National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Encyclopedia
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (The Task Force) builds the political power of the lesbian
, gay
, bisexual
and transgender
(LGBT
) community from the ground up. The Task Force is the country’s premier social justice organization fighting to improve the lives of LGBT people, and working to create positive, lasting change and opportunity for all. It was founded in 1973 by Dr. Howard Brown
, Dr. Bruce Voeller
, who was the organization's first director, Reverend Robert Carter and Dr. Frank Kameny, in New York
. It is the oldest national LGBT rights organization in the United States. The current executive director is Rea Carey.
Their federal advocacy includes advocating for hate crimes protections, employment and other nondiscrimination protections and equal benefits and regulatory treatment for LGBT people, couples and families.
This program's goals are to gain:
Transgender Civil Rights Project
The primary goal of the Transgender Civil Rights Project is to increase the number of state, local, and federal laws that prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and expression. It provides legislative and strategy assistance, including evaluation of legislative language, to activists and organizations working to pass trans-inclusive anti-discrimination bills or to add transgender protections to existing laws. Although the primary work centers on nondiscrimination laws, the project provides assistance to policymakers and activists working to develop other policies or laws relating to transgender equality.
Government Resources Project
Provides assistance to community-based organizations working to attain government resources.
Legislative Lawyering Project
Provides assistance to activists, organizations, policymakers and political leaders with their efforts to pass pro-LGBT measures and defeat anti-LGBT proposals.
National Religious Leadership Roundtable
Roundtable
that brings together people of faith who support equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. The Task Force has convened these meetings since 1997.
The goals of this project are to:
In 2005, it protested against the Instruction Concerning the Criteria for the Discernment of Vocations with regard to Persons with Homosexual Tendencies in view of their Admission to the Seminary and to Holy Orders, forbidding the ordination of gay seminarians.
Institute for Welcoming Resources
Provides new resources, training and strategies to help increase the number of people of faith who support equality for LGBT people.
National Policy Roundtable
Convenes the executive directors of policy-oriented national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) and HIV/AIDS organizations and the national co-chairs of policy-oriented national associations of local and state organizations semi-annually for two days of discussion, strategic thinking, information sharing and development of collaborative projects. The Task Force has convened these meetings since 1997.
The goals of this project are to:
The Policy Institute conducts research, public policy analysis and strategy development on an array of issues, including:
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, bisexual
Bisexuality
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
and transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
(LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
) community from the ground up. The Task Force is the country’s premier social justice organization fighting to improve the lives of LGBT people, and working to create positive, lasting change and opportunity for all. It was founded in 1973 by Dr. Howard Brown
Howard Junior Brown
Dr. Howard Brown , a founder of the National Gay Task Force and a former New York City Health Services Administrator, helped change the image of gay men and lesbians in the United States by coming out publicly in 1973.- Background :Born in Peoria, Illinois, on April 15, 1924, to a civil engineer,...
, Dr. Bruce Voeller
Bruce Voeller
Bruce Raymond Voeller was a biologist and researcher, primarily in the study of AIDS.-Biography:Voeller was born in Minneapolis...
, who was the organization's first director, Reverend Robert Carter and Dr. Frank Kameny, in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. It is the oldest national LGBT rights organization in the United States. The current executive director is Rea Carey.
Mission statement
The mission of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force isto build the grassroots power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. We do this by training activists, equipping state and local organizations with the skills needed to organize broad-based campaigns to defeat anti-LGBT referendums and advance pro-LGBT legislation, and building the organizational capacity of our movement. Our Policy Institute, the movement’s premier think tank, provides research and policy analysis to support the struggle for complete equality and to counter right-wing lies. As part of a broader social justice movement, we work to create a nation that respects the diversity of human expression and identity and creates opportunity for all.
Academy for Leadership and Action
The Academy for Leadership and Action was created by the Task Force in 2008 in response to a shortage of qualified candidates to fill local, state and national positions of significant responsibility in the LGBT movement. One of the Academy’s primary goals is to build a diverse pool of skilled leaders and activists across the country. So the Task Force tries to develop strategic partnerships with individuals and organizations that are known as the best trainers in their fields across political and social justice movements. The Academy is also involved in Faith work, largely through its Institute for Welcoming Resources (IWR). Through these activities the Task Force is able to promote the voice of pro-LGBT faith leaders to help counteract today’s seemingly unending stream of religious-based bigotry.Creating Change Conference
Creating Change is a national grassroots organizing LGBT conference. It is a skills building conference with over 2,000 attendees from all over the country. Each year the conference is held in a different region of the United States and is considered a unique environment where activists and leaders come together from diverse places and backgrounds to create a unique community that is both strengthening and inspiring to the participants. Plenary sessions provide a common meeting ground for the conference to explore current issues in the LGBT community. In 2003, the conference featured the first ever Skills Academy for Leadership and Action, an all day session dedicated to skills training for grassroots activists.Public Policy & Government Affairs
This program lobbies public officials for new money, comprehensive anti-discrimination laws and equal protections, benefits and opportunities for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans.Their federal advocacy includes advocating for hate crimes protections, employment and other nondiscrimination protections and equal benefits and regulatory treatment for LGBT people, couples and families.
