Garden State Equality lifts up the diverse voices of LGBTQ+ communities through education and advocacy to advance the movement for equality in New Jersey and nationally. We work tirelessly to ensure the communities we serve experience lived equality.
Garden State Equality is the largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organization in New Jersey, with over 150,000 members. Established in 2004, we are now one of the most successful statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organizations in the nation.
Our services include advocacy, policy work, and trainings. We work to address safe environments for youth, improvement of health services that meet LGBTQ+ community needs, and respectful treatment of seniors. Beyond that, Garden State Equality supports New Jersey’s activist community by bringing an LGBTQ+ lens to the shared struggle for justice.
All our current work is informed by racial, economic, and disability justice concerns. We envision a vibrant and diverse Garden State with full equality in the law and LGBTQ+ residents of all backgrounds experiencing equality in their lives.
Garden State Equality is a member of the Equality Federation.
Our History
For nearly two decades, Garden State Equality has led the fight for equality in New Jersey, becoming one of the most successful statewide civil rights organizations for the LGBTQ+ community in the nation. In 2004, Garden State Equality was founded to bring marriage equality to New Jersey. Through an overwhelming amount of public support and tireless organizing, Garden State Equality became the state’s largest LGBTQ+ organization.
In 2013, Garden State Equality v. Dow finally brought marriage equality to New Jersey. The years between our founding and the right to marry were filled with historic legislative accomplishments, including the passage of the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act, which at the time was the most comprehensive anti-bullying policy in the nation.
In collaboration with community partners, Garden State Equality has passed over 225 pro-equality laws, from the formation of a statewide Transgender Equality Task Force to an LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum law covering all subject areas—both the first of their kind in the nation.