HRC announces an Aggressive plan to bring LGBT Equality to the South

HRC just announced a new initiative to bring LGBT equality to the South.

It's called Project One America, and it's comprehensive campaign that will start in Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas. The project has a three-year budget of $8.5 million and a dedicated staff of 20

Here's more from the HRC's site:

"Right now, this country is deeply divided into two Americas—one where LGBT equality is nearly a reality and the other where LGBT people lack the most fundamental measures of equal citizenship. Project One America is an unparalleled effort to close that gap, and it opens up a bold, new chapter in the LGBT civil rights movement of this generation. In this grand struggle for equality, we can’t write off anyone, anywhere," said HRC President and Arkansas native Chad Griffin.

Project One America is the very first campaign of its kind to work exclusively on LGBT equality in Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas—where there are no non-discrimination protections for LGBT people at the state or local level in employment, housing or public accommodations, and where each state’s constitution expressly prohibits marriage equality.

"Despite the legal landscape, it’s long past time that the country stopped treating the South like the ‘finish line’ for equality. HRC has more than 57,000 members and supporters in these states, and there are millions more fair-mined people ready to stand on the right side of history," Griffin said.

Griffin will be visiting Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas on May 5th-7th as part of a three-state tour of press and public events to kick off Project One America.

Project One America will focus on making progress on three fronts—changing hearts and minds, advancing enduring legal protections, and building more inclusive institutions for LGBT people from the church pew to the workplace.