This is bad. This is really bad. But, collectively, we’ll get through this because we’re ready to respond to this moment.
We’ve spent the past 20 years building a Garden State where every LGBTQ+ person can thrive. The result of this election doesn’t change that mission. Whether it’s protecting LGBTQ+ youth, ensuring access to life-saving medical care, making workplaces safer, or safeguarding our freedom to marry who we love, we will not stop until every New Jerseyan is afforded lived and legal equality — with no exceptions.
Looking for information about protections for LGBTQ+ people in New Jersey? Click here.
Gatherings for Solidarity and Action
Post-Election Community Grounding and Co-Regulating
Friday, November 15 • 12-12:30pm
Monday, November 25 • 12-12:30pm
Virtual
To be at our best to address the challenges of this time, we need each other and we need to self- and co-regulate. When we pause to notice how we are feeling, give space for the feeling to move through, and use tools to help regulate our nervous systems, we can respond with intention rather than reacting automatically. These virtual programs are presented by our Communities Healing Together Team.
Post-Election Check-In for Women: Building Healing-Centered, Anti-Racist Solidarity
Saturday, November 16 • 9-10:30am
Virtual
We’re creating a space for all women and those of similar genders to gather and process the outcome of the election. We’ll hold space to discuss what we’re feeling, ways to support each other moving forward, and how we will show up for Black and Brown women.
In Living Queer: Celebration of Life — presented by the Queer BIPOC Network
Saturday, November 16 • 6-9pm
EqualSpace, 89 Market St, Floor 4, Newark, NJ 07102
No matter what, it is paramount that we find inklings of joy wherever we can. That is why, even in this moment of uncertainty, our Queer BIPOC Network is hosting a celebration of Black and Brown queer joy. Click here to email the network and RSVP.
Transgender Awareness Week 2024
November 13-23
Next week, we’ll be kicking off our slate of programs for Trans Awareness Week, including mental health webinars, name change information sessions, an art night for Trans Day of Remembrance, and a daylong community wellness event. Now more than ever, it’s critical for us to show up for our trans communities.
MASCARA XVI: Lessons in Light
Saturday, November 23 • 12-5pm
350 Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Newark, NJ 07102
A day of community wellness, shared grieving, healing, resilience, and education for transgender, nonbinary, and gender diverse people and our allies.
LGBTQ+ Summit During the League of Municipalities
Tuesday, November 19 • 10am-2pm
Ocean Casino Resort, 500 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ 08401
Alongside the New Jersey Pride Chamber of Commerce, we are bringing together our state’s leaders in LGBTQ+ advocacy, business, sports, and education for a day of learning, networking, and more. Our Advocacy & Organizing team will be presenting on the current landscape of bias incidents in New Jersey and how we can simultaneously help our communities without police intervention while ensuring we can access law enforcement resources should we want them.
In the coming days and weeks, we’ll be sharing more opportunities to get involved. To know when and how we are mobilizing, make sure you are signed up for text messages and follow us on social media.
Our Work as Acts of Resistance
Advocacy & Organizing
From marriage equality and the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights to the Babs Siperstein Law, HIV decriminalization, and the Bill of Rights for LGBTQI Older Adults and those living with HIV, our organization’s legacy is one of leading the way in the fight for lived and legal equality. We continue that legacy in the work we do every day, like working with legislators and intersection coalitions on protections for bodily autonomy, or mobilizing members in every part of the state to show up when school boards try to make their districts less safe for transgender and nonbinary youth. While national homophobia and transphobia may be at a fever pitch, we have and continue to fight so New Jerseyans are shielded from the harm.
LGBTQ+ Youth
Ninety percent of LGBTQ+ young people said their well-being was negatively impacted due to recent politics, according to the Trevor Project. The evolution of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric into laws and policies that outright seek to extinguish the existence of queer and trans youth is having a tangible and horrifying impact. At Garden State Equality, we are doing the opposite: we are empowering LGBTQ+ young people across the state through innovative programming, working with schools to offer diversity, equity, and inclusion workshops to staff and students, and fighting tirelessly to defend the rights we helped win.
One of our programs is Changemakers: A Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Youth Leadership Initiative. Launched in 2023, this 100% free summer camp open to all New Jersey high school students — no matter how they identify — brings together tomorrow’s advocates for a week of learning, community-building, and action-planning. The program has resulted in a regional GSA Summit, a statewide LGBTQ+ prom, and other student-led initiatives.
Another program launched last year is our Youth Advisory Board. Comprised of queer and trans youth from all across the state, YAB is one way we are directly empowering young people to share how they need us to show up for them. The program also serves as a statewide support and resource-sharing network.
Trauma-Informed Initiatives
At Garden State Equality, we know firsthand the detrimental effects of trauma on both individuals and communities. That is why we established our Communities Healing Together program in 2020. Currently serving Newark, Asbury Park, and Camden, our CHT teams work together to build a common language and understanding about how positive and adverse childhood experiences affect individual and collective well-being. They connect and bring community organizations to one another for shared learning, resources, experiences and knowledge by identifying, training and elevating emerging community leaders, including youth, to coordinate and lead collaborative efforts.
Resources to Sustain Our Community
Affirming Healthcare Map
We all knew one of the biggest things at stake this election was access to medically necessary healthcare for transgender, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming people. People who live in or travel to New Jersey for transgender healthcare are protected by an executive order enacted by Governor Murphy. However, LGBTQ+ people deserve so much more than simply access to healthcare. We deserve providers who understand the unique medical challenges we face. For that reason, we began our Affirming Healthcare Map in 2020, a database of providers all over the state we know are safe and affirming. Providers are added based on certain criteria, including patient recommendations, self-nomination, and having been trained by us.
Name and Gender Marker Update Assistance
With uncertainty abound, now may be a good time to update your documents. We recently released a step-by-step guide on how to legally change your name and gender marker in New Jersey for both adults and minors. We also offer assistance with the process, should you need it. Changing your name and gender marker can be overwhelming, but remember: you are not alone, you can do this.
Anti-Discrimination & Mental Health
We work tirelessly to ensure LGBTQ+ New Jerseyans experience legal equality. Learn about our state’s robust protections for queer and trans people here.
This election cycle has galvanized individuals into thinking it is acceptable to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people and communities — even in a place like New Jersey. Should you experience such an incident, you can report instances of discrimination to us on our website.
Additionally, we have a continuously updated library of resources also available on our website. There you will find LGBTQ+ resources in every county, information for parents and families of queer and trans youth, an FAQ on trans students’ rights in New Jersey, and more.
We also want to share this guide from the Trevor Project on coping with intense emotions around the election, a care package from the Transgender Law Center, and the following crisis resources:
This is a difficult moment for everyone who cherishes the freedom to be authentically yourself, for every LGBTQ+ community, and for everyone who cares about us. But, our community is powerful. We’ve weathered tough times before, and we are united in our vision for a better future. We are a movement, and we are so much more than this moment.
No matter what, Garden State Equality will continue to do what we’ve done for the past two decades: fight every day for lived and legal equality. We’re here, we’re queer, and we’re not going anywhere.
Click here to read our statement responding to the results of the 2024 Presidential Election.