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Wyoming Equality Elects New Chairman

Wyoming Equality

Wyoming’s largest LGBT organization, Wyoming Equality, has elected John King as their new Board Chairman. King has been asked to revitalize the organization, since it is currently facing fundraising and membership challenges.

Same-sex marriage became legal in Wyoming in October 2014 and King said since then, support for the organization has declined. King said he believes that is because of the misconception that marriage equality means complete equal rights for the LGBT community in Wyoming.

However, Laramie is the only town with a non-discrimination ordinance, while the rest of the state lacks non-discrimination policies for employment, housing, and public accommodations. For that reason, the organization is planning to use the available funding to concentrate on non-discrimination policies.

“My main goal is just to keep the ship steered in the same direction,” said King. “And make sure that our organization becomes as efficient as possible to make sure that anybody that donates gets the most benefit for their dollar.”

Wyoming lawmakers have refused to pass anti-discrimination legislation in recent years, so King said there is plenty of work to do. 

Maggie Mullen is Wyoming Public Radio's regional reporter with the Mountain West News Bureau. Her work has aired on NPR, Marketplace, Science Friday, and Here and Now. She was awarded a 2019 regional Edward R. Murrow Award for her story on the Black 14.

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