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Dear ,
We hope you will join us on Feb 25 for our Monthly Meeting where we will unveil our new website.
Also join us in welcoming Tuft's Fletcher school LGBT students for a happy hour on February 26 at Tonic.
EMAIL by COB Friday! - GLIFAA is looking to a LGBT tour of the diplomatic reception room on March 4 at 2:45pm for members, partners, and anyone else! Email Ashton Giese at gieseak@state.gov if interested.
For Members: GLIFAA encourages all members who have paid their dues to sign up for our new Google Group where members worldwide can share views on our policy issues and provide direct input into the efforts of the board in Washington. To join, just visit http://groups.google.com/group/glifaa and sign up! This group will supplement (but not replace) our google group for post reps. We plan to continue the network of post representatives because it's important we have an official GLIFAA point of contact at every post. We hope you'll visit http://groups.google.com/group/glifaa and sign up today! Also see below about a GLIFAA-sponsored Scholarship for LGBT foreign affairs interns!
-The GLIFAA Board |
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 GLIFAA Monthly General Meeting - New Website!
This month's hosts, GLIFAA Hill Liaison, Mike Margolies and his partner Shalom Konstantino will welcome you to Columbia Heights!
Special Guests: Look for an email next week!
Location:
1390 Kenyon St NW
Apartment 602
(building is directly above the Metro Station)
Metro: Columbia Heights (Green line) Thursday, February 25th
6:30pm - 8:00pm
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February Reception for Fletcher School LGBT Group
Join GLIFAA as we welcome Tuft's Fletcher school students to learn about Foreign Service careers! We will meet just down the street from Main State at Tonic, a local restaurant and bar.
All are welcome!
Location: Tonic
Historic "Quigley's Pharmacy" Building
2036 G Street NW
Metro: Foggy Bottom
Friday, February 26th
6:00pm-8:00pm
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March Monthly Happy Hour Join GLIFAA at our regularly scheduled monthly happy hour - this month we have rescheduled to welcome GLASS, the Gay, Lesbian, and Allies Senate Staff Caucus for a joint event.
All are welcome!
Location: Nellie's Sports Bar
900 U Street NW
Metro: U Street (Green/Yellow Line)
Tuesday, March 9th
6:00pm-8:00pm
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Donate! - LGBT Foreign Affairs Scholarship
The LGBT Foreign Affairs Scholarship Board will award one $2,500 scholarship to a disadvantaged student who plans to intern in a foreign affairs-related field. The LGBT Foreign Affairs Scholarship serves as need and merit-based financial aid for students pursuing degrees and/or careers in foreign affairs.
The fund helps reduce the personal costs for students in high cost housing areas such as Washington, DC or in other world capitols or cities. The Scholarship partners with GLIFAA to foster knowledge of international issues and careers for disadvantaged youth.
The scholarship committee will award the scholarship based on the following criteria:
Demonstrated financial need
Demonstrated strong interest in working in foreign affairs
A committed LGBT advocate
Attainment sophomore status or higher
Contact Ashton Giese to find out more about the organization. Email lgbtscholarship@glifaa.org.
GLIFAA
P.O. Box 18774
Washington, DC 20036-8774
Memo: "Scholarship"
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Black History Month Event!
The Office of Civil Rights (S/OCR) Invites You to Celebrate
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
The History of
Black Economic Empowerment
with opening remarks from
Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton
and featuring
Debra Lee, CEO of Black Entertainment Television (BET)
10:00 a.m.- 11:00 a.m.
Monday, February 22, 2010
George C. Marshall Conference Center
Light refreshments will be served. |
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Book Talk: Sustaining LGBT Organizations
The Council for Global Equality and NESsT cordially invite you to a reception celebrating the launch of the pioneering new book
end of the rainbow
Increasing the sustainability of LGBT organizations through social enterprise
Please join us for a wine & cheese discussion with the author, Lee Davis, Co-Founder & CEO of NESsT, along with a perspective from Ambassador Michael Guestof the Council for Global Equality.
Monday, March 1, 2010 from 6:00 - 7:30 pm
at the conference facility of the
National Academy of Public Administration
900 7th Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20001
(Metro: Gallery Place/Chinatown;
Parking: InterPark garage located on I (Eye) Street & on 7th Street)
Please RSVP by February 25to Lee Davis atldavis@nesst.org
About End of the Rainbow:
End of the Rainbow introduces social enterprise as an opportunity for some LGBT organizations to contribute to their financial sustainability and increase
their social impact. The book explores the growing interest in LGBT social enterprise worldwide and the myriad of social enterprise models LGBT organizations are undertaking. End of the Rainbow also explores the lessons learned by LGBT organizations -- and the challenges they face -- in managing social enterprises. Finally, it recommends ways in which donors and social investors can foster LGBT social enterprise. www.nesst.org/endoftherainbow
About NESsT
NESsT works to solve critical social problems in emerging market countries by developing and supporting social enterprises. The NESsT Venture Fund provides financing and mentoring to social enterprises in 10 countries in Central Europe & Latin America. Since 1997, NESsT has supported the development of over 2,000 social enterprises, transforming thousands of lives and demonstrating entrepreneurial solutions to critial social problems in emerging markets. www.nesst.org
About the Council for Global Equality
The Council for Global Equality brings together international human rights activists, foreign policy experts, LGBT leaders, philanthropists and corporate officials to encourage a clearer and stronger American voice on human rights concerns impacting LGBT communities around the world. www.globalequality.org
NESsT wishes to thank the Arcus Foundation for the generous financial support that made it possible to publish End of the Rainbow.
