Task Force to co-host counter-protest to National Prayer Breakfast at Creating Change Conference

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Inga Sarda-Sorensen, isorensen@thetaskforce.org,
(Office) 646.358.1463, (Cell) 202.641.5592

Pedro Julio Serrano, pserrano@thetaskforce.org,
(Office) 646.358.1479, (Cell) 787.602.5954

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is co-hosting the American Prayer Hour to protest the National Prayer Breakfast on Feb. 4. It is among other American Prayer Hour events occurring nationwide in response to Uganda's "Anti-Homosexuality Bill" — which would make homosexuality punishable by life imprisonment or even death.The bill was proposed by Ugandan MP David Bahati. Bahati is connected to The National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., through the sponsor of the breakfast, The Family. The Family is a secretive Christian based organization that supports placement of leaders in government and economic position of power. Bahati is The Family’s primary organizer in Uganda. Leaders at the Task Force-hosted American Prayer Hour at National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change will gather on Thursday, Feb. 4 at 8 a.m., to protest the National Prayer Breakfast and the Ugandan measure, and will call upon all people to affirm inclusive values and celebrate diversity.
When:
Thursday, Feb. 4, 8 a.m.
Where:
Dallas Ballroom A1, Sheraton Dallas Hotel, 400 North Olive Street in downtown Dallas, Texas

The Rev. Dr. Stephen Sprinkle of Brite Divinity School will moderate; and there will be several speakers, possibly including a Ugandan man seeking asylum in the U.S. who is expected to tell his personal story. The American Prayer Hour events are co-sponsored by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Human Rights Campaign, Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, National Black Justice Coalition, Metropolitan Community Church, Faith in America, Bishop Gene Robinson and Truth Wins Out.
More about the conference: Creating Change reflects the breadth and scope of diversity of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and supporters of LGBT rights. It is the largest organizing conference for LGBT rights supporters in the United States. Find additional details here: creatingchange.org/.

Faith Has No Boundaries~The Bridge to Victory for LGBT Advocates

Like a fireman guiding a plume of water faith based GLBT advocacy focuses on the very root and cause of bigotry and ignorance.

LGBT faith advocates that worship with people who oppose us on equality, in their Churches, are accessing the most viable path to successfully opening hearts and may soon share an incredible spiritual link with even our most intense opponent.

Christs love knows no boundaries.

LGBT Faith advocates are absolutely essential for our civil rights movements success.

In Christianity, historically the most successful and victorious opponents of GLBT rights worships along side of us every Sunday. We might be sharing the same interior walls or be miles apart but we are together none the less at the base of Christ's cross.

Some Christian ministers have become lost and have divided their congregations by encouraging distrust, fear and anger. Yes fear and anger. This is what motivated the originators of the exclusion of people of color in the past, and presently is targeting LGBT people by seeking to deny us from full participation in worship and serving our god.

There is one fatal flaw to that strategy. In the long run anger becomes a barren rock, swept clean of all pretentious facades, exposing to believers of Christ the underlying ugliness of bigotry.

Christians soon recognize hate as contrary to everything we share and love and the process of doubting these unfortunate and misleading ministries begins. A new fertile soil is joined with the rock and our tears nurture the seeds of love and hope.

The when and where this realization begins is up to each and everyone of us.

If we only worship in our LGBT churches the word of Christ will remain muted. If we choose to be a part of this wind and worship on Sundays when we are strong enough to bare our souls at Churches we know reject us, we bring this conversation undeniably to full view.

Choose a Sunday!

Choose a Sunday when you feel strong, put on apparel, {or in my case I'm a transgender woman and I just have to go:} that makes you visible and sit down in a pew. Breath in the moment. You will feel every possiable emotion being emitted from your neighbours. Fear and loathing will be first. These are learned reactions so when people see that you are there to truly worship distrust and fear are discarded. Some may still loath you and object to your very presence and You might be denied communion. Its not easy, but our saviour suffered for us so we us could do this. On that very day you will have accomplished a miracle. You will have touched people deeply by your bravery and faith. You will have introduced and communicated on a personal level our community to people who otherwise would have never known us.

Whether I am going to burn in hell as one Baptist Minister told me or that I am a true disciple of Jesus, as I am convinced we share our faith together. I will go to his church on Sunday and love Jesus Christ as much as if I was in a MCC Church. This is the bridge. Solid as a rock and available for us to cross to victory.

Institute for Welcoming Resources Two groundbreaking studies find religious voices critical to the advancement of LGBT equality

Soulforce Sundays of Solidarity

peace,

Kelli Anne Busey
June 5, 2009
planetransgender

Task Force Executive Director Rea Carey attends White House Forum on Health Reform

MEDIA CONTACT:
Inga Sarda-Sorensen
Director of Communications
(Office) 646.358.1463
(Cell) 202.641.5592
isorensen@theTaskForce.org

“In the coming months, the macro themes and issues raised at the summit will work their way through to concrete policy and funding decisions that will affect the day-to-day lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.”
— Rea Carey, Executive Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

WASHINGTON, March 6 — National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Executive Director Rea Carey was among those participating in yesterday’s White House health-care reform summit convened by President Barack Obama.



