I hold the highest resect, admiration, and gratitude for all who have given of themselves to fight for this country. While I have never made this ultimate sacrifice, and do not believe I ever will, I can’t help but appreciate the people who have sweat blood and tears to ensure my freedom.

I did not realize the sacrifices made by members of our armed forces until I was in a long-term relationship with a Navy Corpsman. Sure, I had celebrated the military in a sexually fetishized way by attending the many “military-themed” parties at nightclubs around town. I was first in line sporting my combat boots, “booty shorts”, camouflage painted shirtless chest, and camouflage headband (certainly a military regulation uniform!), but that was really the extent of my concern for the work the military does.

But then I got into this relationship 4-1/2 years ago (which has since ended) and witnessed how hard my partner worked to fight for people, some who treated him very poorly because of his membership in the military. When we would pass anti-military protesters he would just shrug it off, saying “I will continue to fight for that person’s right to express their opinion”. That is unconditional love and respect for the United States!

But what is different about my ex-partner, and a large number of others, is that fact that he is a GAY service member. He continues to serve a country that supports an organization that does not allow him to be himself. He has to endure endless “fag” jokes, hide huge parts of his life when he talks to his co-workers/”friends”, and live in constant fear that if he is found out, his entire career will be ruined. Some ask, “well then why would he WANT to be in the military?” To that question, I do not have an answer, but I do recognize his great love of this country, and commitment to fight for our freedom.

Veterans Day certainly honors all of our veterans, but we sometimes forget about the fact that so many of our Veterans served and continue to serve in silence. It is time for Don’t Ask Don’t Tell to be gone, and for the United States Military to heal from this dark period in its’ history.

The San Diego Chapter of American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER) will proudly participate in this year’s San Diego County Veterans Day Parade. I am so proud of our LGBT Veterans, led by Ben Gomez, who are going to brave this crowd and proclaim their pride in the service and themselves.

This Saturday, a special event called Patriots’ Pride, will take place in Oceanside and several other cities across the country. Patriots’ Pride is a Veterans Day celebration in honor of all LGBT and other sexual minorities that have served their country honorably and have never throughout the history of the United States of America been treated equally.

I encourage you to attend Patriots’ Pride and show your support for our LGBT Veterans and protest discrimination in the military!

To all of our veterans: Happy Veterans Day, and THANK YOU for your service! More people appreciate your work than you may realize.

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Earlier today in what can only be described as landmark legislation, the U.S. Senate passed the conference report for the FY 2010 Defense Authorization bill by a vote of 68 to 29, sending critical hate crimes legislation to the President’s desk.  On October 8 the U.S. House successfully passed the conference report including the hate crimes provision.  In July, the Senate voted to attach the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act to the Defense Authorization measure.
This federal bill would add gender identity, sexual orientation, gender and disability to the categories already covered by federal hate crimes law. President Obama has indicated that he will sign the bill when it reaches his desk. 

The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act gives the Justice Department the power to investigate and prosecute bias-motivated violence where the perpetrator has selected the victim because of the person’s actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.
If signed into law, the Hate Crimes Prevention Act will become the first piece of federal legislation offering specific protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity – marking a historic moment for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans. 

“Passage of the federal Hate Crimes Prevention Act will be a huge victory for transgender people across the country,” said Masen Davis, Executive Director of the Transgender Law Center.  “We need this federal law to ensure that hate crimes are properly investigated and prosecuted in jurisdictions without specific protections for LGBT people.”
In 2002, Newark CA teenager Gwen Araujo was brutally murdered because of her gender identity.  Her death was the first transgender case to be prosecuted as a hate crime under California’s gender-identity inclusive law.

“It has been 7 years since we lost Gwen to a vicious hate crime,” said Davis. “Transgender people are still victims of hate motivated violence way too often. The Hate Crimes Prevent Act would give the federal government the jurisdiction it needs to get involved.”
Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese agrees.

“We’re in the home stretch,” said Solmonese.  “We look forward to President Obama signing it into law; our nation’s first major piece of civil rights legislation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.  Too many in our community have been devastated by hate violence.  We now can begin the important steps to erasing hate in our country.”
This legislation was first introduced in the 105th Congress.  Today’s vote was the 14th and final time there has been a floor vote on this historic legislation.    
“We applaud the leadership of our Senate allies, particularly Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Senators Patrick Leahy, Carl Levin, and Susan Collins for ensuring that the hate crimes provision remained part of this authorization bill.  We also recognize the tireless efforts of Senator Ted Kennedy on this issue; a hero for our entire community,” said Solmonese.

