Blog Posts Related to the LGBT Community

  • Customs and Border Protection Proposes Expansion of Joint Customs Declarations

    Posted by Jane Holl Lute on March 27, 2012 at 3:57 PM EDT

    E.d. Note: This blog was cross-posted from the Department of Homeland Security site.

    Today, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) proposed a revision to its customs declaration regulations that will save returning U.S. travelers time and save the agency money while still maintaining security at our ports of entry.

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  • On the Road in Albuquerque: Promoting Healthy Aging

    Posted by Kathy Greenlee on March 27, 2012 at 11:47 AM EDT

    Our country is entering a new era; each day 9,000 people celebrate their 65th birthday in the United States. As our population ages and becomes more diverse, health, community, and long-term care providers will be called upon to serve older adults in a way that is respectful and culturally appropriate.

    Communities are confronting this challenge head-on, coming together, determined to provide our nation’s older adults the resources they need to age gracefully in their homes and communities.

    I witnessed this collaboration last week in Albuquerque, New Mexico, when I was invited to participate in a community forum hosted by Equality New Mexico and the Senior Citizens Law Office. We discussed the unique barriers lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) older adults encounter in gaining access to housing, health care, long-term care and other needed services.

     The President's health care law gives hard working, middle-class families the security they deserve.  The Affordable Care Act forces insurance companies to play by the rules, prohibiting them from dropping your coverage if you get sick, billing you into bankruptcy through annual or lifetime limits, and, soon, discriminating against anyone with a pre-existing condition.  

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  • On the Road in Arlington, Texas: Focus on Safe Schools & Communities

    Posted by Gautam Raghavan on March 26, 2012 at 9:29 AM EDT

    “No on in America should ever be afraid to walk down the street holding the hands of the person they love… no one in America should be forced to look over their shoulder because of who they are.”
                – President Barack Obama, October 28, 2009

    Since taking office, President Obama and his Administration have taken significant steps to ensure the safety and security of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, including signing the Matthew Shepard & James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act and hosting the White House Conference on Bullying Prevention. 

    Last week, the White House partnered with the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education and The University of Texas at Arlington to host the White House LGBT Conference on Safe Schools & Communities to continue this important work.  Over 400 students, teachers, parents, community advocates, law enforcement officers, and elected officials joined senior leaders of the Obama Administration for a day-long conversation about safety and security for LGBT people.

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  • Standing Up for Safe Schools & Communities

    Posted by Gautam Raghavan on March 20, 2012 at 5:04 PM EDT

    Earlier today, Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President, joined Attorney General Eric Holder in Arlington, Texas to deliver keynote remarks at the White House LGBT Conference on Safe Schools & Communities.  In speaking before an audience of over 400 teachers, students, parents, community advocates, law enforcement officers and officials, and elected officials, Valerie described the many important steps the Obama Administration has taken to ensure safety and security for all our young people – including LGBT students – in our schools and neighborhoods.

    Valerie Jarrett at the White House LGBT Conference on Safe Schools and Communities

    Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to President Obama, delivers keynote remarks at the White House LGBT Conference on Safe Schools and Communities at The University of Texas at Arlington, Tuesday, March 20th, 2012. (Photo courtesy of The University of Texas at Arlington).

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  • WATCH LIVE: White House LGBT Conference on Safe Schools & Communities

    Posted by Gautam Raghavan on March 20, 2012 at 9:15 AM EDT

    Today, hundreds of teachers, students, school administrators, law enforcement officers and officials, elected officials, and interested members of the public will join Obama Administration officials in Arlington, Texas for an important conversation on ensuring safe schools and communities for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people across the country.

    The White House LGBT Conference on Safe Schools & Communities is hosted by the White House Office of Public Engagement in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Education, and The University of Texas at Arlington. This event is the third in a series of White House LGBT Conferences that are being held across the country to empower grassroots leaders, community organizers, advocates, and interested citizens by connecting them with Federal government information, resources, and opportunities.

