Latino group strengthens ties to LGBT community - 2422 - Gay Lesbian Bi Trans News

WASHINGTON, D.C.—This past year has been one of historic proportions for NCLR (National Council of La Raza) and its work on LGBT issues. NCLR cosponsored a major survey of Latino attitudes toward the LGBT community which found that a majority of Latinos support equality for this community. The NCLR Board also recently voted to support marriage equality, making it one of the first non-LGBT Latino civil rights organizations to do so. The vote came on the heels of a statement from NCLR President and CEO Janet Murguia which supported President Obama's historic announcement on same-sex marriage. Also, NCLR is introducing a new LGBT workshop track at its 2012 Annual Conference, being held in Las Vegas July 7—10.

To celebrate these achievements and those to come, NCLR is hosting its third annual LGBT and Allies Reception: Viva el Orgullo! at the Annual Conference, Sunday, July 8, from 7 to 9 p.m. Distinguished guests from the LGBT and Latino communities will be in attendance including Murguia and the Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, John Berry, who will receive special recognition. At the event, Murguia and NCLR's Deputy Vice President of Resource Development, Ruben Gonzales, will honor well-known actor and LGBT activist Wilson Cruz.

This special event is made possible with the generous support of American Airlines and the Gill Foundation. To register for the NCLR Conference and the LGBT and Allies Reception, visit www.nclr.org/pressregistration.

WHO: Wilson Cruz, Actor, Activist, and NCLR ALMA Award recipient

John Berry, Director, U.S. Office of Personnel Management

Janet Murguia, NCLR President and CEO

Ruben Gonzales, Deputy Vice President, Resource Development, NCLR

WHAT: Third Annual LGBT and Allies Reception: Viva el Orgullo!

WHEN: Sunday, July 8, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.

WHERE: Mandalay Bay Hotel and Convention Center

Room: Breakers KL

3950 Las Vegas Boulevard, South

Las Vegas, NV 89109

NCLR—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. For more information on NCLR, please visit www.nclr.org .

GROUNDBREAKING LATINO AND LGBT CAMPAIGN "FAMILIA ES FAMILIA" LAUNCHES AT NCLR ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Campaign comprises 22 of the nation's leading Hispanic organizations

LAS VEGAS — Twenty-one of the nation's leading Hispanic organizations announced today their

endorsement of a first-of-its kind, comprehensive public-education campaign called Familia es Familia aimed at strengthening Latino voices to build support within the Latino community for acceptance of LGBT family members.

Public opinion polls show that Latinos really do "lead the way" when it comes to attitudes toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. Several recent studies by the Pew Hispanic Center, Bendixen & Amandi International, 2012 Opportunity Agenda and SSRS found strong support among Hispanics for a number of LGBT issues.

Familia es Familia will be a bilingual campaign providing resources and information that are culturally appropriate to empower voices within and from Latino families and communities. In addition, the campaign will provide training, technical assistance, and support to the 22 Hispanic organizations and will spearhead a national effort to educate the public through a range of viral components including: an interactive bilingual website rich with videos, resources, and publications; social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube; promoting stories and voices in the media; and an organizing campaign to engage the community through their mobile devices.

"The polling shows that many in the Latino community already understand that there is one struggle for equality, a struggle that benefits from appreciating common mission. Familia es Familia is a campaign that will help to deepen the understanding that a discriminatory deprivation of rights on any basis is a cause of concern for all. Together, we can overcome all of the irrational biases that adversely affect any member of the Latino community." Said Thomas A. Saenz, President and General Counsel, MALDEF.

"NCLR is deeply committed to the civil rights of all Americans, including our friends and family in the LGBT community. We are very proud that this ground-breaking public education campaign, "Familia es Familia," is being launched at our Annual Conference this year in Las Vegas," said Janet MurguÃ�a, President and CEO, NCLR.

Brent Wilkes, Executive Director of LULAC, the nation's oldest Latino civil rights organization said, "Since its inception, LULAC has fought for the equality of minorities. All individuals regardless of their race, ethnicity, country of origin or sexual orientation, deserve equal rights."

"A growing majority of Latinos in this country know that every gay or lesbian person is part of someone's family a son or daughter, a brother or sister, a loved one and the more conversations we have, family member to family member, the more support for the freedom to marry grows," said Evan Wolfson, founder and President of Freedom to Marry, the campaign to win marriage nationwide. "Latino gay couples seek the freedom to marry to affirm and strengthen their love, their commitment, and their ability to take care of each other and their families; government should not be putting barriers in their way. Freedom to Marry is proud to be supporting the Familia es Familia campaign to lift up Hispanic voices and stories as together we make the case for ending the exclusion from marriage."

Freedom to Marry provided the seed funding and serves as fiscal sponsor for Familia es Familia. The Gill Foundation has also committed to providing additional resources.

"Given the breadth and depth of this first-of-its-kind campaign, this effort is so vital for our community, and we hope that it will help to change the dialogue and hearts and minds about our Latino LGBT family and community Members." said Ingrid Duran, Laura Esquivel and Catherine Pino, the D&P Creative Strategies team, the lead firm working with Freedom to Marry to create and manage the campaign.

For more information, please visit www.familiaesfamilia.org

Founding Partners

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI)

Cuban American National Council

Dolores Huerta Foundation

Hispanic Federation

Hispanic National Bar Association

Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA)

LatinoJustice PRLDEF

League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)

MANA - A National Latina Organization

Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund (MALDEF)