Also among the organizations commending the Senate for passing the Defense Authorization measure is Lambda Legal.
“Years after the tragic murders of Matthew Shepard, Brandon Teena , Sakia Gunn and others our government is finally standing up and saying: No more,” Said Kevin Cathcart,  Executive Director of Lambda Legal.  “This law will send a message that violence motivated by hate will not be tolerated in this country and is a welcome first step towards other critical protections for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.”

Lambda Legal represented the family and estate of Brandon Teena, a transgender man who was brutally raped and murdered in Nebraska in 1993 (the subject of the movie “Boys Don’t Cry”) to make sure that the law enforcement officials who had failed Teena were held accountable.

“This law comes too late to provide justice for the victims of violence we have already lost, but it holds the promise of greater safety and respect for LGBT people today and in the future,” Cathcart said.

“Now that the Hate Crimes Act has passed adding protections for all members of our community against violence motivated by hate, Congress must also pass an inclusive ENDA to protect us against discrimination on the job. The majority of Americans support workplace protections for lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people and there is no reason for further delay.” 

 “Americans are hungry for this type of positive change,” said Rea Carey, Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.  “They do not want to see their LGBT friends, family, neighbors and co-workers subjected to violence simply for living their lives. Laws embody the values of our nation; when this critical legislation becomes law, our nation will — once and for all — send the unmistakable message that it rejects and condemns hate violence against its people.
“We thank all the federal lawmakers who have supported this effort, both today and over the years. We are on the cusp of a new, and better, chapter in America.”

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced yesterday new plans to ensure that HUD’s housing programs are open to all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.  To date, HUD is the first federal agency to publicly propose guidelines that would explicitly address discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. 

“These are welcomed and much-needed reforms”, Said Rea Carey, Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.  “Especially in the context of this rocky economic climate that has already left so many people fearful of losing the roofs over their heads. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people remain particularly vulnerable in seeking or retaining housing due to widespread bias, discrimination and a lack of housing protections.”

In a forthcoming and groundbreaking survey of transgender discrimination in the United States, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality found that high unemployment, low incomes and high levels of housing insecurity all point to the need for safe, affordable public housing for transgender people. Currently there are no federal protections against housing discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.

Said Carey, “We’re talking about one of the most fundamental needs a person can have: shelter. All people should be able to obtain affordable housing free from discrimination; a safe place to live, a roof over one’s head. Explicitly including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and our families in housing policies in order to better protect them and ensure fairness marks a proper governmental response and step toward rectifying a long-standing inequity.”

 ”This is a great day,” said Masen Davis, Executive Director of the Transgender Law Center. “Housing is such a basic need, yet we regularly hear from transgender people who experience housing discrimination and fear homelessness.” 

TLC’s 2008 Transgender Economic Health survey of almost 650 transgender Californians revealed that housing protections and programs are critical for transgender people. Among survey respondents, 19% experienced housing discrimination and 21% have been homeless. Meanwhile, home ownership for transgender Californians is disproportionately low (20%) compared to the overall population in California (56%). 

According to the announcement the HUD will submit a proposed rule that makes three important changes to federal regulations. First, it includes language that ensures same-sex couples and their children are recognized as families covered by HUD programs, including affordable housing assistance.  Second it requires organizations that administer HUD grants to abide by state and local laws that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.  Third it prohibits consideration of factors other than creditworthiness, including sexual orientation and gender identity, in the awarding of mortgage loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration.  In addition, HUD announced that the Department will conduct the first-ever nationwide survey of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in housing.        
 
Said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese, “The proposed policies will help some of the most vulnerable people in our community and the nationwide survey will finally shed light on the discrimination LGBT people face every day in trying to make homes for themselves and their families.  We thank Secretary Donovan and President Obama for taking this historic step forward.”

Esther Rubio-Sheffrey 
 
(SACRAMENTO) –  SaveCalifornia.com, the West Coast pro-family, pro-child organization that led the statewide battle against a proclamation of the statewide holiday “Harvey Milk Day,” is calling on every California parent with children in K-12 government schools to keep their sons and daughters home on this day of “in-your-face, homosexual-bisexual-transsexual indoctrination.”

