The Equality Caucus

Welcome!

Equality Caucus was formed, and approved, in Fall 2023 following an initial gathering for conversation at Braver Angels National Convention earlier that year in Gettysburg PA. A small group of Braver Angels members from different regions of the US and from Europe drafted the statement you see here in this simple, declarative format: The Mission, Who we Are, The Challenge, The Opportunity. We welcome LGBTQ individuals, allies, family members, friends, colleagues and others who want to work with us. Thank you.

The Mission

As the Equality Caucus, we believe LGBTQ individuals are guaranteed our inalienable rights in the promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness which are among our shared American values. To support the movement-making work of Braver Angels to build bridges, we aim to engage in dialogue to undermine harmful stereotypes, focus on solutions, and respect our shared humanity.

Who We Are

We are members of the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer) communities, across generations and regions of the United States, that hold diverse views about issues affecting our communities.

The Challenge

Within our LGBTQ communities, we are witnessing polarization pitting members of the community against each other, mischaracterizing diverse views, and being both instigators and victims of cancel culture.

Within American society, some individuals in the LBGTQ communities experience harmful stereotyping, threats to their physical and psychological safety, and challenges to their rights and protections.

The Opportunity

Within our LGBTQ communities and the greater Braver Angels community, the BA Equality Caucus is a space to share concerns and hope for equality, learn to listen to each other, understand viewpoint diversity, and strive to establish common ground.

Click to Join Our Caucus

Google Form to Join Equality Caucus mailing list

Allies (friends, family members, colleagues, those concerned for themes identified in the charter, and other allies) are welcome to join. Thank you.

If you have questions please communicate directly with the Equality Caucus leadership team at email equality-caucus-info@braverangels.org

Leadership team (in alphabetical order by last name):

Dr. Melissa Bird, Oregon, Blue Co-chair

Zander Keig, MS, MSW, LCSW, Oregon, Red Co-chair

Margaret Riley, Vermont, Alternate Red Co-chair

Alysa Steenport, Wisconsin, Alternate Blue Co-chair

WE HAVE REGULAR MONTHLY MEETINGS THROUGH MOST OF THE YEAR.

Monthly online meetings, on the second Monday of each month
From 5:00-6:00 pm PT Pacific Time ( so 8:00-9:00 pm Eastern Time, etc )
Using Zoom online meeting
Coming up for August 10: Centering Bisexual Voices (see detailed information below)

In 2026 so far our lively discussions covered

Dialogue within faith communities about LGBTQ inclusion (January 2026)
Moments of joy we have experienced related to being LGBTQ (February)
The controversies between LGB and TQIA activism (March)
LGBTQIA censorship on social media (April)
What is the Role of Allies in the LGBTQ Rights Movement? (May)
What are issues of divisiveness within the LGBTQ community and what are better bridges we could pursue to energize our movement? (June)
Are trans people being used as pawns in US political discourse? (July)

In 2025 we discussed

Queer activism, in a 90 minute Braver Angels-format debate
Coming out stories (observing National Coming Out Day)
How recent changes with Medicaid may impact LGBTQ individuals, households and communities
The Skrmetti decision in the US Supreme Court
etc

What suggestions might you have for a topic for discussion? Would you able to volunteer with co-chairs to help develop the questions to consider? to suggest a special guest/expert to frame the discussion? to help publicize the topic within Braver Angels networks?

Co-chairs used survey responses from members to set day & time for the monthly meetings through early 2026. For 2026 we moved the monthly meeting second Mondays, from 2025 meeting on fourth Thursdays. We are sorry that there is no time that suits all of our 100+ members, including in Europe. Thank you for your suggestions and continuing interest. We appreciate all members but don’t currently have capacity to meet everyone’s meeting preference. Adding other opportunities for online meeting may be possible in the future remembering that Braver Angels meetings are required to have co-chairs. Thank you.

Join Zoom Meeting: To receive the Zoom invitation please join the Equality Caucus mailing list at Google form to join the Equality Caucus mailing list

Would your local Braver Angels alliance, Braver Network ( link to Braver Network ) or other organization be interested in Equality Caucus support for a program? We would be glad to hear from you. Please Contact Co-Chairs at equality-caucus-info@braverangels.or

Click to Join Our Caucus

Google Form to join Equality Caucus mailing list

Preparation for our August 2026 monthly online meeting: Centering Bisexual Voices

Monday, August 10, 5-6pm PT/8-9pm ET.

Discussion Disclaimer: Some participants may understand their sexuality through labels such as queer, pansexual, fluid, or no label at all. Those perspectives are welcome in this conversation. However, today’s discussion intentionally centers the experiences of people who are bisexual. We ask everyone to help create space for those stories before broadening the conversation to larger questions about identity or terminology, not because bisexuality is more important than other sexual orientations, but because these voices have often been less prominent in LGBTQ community conversations.

Discussion prompts for your consideration:

1. Your journey: For those who identify as bisexual today, what has your journey toward that identity been like? Did you ever identify differently? For those who identify as lesbian or gay, have you ever understood yourself differently along the way?

2. Being seen: Many bisexual people describe feeling misunderstood or “read” differently depending on their current relationship. If this resonates with your experience, what has that been like? For others, what did you learn from hearing these experiences?

3. Labels and meaning: What does the label bisexual help communicate about your experience? When have labels felt helpful, and when have they felt limiting?

4. Relationships across identities: What have your experiences been in relationships, friendships, or community with people whose sexual orientation differs from your own? What have those experiences taught you?

5. Building understanding: What’s one thing you wish people understood about your experience of sexual orientation? And what’s one thing you’re genuinely curious to understand better about someone else’s experience?

Some past projects of the Equality Caucus

Braver Lens, Photovoice with Equality Caucus, Winter-Spring 2024. As our inaugural project were were delighted to receive funds and support from Interfaith Photovoice partnering with Braver Angels. One among several teams, Equality Caucus members from across the continent met February through May to walk through part of our Mission Statement by taking photos, sharing them, and discussing them under themes. A collection of our work was curated professionally and exhibited at 2024 Braver Angels National Convention. See more here Equality Caucus Photovoice project curated through Braver Lens for 2024 National Convention

Equality Caucus worked collaboratively with Braver Angels Common Ground Workshop team to develop and offer a 4 hour workshop on ‘Better Care for Gender Questioning Youth’ in November 2024: Common Ground workshop on Better Care for Gender Questioning Youth November 2024 There was remarkable participation from a spectrum of opinion on the topic. Expert facilitators guided participation through the workshop model toward our concluding development of ‘common ground’ agreement

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

Welcome!

The Mission

Who We Are

The Challenge

The Opportunity

Click to Join Our Caucus

Click to Join Our Caucus

Braver Angels Support