About NEAT
Our Mission
The National Equality Action Team (NEAT) builds collaborative actions and partnerships so anyone, anywhere, can fight for LGBTQ+ Justice everywhere. We believe in education and advocacy that is grassroots, intersectional, locally driven, and accessible.
We're Doing Something Different
NEAT is built on the 20 years of experience of Marriage Equality New York and Marriage Equality USA in grassroots, collective action and education that empowered lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people and their allies to win marriage equality in the United States. This is the website for NEAT and the NEAT Education Fund (NEATEF). Learn more about the two components of NEAT and our History, Our Successes and Our Work / Programs.
Today, we partner with local and issue-expert organizations to act beyond matters that only affect LGBTQ+ people (like conversion therapy), to include issues that also affect them (like reproductive rights) -- often disproportionately. We create and support opportunities for collective action on these issues so that people and organizations anywhere, can support LGBTQ+ Justice work everywhere; making their impact larger and more effective. NEAT's design eliminates the traditional resource or geographic limitations of this work -- whether making calls from home, knocking on doors, sharing experiences, or receiving education and training. And with your help, we're just getting started.
Today, we partner with local and issue-expert organizations to act beyond matters that only affect LGBTQ+ people (like conversion therapy), to include issues that also affect them (like reproductive rights) -- often disproportionately. We create and support opportunities for collective action on these issues so that people and organizations anywhere, can support LGBTQ+ Justice work everywhere; making their impact larger and more effective. NEAT's design eliminates the traditional resource or geographic limitations of this work -- whether making calls from home, knocking on doors, sharing experiences, or receiving education and training. And with your help, we're just getting started.
Our Values
Our Unique Role
LGBTQ+ people and their allies have always known injustice, but not simply because of the sexual orientation or gender. They are also women, people of color, workers, immigrants, people living with HIV/AIDS, religious minorities, and more. LGBTQ+ people and their allies stand at a unique intersection of multiple identities giving them a unique perspective, and with it, a unique responsibility to act for Justice.
Big “J” Justice
This unique role means an attack on any of these identities is an attack on all LGBTQ+ people. Therefore NEAT has a responsibility to fight not only for issues that only affect LGBTQ+ people, but for issues that also affect them - often disproportionately. We call this expansive view of our work and responsibility Big “J” Justice.
Community Driven. Grassroots Powered
We always partner with local or issue-expert organizations to create and run our actions - always. These actions are powered by the grassroots, volunteer communities nationwide; both those affiliated with NEAT as well as those provided to us by our partners. Together we activate existing but under-utilized grassroots volunteers to make a larger and more effective impact for Justice.
Collaborative, Turn-Key Actions
We call our programs "collaboratives." We collaborate with local and issue-expert organizations to create and execute turn-key actions that make participation easy for any organization or individual. We do the heavy lifting to empower greater participation, leading to a larger and more effective impact.
Widely Accessible. Duplicate Nowhere
We build all our program around remote actions so any volunteer, especially those in hard to reach suburban areas, can participate and feel part of a community. Remote actions also allow us to leverage the overwhelming number of volunteers in urban centers to support campaigns in communities where resources are often scarce and most needed. Instead of duplicating the tools and efforts of others, we build strong partnerships with them and leverage those strengths. This allows us to stay laser-focused on meeting the actual gaps in our movement.
Our Halo Effect
We strive to leave every volunteer and partner better equipped than we find them, which means your donations and support go farther. For example, by training and regularly engaging our partners volunteer teams to phone bank, that partner now has a cadre of trained workers on standby for use on their own progressive campaigns whether NEAT is involved or not. And those trained volunteers can put their skills to work on any progressive cause they choose.
LGBTQ+ people and their allies have always known injustice, but not simply because of the sexual orientation or gender. They are also women, people of color, workers, immigrants, people living with HIV/AIDS, religious minorities, and more. LGBTQ+ people and their allies stand at a unique intersection of multiple identities giving them a unique perspective, and with it, a unique responsibility to act for Justice.
Big “J” Justice
This unique role means an attack on any of these identities is an attack on all LGBTQ+ people. Therefore NEAT has a responsibility to fight not only for issues that only affect LGBTQ+ people, but for issues that also affect them - often disproportionately. We call this expansive view of our work and responsibility Big “J” Justice.
Community Driven. Grassroots Powered
We always partner with local or issue-expert organizations to create and run our actions - always. These actions are powered by the grassroots, volunteer communities nationwide; both those affiliated with NEAT as well as those provided to us by our partners. Together we activate existing but under-utilized grassroots volunteers to make a larger and more effective impact for Justice.
Collaborative, Turn-Key Actions
We call our programs "collaboratives." We collaborate with local and issue-expert organizations to create and execute turn-key actions that make participation easy for any organization or individual. We do the heavy lifting to empower greater participation, leading to a larger and more effective impact.
Widely Accessible. Duplicate Nowhere
We build all our program around remote actions so any volunteer, especially those in hard to reach suburban areas, can participate and feel part of a community. Remote actions also allow us to leverage the overwhelming number of volunteers in urban centers to support campaigns in communities where resources are often scarce and most needed. Instead of duplicating the tools and efforts of others, we build strong partnerships with them and leverage those strengths. This allows us to stay laser-focused on meeting the actual gaps in our movement.
Our Halo Effect
We strive to leave every volunteer and partner better equipped than we find them, which means your donations and support go farther. For example, by training and regularly engaging our partners volunteer teams to phone bank, that partner now has a cadre of trained workers on standby for use on their own progressive campaigns whether NEAT is involved or not. And those trained volunteers can put their skills to work on any progressive cause they choose.
LGBTQ+ Justice / Our Issues
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Voting Rights
Gerrymandering |
Comprehensive Reform
DACA / Dreamers Refugee & Asylum |
Drug Policy
Sentencing Policing |
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Living Wage
Paid Leave Wage Inequality |
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Educational Equity
Family & Child Welfare Conversion Therapy Hate Crimes Marriage Equality Nondiscrimination Religious Exemptions Transgender Rights |
HIV / AIDS
Medicaid Expansion Universal Healthcare Gun Reform |