Harvey Milk

The Harvey Milk Day bill (SB 572), was introduced in February of 2008 by Assembly member Mark Leno, but vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger on September 30, 2008. It came as a surprise to many when this year on October 12, the Governor signed the bill into law proclaiming May 22 as Harvey Milk Day.

Many in the GLBT community, including Executive Director of Equality California (EQCA), Geoff Kors praised the Governor “for rising above partisan politics to improve the lives of the GLBT Californians” and signing into law a critical and groundbreaking measure.

Randy Thomasson, President of SaveCalifornia.com feels Schwarzenegger overstepped boundaries.

Said Thomasson,  “Fathers and mothers are angry about Harvey Milk Day pushing this extreme, perverse role model upon their kids. Children belong to parents, not to the State! Since SB 572 has no opt-out, boycotting Harvey Milk Day and pulling their children out of the imploding government school system is the only way for parents to protect their girls and boys.”

SaveCalifornia.com feels the boycott will send a strong message to school districts because in choosing to utilize classroom time to celebrate Harvey Milk Day they run the risk of losing average daily attendance funds. The organization is not only encouraging parents to boycott May 22, but to also place their children in private religious schools or homeschooling.

“This is a red alert for parents” said Thomasson. “Your child will be sexually indoctrinated if left in the government-school system.”   Thomasson further claims this is the only way parents can rescue their children from being “sexually brainwashed” in “anti-family” public schools.

In recent press releases, Thomasson stated that even school districts in conservative areas are allowing teachers to promote the “notorious” Harvey Milk, a man who SaveCalifornia.com calls a “sexual predator of teens, a public liar, and is in no way a good role model for impressionable schoolchildren.”

Milk was born on May 22, 1930 and was the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in a major city. His term on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors was cut short in 1978 when former colleague and political rival, Dan White, entered San Francisco City Hall through a window and assassinated him along with then Mayor George Moscone.
 
San Francisco’s gay community erupted into protest in what came to be known as the “White Night Riots,” when White was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and a mere seven years and eight months in prison.
 
Milk’s legacy as a civil rights leader is still felt today. He was named one of TIME Magazine’s most influential people of the 20th century and most recently, the major motion picture MILK, starring Sean Penn as Harvey Milk, chronicled his rise and fall while captivating audiences worldwide and earning critical acclaim.
 
On October 13th  The San Francisco Chronicle reported that EQCA, a strong supporter of SB 572 and one of the largest homosexual-bisexual-transsexual political activism groups, would help to develop a curriculum for schools and teachers to use on Milk’s birthday. 
 
District Spokeswoman for Santa Clarita’s William S. Hart Union High School said, “The bill calls for the day to be observed by public schools as a day of special significance. Teachers will be encouraged to conduct exercises recalling Milk’s life and contributions to the state.” Further noting that “teachers could include Milk in a discussion of civil rights [whether] it happens to be in a literature class or a social studies class, it can be included as long as it’s related to the topic.”

Existing law requires the Governor to proclaim certain days each year, often in remembrance of important figures in the civil rights movement. These days include Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Cesar Chavez Day and Native American Day among others.

Although some are also marked as state holidays (during which public functions are suspended and state employees receive a day off),  this “days off” provision is optional for schools,  and curriculums may include commemorative exercises and lessons related to the day.

Thomasson though, laments that “sadly, children in public schools will now have even more in-your-face, homosexual-bisexual-transsexual indoctrination.”  In an immediate press release following the signing of SB 572 he states “The ‘suitable commemorative exercises’ that are part of Harvey Milk Day can easily result in cross-dressing exercises, LGBT pride parades and mock gay weddings on school campuses — everything Harvey Milk supported.

“What’s more, beyond these school sexual indoctrination laws, there is no California statute prohibiting public school teachers from promoting any legal sexual lifestyle or sexual practice; schools can hold pro-“lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) diversity days” or a “diversity week”; schools can permit the pro-LGBT “Day of Silence” in April; and school districts must permit “Gay-Straight Alliance” clubs on high school and junior high campuses.”

In his blog, Thomasson also writes Californian voters are reaping what they have sowed.

