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Human Rights Campaign
| Human Rights Campaign | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Washington, D.C. |
| Type: | 501(c)(4) |
| Top official: | Kelley Robinson, President |
| Founder(s): | Steve Endean |
| Year founded: | 1980 |
| Website: | Official website |
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization aiming "to ensure that all LGBTQ+ people, and particularly those of us who are trans, people of color and HIV+, are treated as full and equal citizens within our movement, across our country and around the world."[1] The organization was founded in 1980. As of September 2025, the organization was associated with the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization responsible for "public education, research, and policy and practice change."[2]
Background
Activist Steve Endean founded the organization in 1980 as the Human Rights Campaign Fund. Its original focus was raising money for candidates running for the U.S. Congress that supported policies it said were favorable to LGBTQ Americans. In 1995, the organization rebranded as the Human Rights Campaign with a focus on advocacy. As of September 2025, the organization's mission was:[1]
| “ |
to make equality, equity and liberation a reality for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. As the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, we drive impact by inspiring, engaging and mobilizing millions of pro-equality voters and supporters to elect pro-equality leaders and to demand equity-based policies and legislation; changing hearts and minds through programming that increases understanding, visibility and support for the diverse LGBTQ+ community in all aspects of our identities; and transforming the institutions and systems that shape our everyday lives by advancing LGBTQ+ inclusive policies and practices in schools, workplaces, hospitals, communities and beyond.[3] |
” |
Leadership
As of September 2025, the following individuals held positions of leadership within the Human Rights Campaign:[4]
- Kelley Robinson, president
- Jay Brown, chief of staff
- Stephanie Osborn, chief operating officer
- Rebecca C. Hershey, J.D., senior vice president for DEIB & strategic initiatives
- Susanne Salkind, senior vice president for people strategy and operations
- Chris Speron, senior vice president for development and membership
- JoDee Winterhof, senior vice president for federal and state affairs
- Ellen Kahn, senior vice president for equality programs
- Jonathan Lovitz, senior vice president for campaigns & communication
- Amy Peña, senior vice president and general counsel
- Thanh Tran, senior vice president for finance
As of September 2025, the following individuals sat on the Human Rights Campaign's board of directors:[5]
- Gwen Baba
- Jordan Barth
- Sandy Bass
- Joy Bowling
- Percy Brown
- Sophia Bush
- James Costos
- Morgan Cox
- Cordy Elkins
- Melanie Falls
- Matt Garrett
- Todd Hawkins
- Matt Hendry
- Christina Hernandez
- Sherie Hughes
- Jay Kuo
- Andrew LaBadie
- Justin Mikita
- Karen Morgan
- DyShaun Muhammad
- Marcia Namowitz
- Lester Perryman
- Jodie Patterson
- Densil Porteous
- Henry Robin
- Kelley Robinson
- Elizabeth Rodriguez
- Brigid Scarbrough
- Elizabeth Schlesinger
- Sam Slate
- Brian Michael Smith
- Matt Smith
- Betty Pei Ching Sun 孫佩菁
- Lauren Verrusio
- Michael Weinholtz
- Tatiana Williams
- Hudson Young
Work and activities
Electoral activities and influence
2018 elections
In July 2017, the Human Rights Campaign announced that it intended to bring on 20 additional staffers in preparation for 2018 elections in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Nevada. The $24 million effort was called HRC Rising. According to Politico, the organization planned to deploy what it called an "Equality Voter Model," which was developed to target LGBTQ voters and those who oppose candidates who do not align with HRC's policy positions. HRC President Chad Griffin stated, "It’s not enough to resist the hateful policies and attacks coming from the Trump-Pence regime — we’ve got to accelerate the pace of progress toward full equality and secure protections for LGBTQ people in states and communities across the country."[6]
2016 elections
Candidate contributions
During the 2016 election cycle, HRC contributed $502,526 to Democrats running for federal office and $23,025 to Republicans.[7]
Endorsed candidates
President
The Human Rights Campaign endorsed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic primary in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[8]
U.S. Senate
The HRC endorsed the following U.S. Senate candidates during the 2016 election cycle.[9]
- Michael Bennet (D-Colo.)
- Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.)
- Mark Kirk (R-Ill.)
- Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.)
- Patty Murray (D-Wash.)
- Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii)
- Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)
- Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)
U.S. House
The HRC endorsed the following U.S. House candidates during the 2016 election cycle.[9]
- Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.)
- Brad Ashford (D-Neb.)
- Ami Bera (D-Calif.)
- Julia Brownley (D-Calif.)
- Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.)
- Bob Dold (R-Ill.)
- Gwen Graham (D-Fla.)
- Annie Kuster (D-N.H.)
- Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.)
- Rick Nolan (D-Minn.)
- Scott Peters (D-Calif.)
- Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.)
- Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.)