Printed copies of End of the Rainbow will be available for participants at a special 50% discounted price of only $10.
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2010 Out & Equal Workplace Summit Teleconference!
Register now for the Feb. 25 Town Call, where you will learn how you can take part in the 2010 Out & Equal Workplace Summit, the world's premier conference on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workplace equality, set for Oct. 5-8 in Los Angeles.
The Town Call, which is free, will explore how you can submit Summit workshop proposals and how to nominate candidates for the prestigious Out & Equal Workplace Award, known as "the Outies," that will be awarded during the Summit.
Workshop proposals
The Out & Equal Workplace Summit offers the chance to unite and share the information needed to advance lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workplace equality. Now more than ever, Out & Equal workshops are invaluable tools to keep up with the changes happening around us and in the workplace.
Associate Director of Summit & Events Anthony Bannon will discuss Summit workshop submittal process, as well as introduce the core concepts that will be addressed during this year's conference, which attracts thousands of participants from across the country and around the world.
Why present a workshop?
- Teach and interact with hundreds of workplace leaders from around the nation and the world, representing dozens of top companies and organizations
- Showcase your organization's best practices
- Be recognized as a leader in advancing workplace equality
- Receive a discounted three-day Summit registration
Request for Proposals for the 2010 Workplace Summit workshops will be posted to www.OutandEqual.org at lease one week before the Town Call.
The deadline for 2010 Workplace Summit workshop proposals is April 30. |
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Out and Equal Trainings
Building Bridges:
Popular Out & Equal LGBT training program now offered through online webinars
The Building Bridges Toward LGBT Diversity webinar series is a three-part training course conducted by certified Out & Equal trainers. This program targets senior executives, managers, human resources and diversity professionals, customer service representatives and the general employee population. Instructors also have experience with social services, faith communities, governmental and educational employers, and provide relevant examples based on the course attendees.
The course is designed to help employers get the most from their employees. This training fosters increased awareness to develop a healthier and safer workplace where all employees are engaged in the mission, increasing the level of comfort for all and improving communication between LGBT and straight employees and the customers they serve.
On Mar. 4, we will be offering the third part of the series, Action Planning. Dates will be coordinated with participants upon registering. This webinar will include:
- The action planning for your workplace using internal resources and Out & Equal best practices to identify the next steps for achieving LGBT workplace inclusion
- Case studies, best practices and small group discussion increase the effectiveness of preparing your action plan
All webinars are 75-minutes long and will begin at 8:30 a.m. Pacific (9:30 a.m. Mountain; 10:30 a.m. Central; 11:30 a.m. Eastern).
Regular participant registration is $49.95 for each part (government and nonprofit rates available).You can save by registering for all three parts of the course by contacting Out & Equal Senior Program Associate Morgan Green to enroll. If you missed part one, Terminology and Concepts, it is now available for review as webinar recording.
If you haven't already registered for an individual part of Building Bridges, you can save now by pre-registering for all three parts of the Building Bridges program at a discount. Please note that you must contact Morgan to enroll in a course after pre-registering.
This course has been approved by the Human Resources Certification Institute for three credit recertification hours. Completion of Building Bridges is a prerequisite to taking the LGBT Diversity Leadership Train the Trainer course.
Learn more about group discounts - for more than five registrations - by contacting Morgan.
Regional on-site trainings:
Train the Trainer and Building Bridges
2010 Out & Equal St. Louis training
Building Bridges Toward LGBT Diversity (class only)
When: March 16
Time: 9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Central
Where: Monsanto Company, St. Louis, MO
LGBT Diversity Leadership Training - Train the Trainer (includes the above LGBT diversity training)
When: March 16
Time: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Central
Where: Monsanto Company, St. Louis, MO
[This course has been submitted to the Society for Human Resources Management's Human Resource Certification Institute and is pending approval for continuing education credits.]