“In 2003 when he was first elected, Schwarzenegger was on record supporting giving all the rights of marriage to homosexuals (later he flipped and now supports homosexual ‘marriage’ licenses too); he supported homosexual couples adopting children; and the Governor also previously claimed to oppose same-sex ‘marriage’, but now supports destroying the definition of marriage as only between a man and a woman, in court, and by his signing of SB 54, to recognize out-of-state homosexual ‘marriages’ in violation of Prop. 8.

“No child is safe from this sky-is-the-limit sexual indoctrination if they are left in the government school system,” Thomasson said. “And, due to pre-existing sexual indoctrination laws, be pressured to support anything-goes heterosexual-homosexual-bisexual-transsexual behavior in health, literature, and social studies.”

Here we are just days before the one year anniversary of the passage of Prop 8 and on the opposite side of the country,  a mirror reflection of last year is occurring in Maine. 

Once again, extremist and LDS front groups are laundering money, funneling it into the state, and now Maine is in the midst of its very own Prop 8.  Known to Mainers as “Question 1”,  the same lies and misinformation are again being broadcast over the airwaves as yet another baffling ballot measure goes before voters.

 Even in Hillcrest people were confused by Prop 8 since a “no” vote meant yes to equality. I can’t even begin to count the number of conversations I had before and after our election trying to help people understand what a yes or no vote meant.  Maine’s Question 1 is perhaps even more befuddling.

 “Do you want to reject the new law that lets same-sex couples marry and allows individuals and religious groups to refuse to perform these marriages?”

 Would you or your family know how to vote if that’s all they read?

 Not to let this attack go unanswered San Diegans have sprung into action.  Marriage Equality USA (MEUSA) and Equality California have been hosting phone banks to Maine nearly every other day and will continue to do so until Election Day. Their big push is for a coalition “Get Out The Vote” phone bank Sunday, November 1st from 1-5 P.M. in the old No on 8 building at 301 University Avenue.

 In addition to donating dollars to the campaign, or community has also donated their air miles.
Already this month MEUSA’s San Diego chapter has sent six organizers to the Pine Tree State.  Other groups like the Human Rights Campaign, EQCA, Stonewall Young Dems and the San Diego Democratic Club all have members and staff headed out to the brisk Maine autumn weather for a week or more each of campaigning (and maybe some lobster).   At this time, I guestimate the number of San Diegans heading back east is in the 20s.  Considering the state has a population which equates roughly to the size of this city, every campaigner for equality stands to make a huge difference.

 Field work and donations aren’t the only things coming out of San Diego to challenge this repeat cycle of the anti-gay echo.  Californians Against Hate has been keeping the fear-mongers from the Nation Organization for Marriage (NOM) and other anti-family groups on their toes. Thanks to the work of its founder, Fred Karger, the NOM and other groups are now facing investigation by the Maine Ethics Committee – helping to keep these evildoers focused on saving their own asses rather than their plots of discrimination.

 Maine is in the auspicious place having the opportunity to learn from the mistakes made during Prop 8. One noticeable difference is the speed of which we are able to answer the oppositions TV ads.  A plus and minus is a lack of large urban centers which make it more difficult for either side to organize – bonus points to us since this means there aren’t many über anti-gay mega church epicenters of discrimination for the bad-guys to rely on.

 The polls are close and projections show that we actually have a good chance of winning this one. That would make Maine the first state to block a marriage ban.  San Diegans have been doing a commendable job of fighting to win back marriage in California; and now as yet another state is in need, our Love Warriors are answering the call of duty and making us proud.  No on Question 1!

Steve Moore

“This Summit has been an incubator for entrepreneurship in Washington D.C. over the past several years. We want to see that trend continue to flourish,” said Steve Moore, President and CEO of WDCEP.
 
Workshop and panel sessions at the Summit will include information on doing business with local and federal governments, mastering business media relations, strategic management in tough economic times, tips on developing new business leads, online marketing and social networking.
 
The conference is supported by the Washington, DC Economic Partnership, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, the Mayor’s Office of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered (GLBT) Affairs, the Department of Small and Local Business Development, the Capital Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, Orrick, Sun Trust Bank, Verizon, Ackerman Legal, and AARP.

President Yoweri Museveni

This barbaric legislation stifles free speech by threatening anyone who is accused of “promoting” homosexuality with five to seven year prison sentences. Snitching on gay friends and family members is strongly encouraged because “failure to disclose the ‘offence’ within 24 hours of knowledge makes somebody liable to a fine or imprisonment of up to three years.”
 