2014 elections
Candidate contributions
In 2014, the organization gave $77,050 to Democratic candidates and $1,107 to Republican candidates, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.[10]
2012 elections
Candidate contributions
During the 2012 election cycle, HRC contributed $775,540 to Democrats running for federal office and $30,500 to Republicans, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.[11]
Notable endorsements
This section displays endorsements this organization made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.
Affiliations
As of September 2025, the Human Rights Campaign was the parent organization of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, a 501(c)(3).[2]
Finances
The following is a breakdown of the Human Rights Campaign's revenues and expenses from 2005 to 2024. The information comes from ProPublica.
| Year | Revenue | Expenses |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | $23.7 million | $26.8 million |
| 2006 | $26.0 million | $25.4 million |
| 2007 | $27.9 million | $27.6 million |
| 2008 | $30.4 million | $29.2 million |
| 2009 | $32.3 million | $32.0 million |
| 2010 | $26.9 million | $25.0 million |
| 2011 | $29.2 million | $28.8 million |
| 2012 | $32.6 million | $32.0 million |
| 2013 | $36.5 million | $37.4 million |
| 2014 | $38.5 million | $35.4 million |
| 2015 | $37.4 million | $38.3 million |
| 2016 | $36.4 million | $37.3 million |
| 2017 | $41.7 million | $39.4 million |
| 2018 | $45.6 million | $43.2 million |
| 2019 | $48.9 million | $49.3 million |
| 2020 | $44.6 million | $43.6 million |
| 2021 | $46.3 million | $35.2 million |
| 2022 | $38.7 million | $40.2 million |
| 2023 | $50.0 million | $53.8 million |
| 2024 | $45.9 million | $51.9 million |
Noteworthy events
Obergefell v. Hodges
In Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), the United States Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is protected under the 14th Amendment and Due Process Clause. The case involved plaintiff Jim Obergefell, an HRC member.[12] In a 5-4 ruling, the court decided that same-sex marriage bans are unconstitutional, and same-sex marriages performed out-of-state must be recognized in other states.[13] On March 6, 2015, HRC submitted a document entitled "The People's Brief" to the Supreme Court, calling for nationwide marriage equality.[14] According to the HRC website, this document had more signatories than any other amicus brief submitted to the Supreme Court, with 207,551 signatures.[14] HRC's national effort for marriage equality began at the state level. These campaigns originated in 2006 when Massachusetts was the only state to recognize same-sex marriage. HRC specifically worked to support marriage equality in New Hampshire, Iowa, the District of Columbia, New York, Maine, Maryland, Washington, Rhode Island, Delaware, Minnesota, New Jersey, Illinois, and Hawaii through investments and field campaigns.[12]
Employment Non-Discrimination Act, 2013
HRC also supported the passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013. This legislation prohibits employers "from engaging in employment discrimination on the basis of an individual's actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity."[15] HRC invested $2 million in a 12-week campaign in support of the bill.[12]
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy repeal
The repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy took place in December of 2010. HRC lobbied for the repeal of this policy by mobilizing 20,000 veterans, advertising in national and local publications, sending over 625,000 emails to members of Congress, sending 19 million emails to members of HRC, and conducting over 1,000 campaigns in the District of Columbia.[16] This policy, enacted in 1993, said that military applicants "should not be asked about their sexual orientation."[17] The reversal allowed LGBT individuals in the armed forces to openly declare their sexual identities.
See also
External links
- Human Rights Campaign official website
- Human Rights Campaign on BlueSky
- Human Rights Campaign on Instagram
- Human Rights Campaign on Threads
- Human Rights Campaign on TikTok
- Human Rights Campaign on LinkedIn
- Human Rights Campaign on Facebook
- Human Rights Campaign on YouTube
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Human Rights Campaign, "About," accessed September 9, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Human Rights Campaign Foundation, "About," accessed September 9, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Human Rights Campaign, "Staff," accessed September 9, 2025
- ↑ Human Rights Campaign, "Boards," accessed September 9, 2025
- ↑ Politico, "Human Rights Campaign launches $26 million 2018 effort," July 11, 2017
- ↑ Open Secrets, "Human Rights Campaign Recipients, 2016," accessed May 5, 2017
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "Hillary Clinton Scores Endorsement From Biggest LGBT Rights Group," January 19, 2016
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Human Rights Campaign, "Human Rights Campaign Announces First Round of House and Senate Endorsements," accessed May 5, 2017
- ↑ Open Secrets, "Human Rights Campaign," accessed July 6, 2015
- ↑ Open Secrets, "Human Rights Campaign Recipients, 2012," accessed May 5, 2017
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Human Rights Campaign, "Our Victories," accessed July 8, 2015
- ↑ SupremeCourt.gov, "Obergefell v. Hodges No. 14-556," accessed July 8, 2015
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 The People's Brief, accessed July 9, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.815 - Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013", accessed July 9, 2015
- ↑ Human Rights Campaign, "Repealing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,'" accessed July 9, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "A history of 'don't ask, don't tell'", accessed July 9, 2015
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