Statement by Rea Carey, Executive Director
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

“The White House Forum on Health Reform was a powerful start to reforming health care and how our country views health generally. With Sen. Ted Kennedy in the room, people couldn’t help but be inspired to focus on solutions. In the coming months, the macro themes and issues raised at the summit will work their way through to concrete policy and funding decisions that will affect the day-to-day lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The Task Force will be working to make sure our needs, lives and families are not left behind. For example, how families are defined will be critical to ensuring full coverage of LGBT people, our partners/spouses and our children. The days when we must pay taxes on domestic partner health benefits must end.

“Other issues of great concern to LGBT people are the need for inclusive services; quality health care for those who are not employed; funding for community-based health centers with culturally sensitive services; addressing the ‘preexisting conditions’ barriers that far too many in our community face by having to move from job to job due to lack of employment protections or barriers faced by transgender people; and the racial and economic disparities that have plagued the existing system.

“Our community has a great deal at stake in the outcomes of this process but we also have a lot to offer in terms of solutions, creativity and engagement — after all, our community created an entire infrastructure of HIV/AIDS care when the government was unwilling to take action in ways that addressed the scale of the problem.”

Top Task Force staffer on hand as President Obama signs executive order creating White House Council on Women and Girls

March 11, 2009

MEDIA CONTACT:
Inga Sarda-Sorensen
Director of Communications
(Office) 646.358.1463
(Cell) 202.641.5592
isorensen@theTaskForce.org

WASHINGTON, March 11 — President Barack Obama signed an executive order today creating the White House Council on Women and Girls. The council is designed to provide a coordinated federal response to the challenges confronting women and girls, and to ensure that all cabinet and cabinet-level agencies consider how their policies and programs impact women and families. National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Deputy Executive Director Darlene Nipper attended today’s signing at the White House.

The White House Council on Women and Girls will be chaired by Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to the president, and the day-to-day operations will be run Tina Tchen, currently director of the White House Office of Public Liaison.

Statement by Darlene Nipper, Deputy Executive Director
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force


“Women and girls have made great strides in the United States, but challenges clearly remain. The highest echelons of government need to be aware of and actively engaged in finding solutions to critical issues affecting women and girls — issues like pay equity, threat of violence, work-life balance for working women, and access to affordable health care and child care. Women and their families are particularly vulnerable on all these counts during an economic downturn. Lesbian, bisexual and transgender women face additional obstacles because they are unprotected by most nondiscrimination employment laws and family recognition laws. This new council will hopefully ensure the voices of women and girls are heard and that these issues remain front and center in the White House.”

Task Force : Turn Anger Into Action

Rea Carey, Executive Director
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund

I know that right now, many of you are still shocked, saddened, and extremely angry about the passage of Proposition 8 in California — and let me tell you, so are we.

Losses on similar constitutional amendments in Arizona and Florida, and an adoption ban in Arkansas, are equally devastating. But we're picking ourselves back up here at the Task Force, and we're continuing the fight. And today I want to ask you to turn the anger you may feel at this moment into positive action.

Start by signing your name to our Anger into Action Declaration right now. This declaration is about showing wide public support for the fundamental rights of LGBT people. The latest marriage amendments and adoption ban passed by our fellow citizens are built on lies and deception, and we can't stand for it.

After you sign the declaration, think about what you can be doing in your own life to keep the visibility high and voice your support for full equality. Here are a few examples of what people all around the country are doing to keep up the fight.

Cathy and Ellen, married in California after the May 2008 Supreme Court ruling, are attending a rally and march tonight, protesting discrimination being written into our state constitutions.

Madeline in New York is keeping her "No on 8" button up on her Facebook profile, in solidarity with her Californian friends and family.

A straight ally wrote us a moving e-mail, letting us know he and his wife just donated $100 in honor of their six-month-old son — in hopes that, regardless of his sexual orientation, their child would grow up with the opportunity to share his life with the partner of his choice.

Brian is writing a letter to the editor of his local newspaper in Florida, sharing his views on how discrimination persists, even in light of the progress his state saw in the presidential election.
There is no action too small, and every action — symbolic or more tangible — makes a difference.

I am so proud, despite our losses, of our efforts this election season and continue to be moved by the outpouring of support from our community and our allies. We've called on you, our most loyal supporters, time and time again — to give, to knock on doors, to make phone calls, and to do everything you could to make sure that LGBT people are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.

(Authors note; The Task Force has been a Bastion of Solidarity for Queer and Transgender folks. A call for rational thought when emotions are high may be the last thing we want, but in the long run the results of will be admired by the very ones we currently are at odds with~:)k

Transgender and Queer Questionnaire

Today we received an email from a Pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church. I am sure Rev. Colleen Darraugh Lead Pastor MCC of Greater Dallas, did not expect any recognition for her efforts, only asking us to "pass it on" and "make it widely available". ( a little plug for ya church sister ;)

Please take a few moments and complete this lovely survey from our brothers and sisters at the the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force who have partnered with National Center for Transgender Equality and the Pennsylvania State University’s Center for the Study of Higher Education to collect and analyze this data.

You do not need to be trans to do it. You can be whomever you are and or aspire to be.....I'm kinda queer/trannie.....

This maybe the first only fully inclusive, non intrusive, totaly free, scholastically certifiable trans world, transuniversal transgender and gender queer questionnaire to have full access to the millions via the Internet! Wow. Not only are we filling in the squares to make cute designs, we are participating in history.

~kelli Busey