Sadly, this witch-hunt has the blood stained fingerprints of leading American evangelicals. The Fellowship, (aka The Family) one of America’s most powerful and secretive fundamentalist organizations, converted Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni to its anti-gay brand of Christianity, which is the “intellectual” impetus behind the anti-gay crackdown. The clandestine organization’s leader, Doug Coe, calls Museveni The Fellowship’s “key man” in Africa.  Jeff Sharlet, author of “The Family”, writes of the African strongman’s conversion:
 
“So,” Doug Coe told us, “my friend said to the president, ‘why don’t you come and pray with me in America? I have a good group of friends—senators, congressmen—who I like to pray with, and they’d like to pray with you.’ And that president came to the Cedars (a religious retreat), and he met Jesus. And his name is Yoweri Museveni…And he is a good friend of the Family.”
 
The Family, of course, recently made headlines because one of its key members, Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) had sex with his best friends wife, while they were working together. Another member, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), used one of the Family’s Washington properties to try to broker a deal to buy off the furious husband, who has since gone public with the Ensign scandal.
 
It is important for people to understand that The Fellowship and other anti-gay groups have long viewed Uganda as a laboratory to experiment with Christian theocracy. For example, fundamentalist organizations recently undermined successful HIV programs in Uganda by demanding abstinence only education, over condom use, which had been working to reduce infection rates.
 
This year’s notorious conference in Kampala was the opening salvo in a campaign to crush GLBT lives. The seminar featured Scott Lively, author of The Pink Swastika, who blames the holocaust on gay people.
 
Other speakers included Don Schmierer, a board member of the “ex-gay” organization Exodus International, and Caleb Lee Brundidge, who works with discredited ex-gay “reorientation coach” Richard Cohen. These American “ex-gay” activists clearly left their stamp on this evil legislation, giving Ugandan officials a way to justify the abuse because they can claim that “sinful” gays can choose to change.
 
“This legislation further recognizes the fact that same sex attraction is not an innate and immutable characteristic and that people who experience this mental disorder can and have changed to a heterosexual orientation,” the bill said.  “It also recognizes that because homosexuals are not born that way, but develop this disorder based on experiences and environmental conditions, it is preventable, especially among young people who are most vulnerable to recruitment into the homosexual lifestyle.”
 
Following the infamous conference, a Kampala newspaper named local gay people, placing their lives in immediate danger. Now, the government may soon declare it open season on GLBT individuals.

 “This is no idle threat”, writes Box Turtle Bulletin reporter Jim Burroway in a February 24th article titled  Exodus Board Member Joins Nazi Revisionist at Uganda Conference.
 “Homosexuality is officially illegal in Uganda. Conviction can lead to a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, while sodomy carries a penalty of fourteen years to life.”
The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission has issued an Action Alert, asking everyone to write to the Ugandan authorities to express concern about their latest attempts to criminalize homosexuality.

Since its creation this past August 29, Restore Equality 2010 has been aggressively implementing The Davis Plan, a communication and decision-making structure chosen to support the grassroots activists involved in the signature gathering campaign required to place a proposition on the ballot.
 
Board member Misha Houser feels the NO on 8 campaign did not do a good job helping to enable its grassroots organizers. “Restore Equality 2010 will ensure that does not happen again by providing access and resources for the upcoming campaign,” she said.
 
Restore Equality 2010 has divided California into ten regions, each with their own representative. San Diego’s regional office is already well established and by November 5, all of the regional offices will be operational.
In order to get the constitutional amendment initiative on the November 2010 ballot, the state requires petition circulators gather 694,354 valid signatures within a 150-day period.
 
As the signature gathering efforts get underway, the regional representatives will support community organizers at the local level. They will also serve on Restore Equality 2010’s statewide advisory panel, alongside 15 Affinity Council Representatives (i.e. faith, cultural and ethnic, labor and straight allies) and eight equality organizations.

Misha Houser

One such organization is Love Honor Cherish (LHC). Formed in May of 2008 specifically to help defeat Prop 8, LHC continues to focus its efforts on speaking the truth about marriage and presenting the diversity of LGBT people and their families. A strong emphasis is placed on empowering and inspiring the community through education.
 
