Federal Benefits: Jennifer Chrisler’s Statement to the Press

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: https://dev-fec.pantheonsite.io/action/story.html. We’ll
have more information and updates as they become available.