2010 Out & Equal Tampa Bay Training
LGBT Diversity Leadership Training in the Workplace (class only)
When: April 13
Time: 9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Eastern
Where: Nielsen, Oldsmar, FL
LGBT Diversity Leadership Training - Train the Trainer
(includes the above LGBT diversity training)
When: April 13
Time: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Eastern
Where: Nielsen, Oldsmar, FL
Building Bridges
When: April 14
Time: 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Eastern
Where: Nielsen, Oldsmar, FL
[This course has been submitted to the Society for Human Resources Management's Human Resource Certification Institute and is pending approval for continuing education credits.] | |
Out & Equal Workplace Advocates™ is a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.
Out & Equal champions safe and equitable workplaces for lesbian, gay, bisexual,
and transgender (LGBT) people. The organization advocates building and
strengthening successful organizations that value all employees, customers, and
communities. Visit our website. | | |
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Equality Messaging in Marriage Battles Insufficient
They believe that gay and lesbian relationships deserve legal recognition but fear that calling such unions "marriage" would tarnish the institution. They have close friends or family members who are gay, yet they are concerned about how same-sex marriage would affect their children.
And changing the way they think about marriage equality is crucial to future state initiative battles.
In a new study released Friday by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research for the moderate-progressive think tank Third Way, researchers polled the elusive "middle" voter base - one that gay rights groups have failed to persuade at the ballot box with messages of fairness and equality. Greenberg Quinlan polled voters from two ballot initiatives with opposing outcomes in November: Question 1 in Maine, which stripped marriage rights from same-sex couples; and Referendum 71 in Washington, which expanded rights for domestic partners. View the Study here. |
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Don't Ask/Don't Tell -- Reserch Supports Policy Change
Recently, the Williams Institute released a research brief that updates estimates of the number of lesbian, gay, and bisexual men and women serving in the US military along with the cost of the Don't Ask/Don't Tell policy.
Dr. Gary J. Gates, Williams Distinguished Scholar and study author states that, "Despite official policy requiring that lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals remain silent about their sexual orientation, data from the US Census Bureau suggest that an estimated 66,000 LGB men and women are serving in the US military."
The study also updates prior estimates of the cost of the Don't Ask/Don't Tell policy made by the General Accountability Office and the Palm Center at the University of California , Santa Barbara . Gates concludes that, "Ending Don't Ask/Don't Tell will save a substantial amount of taxpayer dollars since estimates suggest that the policy has cost more than half a billion dollars."
Key findings from the analyses are as follows:
● An estimated 66,000 lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals are serving in the US military, accounting for approximately 2.2% of military personnel.
● Approximately 13,000 LGB people are serving on active duty (comprising 0.9% of all active duty personnel) while nearly 53,000 are serving in the guard and reserve forces (3.4%).
● While women comprise only about 14% of active duty personnel, they comprise more than 43% of LGB men and women serving on active duty.
● Lifting DADT restrictions could attract an estimated 36,700 men and women to active duty service and 12,000 more individuals to the guard and reserve.
● Since its inception in 1994, the "Don't Ask/Don't Tell" policy has cost the military between $290 million and more than a half a billion dollars.
● The military spends an estimated $22,000 to $43,000 per person to replace those discharged under DADT.
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Report Criticises PEPFAR Program -- AIDS relief inadequate.
The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief has saved many lives and profoundly shaped the global response to HIV. But like the proverbial Trojan Horse, it has been let into the gates with a belly full of hidden contradictions-insufficient attention to marginalized communities, earmarks for unscientific programming, and forced "pledges" that both undermine sound reproductive rights programming and challenge basic rights to freedom of expression.
In this report, Washington insider Scott Evertz takes a serious look at the politics of one of our country's signature foreign assistance programs. Scott is the former director of President George W. Bush's Office of National AIDS Policy and an openly gay Republican, and his analysis reflects a degree of experience and honesty that is too often obscured by the rigid ideology and partisan policymaking that have-up until now-been the cornerstones of PEPFAR and the Bush administration's bilateral funding strategy.
Many of us who are active in the fight against HIV in Africa, where AIDS has hit the hardest and where most PEPFAR funds have been spent, watched with disappointment in the early days of PEPFAR as the Bush administration redefined the "ABC" approach as a preference for abstinence-until-marriage programming; as NGOs doing good work lost their funding as a result of the prostitution pledge; and as foreign governments, implementing agencies, and USAID program officers exhibited a stunning disregard for the needs of men who have sex with men and other HIV-vulnerable groups.
The fight against HIV/AIDS is far too serious for partisan ideology, for moralizing and marginalization, or for practitioners to shy away from self-critique and the determination to do better. A serious reassessment of the U.S. government's commitments to fighting HIV and providing prevention services, care, and support to those affected is long overdue. PEPFAR can still be the vibrant and inclusive initiative that the infected and affected-all of us-hoped it would be when it was launched. This will only happen if the Obama administration adopts the changes in policy and practice necessary to make PEPFAR a program worthy of its promise.
-Cary Alan Johnson
Executive director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission and author of Off the Map: How HIV Programs are Failing Same-Sex Practicing People in Africa. | |
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