LHC drafted a blueprint for equality titled: How We Will Restore the Right to Marry in 2010. This 25 page document outlines five guiding principles, a detailed campaign timeline and three goals: get the initiative on the ballot, motivate the base voters early, and win at the ballot box.
 
This blueprint also includes information regarding necessary resources and benchmark targets, allowing those participating in the campaign to ascertain forward movement in their efforts.
 
True to their timeline, on September 24 LHC submitted the proposed legal text for the ballot measure to the State Attorney General’s office.
 
The measure, if passed by the voters, will amend the State Constitution to recognize that marriage is between only two persons and shall not be restricted on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation or religion.
 
Co-founder and Executive Director of LHC John Henning, is confident in the group’s efforts. “ [I feel that] by the one year anniversary of Prop 8’s passage, activists will already be on the streets with the petition,” he said.
By focusing on education, LHC hopes to disarm many of the misconceptions that plagued the Prop 8 campaign in 2008 – especially those concerning the rights of religious organizations.
 
LHC also emphasizes the need for activists to be well informed on the issues. For this reason, their website www.lovehonorcherish.org has a comprehensive and user-friendly learning platform. Adds Henning, “ [Our website] is a very useful resource but because LHC operates in Los Angeles and doesn’t have organizers outside southern California, we recommend visiting the Restore Equality 2010 website.”
 
Houser joked that Restore Equality 2010 is kind of the super-activist party. “They are able to connect people with organizers in all areas throughout California and within their communities.”
 
Think of it as your go-to guide for when the urge to get involved strikes.
 
While both organizations admit that more volunteers (and/or funds) are necessary for a victory in 2010, they are currently directing their energy and focus on the getting the issue on the ballot. Any donations made to either of the organizations will strictly help to fund the signature gathering process.
 
Henning, who believes Prop 8 passed because many in the LGBT community didn’t think it would and got complacent, feels confidence levels have changed. “There is a great energy level now. There are hundreds of people in California working and spending a lot of their time on marriage equality. That was not true when Prop 8 was running.”
 
Like Houser, he is optimistic that once the petition form is out, people will be even more energized -and the movement towards marriage equality will regain momentum.
 
For now, however, the future roles of Restore Equality 2010 and LHC remain fluid and will be defined by the campaign’s progress as it shifts from signature gathering, to advertising and generating voter turnout.
 
The Restore Equality 2010 website can be found at www.restoreequality2010.com

(LOS ANGELES) /PRNewswire/ — Gay & Lesbian Elder Housing (GLEH), the nation’s only affordable housing development and organization for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) older adults, announced that it raised over $250,000 at its 8th annual Garden Party event entitled “Celebrating Equality’s Pioneers.” The amount raised came from corporate sponsorships, ticket sales, as well as items sold at the silent auction.

Leeza Gibbons

“We are extremely grateful for the tremendous support of the community who came out to support Gay & Lesbian Elder Housing,” said Mark Supper, Executive Director of Gay & Lesbian Elder Housing. “By providing high-quality affordable multi-cultural housing to low-income Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender elders, our donors can be assured that their support helps us to provide vital social services to some of the most vulnerable and under-served seniors in our community.”

During the course of the afternoon’s event entitled “Celebrating Equality’s Pioneers,” Leeza Gibbons delivered a very inspirational and empowering speech addressing the importance of care giving and the importance of providing compassionate services and care to our elders, who have contributed so tirelessly before us and shaped our society into the rich and diverse community we have today. Sharon Gless delivered a very heartfelt and moving speech as well as a call to action on the importance of taking care of our elders, and specifically our LGBT elders and the courage they have displayed through their actions, determination and revolutionary leadership.  Entertainment was choreographed by Mental Head Circus and featured fashions by Andrew Christian.

Sharon Gless

This event was not only a chance for supporters of Gay & Lesbian Elder Housing to take part in an exceptional fund-raising event together, but it was an invitation to the community to celebrate and experience the magic of the nation’s first affordable housing development providing vital housing and social support services to some of the nation’s most vulnerable seniors.

Each year, as our senior population grows, countless low-income LGBT seniors are faced with the challenge of securing safe, permanent affordable housing and social services that address their specific concerns and meet their unique needs. The program is dependent on the contributions and support of the community, private foundations, donors and volunteers.