The Equality Arizona Policy Platform

Equality Arizona believes in supporting a broad field of candidates who will work to advance the rights of Arizona’s LGBTQ+ communities. To this end, we prepared the following platform outlining the major issue areas and policy priorities essential to achieving our full social and legal equality, and invited any candidate running for office in Arizona in 2022 to sign on.

On This Page

1. The Equality Arizona Policy Platform
2. Sign on to our Policy Platform
3. Candidates Who Support the Platform
4. Further Policy Priorities

The Platform

Economic Opportunity

• Non-discrimination in credit
• Non-discrimination in employment

Education

• Non-discrimination in education
• LGBTQ-inclusive, age-appropriate sex education
• Repeal SB 1165, which discriminates against trans girls in school athletics

Healthcare

• Non-discrimination in healthcare
• Ban conversion therapy for minors
• Lift the exclusion on gender-affirming surgery in AHCCCS
• Prohibit trans exclusions in health insurance
• Repeal SB 1138, which interferes with standards of care for trans youth

Housing

• Non-discrimination in housing
• Increase funding for youth homelessness services

The Legal System

• Non-discrimination in jury service
• Ban the “gay panic” defense
• Simplify the gender-marker and name change process in Arizona by reducing court filing fees and eliminating surgical requirements

2022 Candidates Who Supported the Platform

• Arizona Governor: Katie Hobbs
• State Superintendent of Public Instruction: Kathy Hoffman
• Congressional District 5: Javier Ramos
• Congressional District 6: Kirsten Engel
• Legislative District 2: Jeanne Casteen
• Legislative District 4: Laura Terech
• Legislative District 5: Lela Alston
• Legislative District 5: Jennifer Longdon
• Legislative District 7: Kyle Nitschke
• Legislative District 8: Juan Mendez
• Legislative District 8: Athena Salman
• Legislative District 8: Melody Hernandez
• Legislative District 9: Lorena Austin
• Legislative District 11: Catherine Miranda
• Legislative District 11: Oscar De Los Santos
• Legislative District 12: Patty Contreras
• Legislative District 12: Stacey Travers
• Legislative District 13: Cindy Hans
• Legislative District 13: Jennifer Pawlik
• Legislative District 14: Brandy Reese
• Legislative District 17: Brian Radford
• Legislative District 18: Nancy Gutierrez
• Legislative District 19: Sanda Clark
• Legislative District 20: Andrés Cano
• Legislative District 21: Rosanna Gabaldón
• Legislative District 22: Leezah Sun
• Legislative District 23: Jesus Lugo Jr.
• Legislative District 24: Anna Hernandez
• Legislative District 24: Analise Ortiz
• Legislative District 26: Cesar Aguilar
• Legislative District 26: Flavio Bravo
• Legislative District 29: Scott Podeyn
• Mesa City Council District 4: Jenn Duff
• Phoenix City Council District 6: Mark Moeremans
• Osborn School District Board: Violeta Ramos
• Osborn School District Board: Leanne Greenberg
• Phoenix Union High School District Board: Charles Lucking

Add your name by signing on in support of LGBTQ+ rights above!

Further Policy Priorities

Candidates who sign on to the Equality Arizona Policy Platform above do not necessarily endorse the following policies, but we invite you to consider the following policies of significance to Arizona’s LGBTQ+ communities, particularly to those who are most marginalized, who may rely on income from sex work, or who are unhoused.

1. Decriminalization of sex work
2. Decriminalization of homelessness
3. Opposition to the EARN IT act, and the repeal of SESTA/FOSTA
4. Data privacy laws to allow people to opt-out of disclosing gender and sexuality
5. Removal of the gender requirement from the Real ID act, and the removal of gender markers from state-issued identity documents