This program's goals are to gain:
- A fair share of our tax dollars for the LGBT community.
- Government resources to meet for the LGBT community’s health and human service needs.
- Federal legislation to achieve hate crimes protections, employment and other nondiscrimination protections and equal benefits and regulatory treatment for LGBT people, couples and families.
Transgender Civil Rights Project
The primary goal of the Transgender Civil Rights Project is to increase the number of state, local, and federal laws that prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and expression. It provides legislative and strategy assistance, including evaluation of legislative language, to activists and organizations working to pass trans-inclusive anti-discrimination bills or to add transgender protections to existing laws. Although the primary work centers on nondiscrimination laws, the project provides assistance to policymakers and activists working to develop other policies or laws relating to transgender equality.
Government Resources Project
Provides assistance to community-based organizations working to attain government resources.
Legislative Lawyering Project
Provides assistance to activists, organizations, policymakers and political leaders with their efforts to pass pro-LGBT measures and defeat anti-LGBT proposals.
National Religious Leadership Roundtable
Roundtable
Round table (discussion)
Round table is a form of academic discussion. Participants agree on a specific topic to discuss and debate. Each person is given equal right to participate, because of the circular layout usually used in round table discussions....
that brings together people of faith who support equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. The Task Force has convened these meetings since 1997.
The goals of this project are to:
- Amplify the voice of pro-LGBT faith organizations in public discourse.
- Promote understanding of and respect for LGBT people within society at large and in communities of faith.
- Promote understanding and respect within LGBT communities for a variety of faith paths and for religious liberty.
- Achieve common goals that promote equality, spirituality and justice.
In 2005, it protested against the Instruction Concerning the Criteria for the Discernment of Vocations with regard to Persons with Homosexual Tendencies in view of their Admission to the Seminary and to Holy Orders, forbidding the ordination of gay seminarians.
Institute for Welcoming Resources
Provides new resources, training and strategies to help increase the number of people of faith who support equality for LGBT people.
National Policy Roundtable
Convenes the executive directors of policy-oriented national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) and HIV/AIDS organizations and the national co-chairs of policy-oriented national associations of local and state organizations semi-annually for two days of discussion, strategic thinking, information sharing and development of collaborative projects. The Task Force has convened these meetings since 1997.
The goals of this project are to:
- Strengthen relationships between national LGBT organization leaders.
- Brief LGBT organization leaders on policy issues of common concern.
- Strategize about pending challenges to the LGBT movement and mechanisms for response.
- Generate collaborative efforts among national LGBT organizations and associations.
Policy Institute
The Policy Institute of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is a think tank that conducts social science research, policy analysis, strategy development, public education and advocacy to advance equality and greater understanding of LGBT people. The Policy Institute is the leading LGBT research institute in the U.S., and conducts groundbreaking research and analysis to document the demographics of the LGBT community and ways various policy frameworks affect LGBT people and families. The Policy Institute provides both in-depth, comprehensive studies and reports on key issues and research and data to respond to immediate challenges. The Policy Institute's publications and research studies are used by academics, other national and local organizations, grassroots activists, and the media.The Policy Institute conducts research, public policy analysis and strategy development on an array of issues, including:
- Aging
- Anti-gay movement
- BisexualBisexual communityBisexual community is a term used to describe members of the LGBT community who identify as bisexual, pansexual, "fluid", and queer-identified, as well as their allies...
issues - Demographics of the LGBT community
- DiscriminationDiscriminationDiscrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
- Economic issues
- Education policy
- Elections and politics
- Faith Family policy, including marriage/partner recognition and parenting
- Hate violence
- Health and HIV/AIDS
- Public opinionPublic opinionPublic opinion is the aggregate of individual attitudes or beliefs held by the adult population. Public opinion can also be defined as the complex collection of opinions of many different people and the sum of all their views....
- Racial and economic justice
- TransgenderTransgenderTransgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
issues - Youth
Previous Executive Directors
- Matt ForemanMatt Foreman (gay rights activist)Matt Foreman is an American lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights activist.As of April 2008, Foreman will lead the Gay & Lesbian Program at the Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund. The Haas, Jr...
- Lorri JeanLorri JeanLorri L. Jean is nationally recognized as one of the most seasoned and effective leaders in the LGBT civil rights movement...
- Elizabeth Toledo
- Kerry Lobel
- Melinda Paras
- Peri Jude Radecic
- Torie Osborn
- Urvashi VaidUrvashi VaidUrvashi Vaid is an American activist who has worked for over 25 years promoting civil rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons.- Political activism :...
- Virginia Apuzzo
- Jeff Levi
- Bruce Voeller
- Jean O'LearyJean O'LearyJean O'Leary , was an American gay and lesbian rights activist.-Biography:Born in Kingston, New York and raised in Ohio, in 1966, just out of high school, O'Leary entered the novitiate of the Sisters of the Holy Humility of Mary, in order to "have an impact on the world." After graduating from...
- Charles Brydon
- Lucia Valeska
See also
- LGBT rights in the United States
- List of LGBT rights organizations