The following is an excerpt from a White House Blog post by Brian Bond, the Deputy Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. Prior to working for President Obama, Mr. Bond served as the Executive Director of the Democratic National Committee’s Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council. Later today, the White House will host the Reception for LGBT Pride Month, commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. Watch the event live at http://www.whitehouse.gov/live. 

Our own Executive Director, Jennifer Chrisler, will be attending the event as a guest. Read Jennifer’s thoughts on why accepting the President’s invitation is crucial to ensuring equality for LGBT families here.

“The Anniversary of Stonewall”
Posted by Brian Bond

As a gay kid growing up in rural Missouri - I never thought I would end up helping to organize an LGBT Pride event in the White House. Then again, I never thought I would ever realize my dream to work in the White House. But thanks to the historic election of Barack Obama, today I am honored to be working here.

To me, today’s event is more than just a reception honoring LGBT Pride month. It is an opportunity for the Administration to provide the world with a snap shot of the real heroes across the country that do the day-to-day work fighting for equality. People like State Representative Patricia Todd in Alabama to Sheriff Lupe Valdez in Dallas, and many other local LGBT elected officials that will be here today. And it’s people - ordinary families - that by simply living their lives openly are changing hearts and minds. It is also an opportunity to welcome the people upon whom shoulders we stand, people like Frank Kameny, as well as Phil Wilson, Bishop Robinson and Ambassador Hormel, who I know personally, and those who stood up to bigotry at Stonewall. I really wish people like Bayard Rustin could be standing here with us today. He would be up for the fight ahead of us and proud of the place we now stand.

Click here to read the post in full

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In 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau will be counting and recording the number of same-sex marriages in the United States.This visibility is another way that LGBT civil rights are being recognized and respected. A large part of why this major step forward was possible is due to the hard work of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund, who has spent months campaigning for equal recognition.

The decision to count same-sex marriages in the national census repeals an earlier decision made under the Bush Administration. Before now, the Defense of Marriage Act had prevented the federal government from recognizing legal, state-mandated same-sex marriages. However, on Friday, June 19th, 2009, the White House stated that the Defense of Marriage Act doesn’t prohibit the federal government from gathering this information.The forms themselves do not require any changes, with boxes for genders of people living in the households and self-reported statuses of relationships such as “husband”, “wife” or “unmarried partner”.

The Bureau encourages people filling out the census to fill it out accurately. In the 2000 census, couples in civil unions or partnerships self-identified as husbands or wives. The Census Bureau faces the task of separating those who identify as married and those who are legally married.

“This is about folks’ identity,” said Steve Jost, a spokesperson for the U.S. Census Bureau. “We are experienced in dealing with changing social phenomena and how to measure and report that, and we want to get it right.”

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Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin has made it her goal to pass legislation that would fund federal research into sexual orientation and gender identity. She ultimately plans to improve health care for the LGBT community.

The bill is called HR 3001, the Ending Health Disparities for LGBT Americans Act (ELHDA), is sponsored by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Reps. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Mike Honda (D-CA), and Nydia Velazquez (D-NY). In addition to funding data collection and cultural competence training, the bill will also address nondiscrimination policies for all federal health plans, extend Medicare benefits to same-sex domestic partners, and create a new office of LGBT Health within the Department of Health and Human Services.

“Our current health care system fails LGBT Americans on many levels,” says Rep. Baldwin. “… the federal government lacks even the most basic data on sexual orientation and gender identity and health. This bill invests in research and takes critical steps towards improving the health of LGBT Americans and their families.”

Family Equality Council has been working hard on capitol hill directly with Rep. Baldwin and other congressmembers to make sure LGBT families are included in this year’s health care reforms.

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Today, our own Executive Director, Jennifer Chrisler, wrote a guest post for Pam’s House Blend. We’re proud to be cross-posting her statements and Pam Spaulding’s comments here:

This is a guest post by Jennifer Chrisler of the Family Equality Council; as executive director for the organization, she attended the Presidential limited federal benefits extension signing ceremony last week. Chrisler is also one of the invitees at the White House’s upcoming commemoration of Stonewall, billed by the administration as an event in the vein of its St. Patrick’s Day or Cinco de Mayo fetes. Jennifer is here to share her view that this social gathering is an opportunity for members of the community to meet with the President and convey their thoughts about progress (or the lack thereof) and to keep open communication channels with those who can effect change.

Of course there are others who do not share Chrisler’s view, and believe that the social event should be boycotted and is nothing more than a dog-and-pony show opportunity for this White House, with those attending being used as PR props. I’ll give my personal take at the end of the essay.

Movement Malpractice?

By Jennifer Chrisler, Executive Director of Family Equality Council

Malpractice is defined as engaging in professional wrongdoing that will result in harm.

As one of those many leaders across the country fighting for equality for LGBT families, failure to accept the President’s invitation to meet with him at the White House this coming Monday would be committing “Movement malpractice.”

For more years than I care to remember we have bemoaned the lack of access and the lack of progress at the federal level for LGBT equal rights. It is no surprise then that after years of toiling to elect fair-minded leaders, and with the assumption that we now have that in the White House and the Congress, we want action and we want it swiftly. When we¹ve struggled as a community for more years than we care to count to achieve equality and we believe for the first time that it is now achievable, our hopes are incredibly high. The knife of disappointment cuts that much deeper and the wounds take much longer to heal. …click here to read more

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Yesterday afternoon, June 23rd, the North Carolina House passed House Bill 548, the School Violence Prevention Act by a margin of 58-57. The bill now awaits the signature of Governor Bev Perdue, who is expected to sign it.

