Spotlight On The Family Equality Council

POSTED BY Gay Travel Team ON Feb 1st, 2012 | 0 COMMENTS

We are proud to introduce our newest partner organization, The Family Equality Council. As usual, we had many questions about how the organization and it's impact on the LGBT community. Here is the Q & A session with Executive Director Jennifer Chrisler...

Why is it so important for the community to support your organization?

"There are 1 million parents in this country who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and they are raising 2 million children. Every day these parents worry about the same things all parents worry about- homework and soccer practice, bedtime and dentist bills. They raise their children to love their country and respect their neighbors. Unfortunately, their children are the collateral damage of laws and policies that target LGBT people. The Family Equality Council works to support, represent and protect these children and their parents."

What makes The Family Equality Council stand out amongst other charities that are similar?

"It is the only national organization dedicated to creating better world for families with LGBT parents and for all families."

Because of our work, LGBT moms and dads come together in a strong community that provides friendship, good advice, and support—just like any other community of parents.
Because of our work, LGBT men and women can find information on starting a family, adopting, or becoming foster parents—and children can find forever families.
Because of our work, more schools, places of worship, hospitals and clinics, and government agencies treat

What can a supporter expect from attending one of your events?

"Our annual awards dinner in Los Angeles and our Night at the Pier event in New York City are opportunities for us to gather together LGBT families, allies, and supporters in a room where we can celebrate the accomplishments of our community and recommit ourselves to the work that’s needed to be done to advance equality for all families. Our community events – Family Week in Provincetown, the Midwest Family Equality Conference in Minneapolis and our Family Pride events are great places where children with LGBT parents can meet, play, and make friends with other children who have LGBT moms and dads. They are also places where our parents can come together in a place where their families and families like theirs can be recognized and celebrated."

What events do you have coming up soon? Can you explain them to us?

"Our three next largest events are:

The 2012 Los Angeles Awards Dinner. Description: On Saturday, Feb. 11, we will hold our annual Los Angeles Awards Dinner. The 2012 Honorees will include: Chad Griffin, Co-founder and Board President of the American Foundation for Equal Rights - the group behind the effort to overturn California’s Proposition 8; former Pennsylvania Representative Patrick Murphy, who helped lead opposition to the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy; and Todd Parr, the award-winning children’s book author. Acclaimed writer/director Rob Reiner and “Modern Family” star Eric Stonestreet are among the award presenters for the evening. Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Broadway performer and star of “Modern Family,” will perform.

On Friday, April 27th and Saturday, April 28th, we will hold the Midwest Family Equality Conference. Now in its 17th year, is the longest running gathering of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender family community in the region. Our Conference is a weekend full of both educational and social events, featuring activities and sessions that allow families with LGBT parents to learn more about the topics that matter to them, to build on their own community of support, to share their stories to open other hearts and minds, and to raise their voices to create social justice.

On Thursday, May 17th through Saturday, May 18th, we will present our first ever Family Weekend in Washington, D.C. This event will bring LGBT parents and their children from across the country to Washington where they will meet with lawmakers and talk about the issues that are important to our families while learning more about our nation’s capital."

More about these events can be found at http://www.familyequality.org/get_involved/events/

Family Equality Council has been at service to the community for 30 years now, why do you think it has been so successful?

"Family Equality Council makes a difference for families because we know the truth about families with lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender parents. We know that children thrive when they are loved, whether their parents are men or women. Over the past 30 years we have built an approach that strengthens families in three ways"