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    The following portions of the Conference will be live streamed here:

    9:30 – 9:45 AM EST               Opening Plenary
    9:45 – 10:45 AM EST             Panel on Safe Communities
    10:45 – 11:45 AM EST           Panel on Safe Schools
    Noon – 1:00 PM EST             Keynote remarks by White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett and Attorney General Eric Holder
    5:30 – 6:00 PM EST               Closing address by Judy Shepard, mother of the late Matthew Shepard and co-founder of the Matthew Shepard Foundation.

    Gautam Raghavan is the Associate Director of the Office of Public Engagement

  • On the Road in Detroit: Focus on Housing & Homelessness

    Posted by Gautam Raghavan and Neill Coleman on March 19, 2012 at 9:35 AM EDT

    Across the country, organizations and individuals are doing important work to address the housing needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and prevent homelessness among members of the LGBT community.  Earlier this month, hundreds of advocates, community organizers, and interested members of the public came together in Detroit, Michigan for the White House LGBT Conference on Housing & Homelessness to participate in an important dialogue with the Obama Administration on these issues.  The Conference was hosted by the White House Office of Public Engagement in partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) and the Ruth Ellis Center, a Detroit-based center for runaway and homeless LGBT youth.

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  • U.S. Departments of Justice and Education Resolve Harassment Allegations in Anoka-Hennepin School District

    Posted by Tom Perez and Russlynn Ali on March 8, 2012 at 10:11 AM EDT

    Education is the great equalizer. Yet students cannot learn if they are afraid to go to school.  Students cannot learn if they are being harassed and threatened.  Students cannot learn if they feel that school administrators don’t and won’t protect them. 

    In the Anoka-Hennepin School District in Minnesota, the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education investigated whether the learning environment in the schools was unsafe and unwelcoming for students who did not conform to gender stereotypes, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students.  Some students were afraid to go to school because they were repeatedly harassed.  Some students faced threats, physical violence, derogatory language, and other forms of harassment on a daily basis.  As a result, some students stopped attending school for periods of time, dropped out, and even contemplated or attempted suicide. 

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  • Celebrating Repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” at the SLDN National Dinner

    Posted by Gautam Raghavan on March 4, 2012 at 3:30 PM EDT

    Valerie Jarrett Speaks at the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network 20th National Dinner

    Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett delivers keynote remarks at the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network 20th National Dinner in Washington, D.C., Saturday, March 3, 2012 (Photo by Chris Burch/SLDN).

    On Saturday, over 1,000 gay and lesbian service members, veterans, and military families gathered for the first Servicemembers Legal Defense Network national dinner since the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” last September.  At the dinner, Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to President Obama, delivered a keynote address commemorating the occasion.

    Here are her prepared remarks:

    Good evening.

    You know, Aubrey, after an introduction like that I think the smart thing for me to do would just be to say thank you and sit right back down. I deeply appreciate your kind words. Thank you for your many years of leadership at SLDN, and for your friendship. I know I speak on behalf of everyone here when I say how much you will be missed when you step down.  

    Last Wednesday, President Obama and the First Lady hosted an extraordinary event at the White House—a dinner in honor of the veterans of the War in Iraq. During his toast, the President said, “You taught us about sacrifice—a love of country so deep, so profound, you were willing to give your lives for it.”

    On the President’s behalf, thank you to all of the servicemembers and veterans who are here tonight. You’ve put your lives on the line in order to keep us safe. We will never forget what you’ve done for America, and President Obama is committed to making sure that we serve you as well as you have served us.

    I also want to recognize all of the military families who sacrifice so much, and who also deserve our appreciation and recognition. Let’s give them a big round of applause.

    I’d like to thank one of the co-founders of SLDN, Michelle Benecke and Dixon Osburn, who is here tonight. And finally, I’d like to thank the board, staff, and supporters of SLDN for making tonight possible. 

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