperson including which bills they are currently working on and how to contact their offices.
Get Out and Vote
Check to See if You're Registered so you're not surprised come voting season. You may be marked as "inactive" if you have not voted in the last two federal elections, meaning you may have to take some extra steps to update your registration before voting. Remember that Connecticut has closed primaries, so if you intend to vote in a primary election, you need to be registered with the political party associated with that primary.
Register to Vote if you are not registered and have never voted before in a US election.
Learn what's on your ballot. Often, key issues that directly affect your local and state laws are voted on during regular elections. Take time to get informed on these initiatives and how they impact your community.
Know your Rights as a Trans Voter. This resource shares important information on state processes and rights that impact folks who may be in various stages of name and gender document changes.
Stay Informed on State Issues
Just Cause Bill SB 143 is a CT bill to end no-fault evictions. LGBTQ+ folks are greatly impacted by housing discrimination and inequity, and helping eliminate no-fault evictions could help protect our community from unjust and long lasting legal and housing insecurity. This bill died in the senate, not because of a vote, but because it was never brought up. Advocates, including community members, can pressure lawmakers to bring this back in the next legislative session. Updated May 2024.
Stay Informed on Federal Issues
Equality Act (H.R. 5/S. 393) is a federal act that serves to fill gaps left by the Supreme Court that protects LGBTQ+ people from discrimination. Advocates can write their US Senator urging them to support passing this act, which impacts our community among other marginalized communities. Updated May 2024.
Follow These Organizations
Equality Connecticut
Queer Power. Queer Joy. Queer Futures.
Rooted in the struggle for equality, justice, and liberation, we recognize that LGBTQIA+ folks experience many forms of oppression. In solidarity, we, therefore, work across all platforms of social justice movements. We see anti-racism, gender equity, economic justice, reproductive freedom, health, housing, food security, and education access as queer issues. We will work in solidarity to achieve political and social change whenever possible.
- Advocacy and mobilization for laws, policies, and public funding sources that protect the rights and health of LGBTQIA communities.
- Leadership development that encourages LGBTQIA people to seek public office and creates a pipeline for emerging LGBTQIA leaders.
- Public education about the rights and needs of LGBTQIA people in CT.
- Programmatic activities that bring people together and celebrate LGBTQIA communities and culture in CT.
- Resource tracking and research to achieve demonstrable growth in philanthropic support for CT’s LGBTQIA Community.
- Coalition work that supports the collection of organizations currently serving CT’s LGBTQIA+ communities and expands the available resources for statewide programming.
Actionlink
Support - Strengthen - Connect
Effective advocacy enables individuals and organizations to shape public debate on important issues. It also ensures that we have a voice in the policies that impact our daily lives. In 2017, LGBTQ community centers and other nonprofits across the nation came together with CenterLink to form ActionLink.
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Connecticut
Fighting for LGBTQ+ Rights in Court and Legislation
Although the ACLU is most often associated with litigation, we also work outside the courtroom to ensure that decision-makers always keep the Constitution in mind when drafting laws. The ACLU of Connecticut is a trusted voice, and policymakers in Connecticut know that we are committed to principles, not agendas. By lifting up the voices of everyday Connecticut residents and engaging in strategic advocacy efforts at the local, state, and national levels, we provide the tools our supporters need to call on lawmakers to protect the civil liberties of all Americans.
The rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people have been a touchstone of the ACLU of Connecticut's legal and legislative work. In 2008, we joined the Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders to win the fight to legalize same-sex marriage in our state. In 2011, we helped win passage of a gender identity law that makes it illegal to discriminate against transgender people in employment, housing, public education, accommodations and commercial transactions. In 2016, we successfully pushed for a law to prevent discrimination in our state military departments, such as the National Guard, against people on the basis of gender identity, sexual orientation, or gender. And in 2017, we helped to pass a law to protect LGBTQ youth from harmful conversion "therapy."