This victory is a historic event in North Carolina and the South. Yesterday, North Carolina stood against discrimination and violence, and made it a point to protect all children, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. The bill also protects children with LGBT parents.

We tip our hat to Equality North Carolina, the bill’s lead advocate, who worked tirelessly with volunteers and fellow activists to encourage the NC Legislature to pass the bill. The Family Equality Council was proud to assist Equality North Carolina by mobilizing our North Carolina supporters to contact their representatives and encouraging our national partners to do the same with their local supporters.

Congratulations again to everyone who made this possible and Equality North Carolina for their tireless work.

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In 2007 Atlanta, Georgia resident Eric Mongerson was forbidden from introducing his children to his partner or spend time around any of his LGBT friends.

After a strained divorce proceeding from his wife of nearly 20 years, the Fayette County Superior Court Judge Christopher Edwards awarded custody to Eric’s ex-wife, Sandy, and set the ban on any contact with Eric’s “homosexual partners and friends.” Eric’s ex-wife claimed that he had subjected the children to an array of “wholly inappropriate conduct” during a trip to Arkansas.

Not only did Eric feel this was unjust, unfounded and untrue, but it made him afraid to even introduce his children to his straight friends, for fear they’d be accused of being gay. His wife was able to bring a date to his daughter’s concert, but he was too worried to take them to his home.

So Eric did what any father would do–he contested the ban.

And on Monday, June 15th, the Georgia Supreme Court unanimously agreed in Eric’s favor. Justice Robert Benham wrote a 10-page scathing report in which he denounced the trial court’s decision without sufficient evidence. He wrote that it “flies in the face of our public policy that encourages divorced parents to participate in the raising of their children.”

Sandy has no plans to appeal.

Finally, after two years, Eric was able to spend Father’s Day by introducing his children to his partner of two years.

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On The Huffington Post, Senator Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY) declares her support for the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. The following is an excerpt from the full post.

Last week, I had the honor of meeting a proud graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point, NY - Lt. Dan Choi. Lt. Choi came to my office to meet me and discuss how we right the wrong that has occurred in his life and ensure others do not experience the same injustice.

In 2003, Lt. Dan Choi graduated from West Point with a degree in Arabic. Since graduating, Lt. Choi has served honorably in the 1st Bn., 69th Infantry of the New York Army National Guard, including a deployment in Iraq. Now, it appears his service may come to an end simply because he has publicly said these three words: “I am gay.”

Lt. Dan Choi is not alone. Since 1994 when the law was implemented, approximately 13,000 able, knowledgeable, well-trained soldiers have been discharged from the US military for being gay. 800 of those discharged soldiers were — like Lt. Choi — experts in mission critical disciplines.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

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Note: Jennifer Chrisler is now on Twitter. Follow her updates on the signing ceremony and what happens next.

As most of you now know, President Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum today extending certain domestic partner benefits to federal employees. Our community’s reaction is and should be mixed. While we recognize that any extension of benefits and steps toward equality have positive impacts on people’s lives, we also want to ensure that we’re pushing the President and Congress to enact broader legislation ending discrimination against our families and including them in efforts like comprehensive healthcare reform.

From Jennifer Chrisler’s statement to the press:

“All American families face challenges, but our families encounter unique obstacles when trying to protect our children and our partners. The language in this memo signed by President Obama addresses some of those complex realities,” Chrisler said. “President Obama’s actions will help thousands of committed, same-sex couples working for the federal government ensure their families’ security. While today’s memorandum falls short, it does move us forward. There is much more work to be done to recognize the wide diversity of families that live and work in this country, including families with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender parents. I look forward to continuing to work with the Administration in the future as it takes the next steps to ensure equal protection and treatment of all American families.”

Click here to read our statement in full. Tell President Obama what you and your family really need him to do here: http://www.familyequality.org/action/story.html. We’ll have more information and updates as they become available.

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On Monday, June 15th, the U.S. Conference of Mayors passed a resolution in support of ending discrimination against same-sex couples in marriage.

“The mayors’ leadership reaffirms that the freedom to marry should not be partisan or political,” said Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry. “But rather is part of the security and respect all couples…should have.”

In reference to the freedom to marry, the resolution said, “BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors supports marriage equality for same-sex couples, and the recognition and extension of full equal rights to such unions, including family and medical leave, tax equity, and insurance and retirement benefits, and opposes the enshrinement of discrimination in the federal or state constitutions.”

Entitled, “Equality and Civil Rights for Gay and Lesbian Americans,” the resolution included support for federal bills such as Employment Non-Discrimination Act, the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, the Uniting American Families Act, and the Mathew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

Wolfson called on the New York State Senate to be the next leader in enacting marriage equality at the state level. Recent political developments in the New York Senate have called the prospect of New York Governor David Paterson’s marriage bill into question.

New York’s Assembly passed the bill in May. Political leaders from across the state, including NYC’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg and U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, have been working to support the bill’s passage in the State Senate over the next few weeks. Next door in New Jersey, Governor John Corzine has promised to sign his state’s marriage bill once it reaches his desk.

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