MassEquality.org

Equality In The News

Jul 3, 2008

LGBT Community Wins Big in FY2009 Budget

Marc Solomon, Campaign Director

On the eve of the Independence Day holiday, we have some great news to share.

The Massachusetts Legislature just completed its budget, and we're so pleased to report that it includes all of the funding increases we had fought for and won in the House and Senate:

* We've increased funding to support LGBT Youth by $300,000 this year, more than doubling it from last year. This will fund programs to support LGBT youth in our schools and communities.

* For LGBT Seniors, we won an extra $20,000 - an increase of 33% over last year's funding - to support the work of the LGBT Aging Project.

*We won an increase of $100,000 in funds to support LGBT victims of domestic violence.

*And the budget includes an additional $500,000 to reduce disparities in HIV/AIDS funding.

All told, this year there is almost a million dollars more than what was proposed in state funding going to programs to support those in our community who need help the most.

And we couldn't have done it without you.

They told us it would be impossible to win increases in this year of the tightest budget in a decade...but then you went to work, doing what you know best.

Over the past few months, thousands of you have let your legislators know - through email, on the phone, in letters and in face-to-face meetings - how important these programs are to you and your families and loved ones.

That, combined with the well over 100 meetings our lobbying team (led by our fantastic political director Matt McTighe) had with legislators at the State House, made all the difference.

It is too infrequent that, after the fact, those responsible for our gains get thanked. I encourage you to reach out to the budget writers at the State House -- House Ways & Means Chair Robert DeLeo and Senate Ways & Means Chair Steve Panagiotakos, without whose support these increases would not have happened. You can email them your thanks at Robert.DeLeo@state.ma.us and Steven.Panagiotakos@state.ma.us, respectively.

Thanks to them, and thanks to you, for all you do. Together, we are making a reality of liberty and justice...for all.