What’s a Family Equality Council staff member doing at the office at 9:00pm on the day before the Fourth of July?

Well, it could be working on a piece of LGBT family-friendly legislation that needs to get filed right after the holiday. Or it could be dotting the i’s and t’s on the Family Week program so it gets to the printers on time. It could also be putting the finishing touches on a training for educators to make them more LGBT family competent.

In this case, it’s wrapping up three years of work for one of the most aggressive and exciting LGBT organizations in operation. Today is my last day at Family Equality Council. Next week I will start new adventures at the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, but before I go I want to share a few parting thoughts.

The staff of Family Equality Council is one of the smartest, most creative, dedicated groups of people I have ever had the privilege to work with. The sheer magnitude of what we’ve been able to accomplish in the last few years is hard to grasp.

When I came on in June 2006, we had just organized the first contingent of LGBT families to attend the White House Easter Egg Roll, generating unprecedented visibility for our families. We were not invited. In fact, we showed up under threat of violence. Just three short years ago, the times were very, very different.

And now, as I’m packing up my desk, Jennifer Chrisler, our executive director, has just returned from her second trip to the White House in three weeks — this time by invitation.

More than 100 people shared their stories with us, telling us what they think President Obama should focus on — repealing DOMA and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell; passing LGBT family-inclusive health reform; passing the gender identity-inclusive ENDA; and more. These are the stories Jennifer shared when she visited the White House, and these are the stories Family Equality Council will continue to share until our families are treated equally.

And these are just the book ends of the last few years. In my time here, we’ve traveled  across the country training parents and allies how to tell their stories to affect change. We’ve held community events for hundreds of families in California, Massachuetts, Minnesota and beyond. We’ve launched a Public Policy Department, one of the few in the LGBT community with the expertise to draft inclusive legislation. We’ve assisted campaigns in California, Missouri, Ohio, Florida, Massachusetts, Minnesota and more. We’ve engaged families in drawing, poetry and other contests, via email and our blog. We’ve been visible in national and local media, and much, much more.

I’m incredibly proud of the work I’ve done here at Family Equality Council, the people I’ve worked with, and the families I’ve come to know and love.  This organization has a heart and vision that will carry it through decades more work affecting social change. It’s your heart and your vision Family Equality Council carries, and it’s a responsibility this organization does not take lightly.

My best to you and your families. Keep fighting the good fights, sharing and spreading your families’ love and joy to make the world a better place!

–Dustin

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