[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 59 (Tuesday, April 24, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E626-E627]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE GAY AND LESBIAN ACTIVISTS ALLIANCE OF WASHINGTON, DC 
                                 (GLAA)

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 24, 2012

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a Washington, DC 
institution, which I have the distinct honor and pleasure representing 
in this body, that has been a local leader in the struggle for equal 
rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, LGBT, people: the 
Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington, DC, GLAA.
  GLAA has, since its founding in April 1971, remained a respected and 
tireless advocate for political freedom for the District of Columbia 
and for equal rights for its residents.
  GLAA continues in the vanguard of efforts to strengthen enforcement 
of DC's landmark Human Rights Act of 1977.
  GLAA, by working with coalition partners, DC officials and the wider 
public, implemented a well-crafted plan of grass-roots action and 
education that helped achieve marriage equality in the District.
  GLAA fights to ensure that LGBT residents are treated fairly and 
respectfully by DC agencies, from the police and fire departments to 
the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs to the DC public 
schools.
  GLAA pushes for effective public health strategies and accountability 
in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
  GLAA has rated all DC Mayoral and Council candidates in every 
election since the establishment of home rule, and uses a system noted 
for its fairness and nonpartisanship.
  GLAA provides leadership in coalition efforts on a wide range of 
civil rights issues, from family rights to condom availability in 
prisons and public schools to police accountability.
  GLAA activity opposes federal restrictions on the District's budget 
that adversely affect LGBT people.
  GLAA enhances its outreach by maintaining a comprehensive website of 
LGBT advocacy materials, the GLAA Forum blog, and the DCGayEtc.com news 
aggregator.
  On April 26, GLAA will hold its 41st Anniversary Reception honoring 
this year's recipients of its Distinguished Service Awards: Burgundy 
Crescent Volunteers, The Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League, Ruby 
Corado, Jeri Hughes, Will O'Bryan, and Jeffrey D. Richardson.
  Burgundy Crescent Volunteers was founded in 2001 as a source of LGBT 
volunteers for gay and gay-friendly non-profit organizations in the 
District, Maryland, and Virginia, and brings LGBT singles and couples 
together for volunteer activities that are social in nature. The group, 
a non-profit, has over 5,000 members, who have provided over 100,000 
volunteer hours to the community. Their good efforts have ranged from 
doing yard work for GLAA's founder, Frank Kameny, to pruning the cherry 
trees at the Tidal Basin.
  The Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League, SMYAL, was founded in 
1984 to promote and support self-confident, healthy, and

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productive lives for LGBT and questioning youth ages 13 21, as they 
transition from adolescence into adulthood. SMYAL is the only 
Washington metro area service organization dedicated solely to 
supporting LGBTQ and questioning youth. The staff and volunteers 
concentrate on five activities: Life Skills and Leadership Development; 
Counseling and Support; Health and Wellness Education; Safe Social 
Activities; and Community Outreach and Education.
  Ruby Corado has been a transgender rights activist in DC for over 15 
years, focusing on the Latino community in the areas of health care, 
HIV, human rights, and immigration. She has been tireless and outspoken 
in defending and assisting transgender people, demanding justice for 
brutalized and murdered sex workers. She has been at victims' hospital 
bedsides, at meetings with police officials, and at crime scenes, and 
has organized vigils, bringing her own experience as a Latina 
transwoman to bear in promoting the interests of this at-risk community 
in our city. Ruby has worked as a program manager for Whitman Walker 
Health, Transgender Health Empowerment, and Latinas En Accion, a group 
she has led for many years.
  Jeri Hughes has persistently and doggedly pressed the District 
government to increase its employment of transgender people. Her 
efforts led Mayor Vincent Gray to direct the Department of Employment 
Services to conduct Project Empowerment job training for transgender 
citizens. Her efforts to highlight violations of the DC Human Rights 
Act by the Department of Corrections have led to ongoing efforts by the 
city and activists to improve the treatment of the city's transgender 
inmates and detainees. Jeri Hughes helps transgender people every day 
in her job at Transgender Health Empowerment.
  Will O'Bryan is Managing Editor of Metro Weekly, which he joined in 
2005 as a community reporter. He previously served as a news reporter 
and arts editor for the Washington Blade, and as a media liaison for a 
nonprofit health organization. Prior to that, he was arts and 
entertainment editor for Just Out, the Pacific Northwest's premier LGBT 
publication. Will is an unwavering advocate for coverage of the entire 
breadth of the LGBT community, especially those who are often 
neglected. In his biweekly column, ``Stonewall Baby,'' he personally 
engages issues affecting our entire community. He exemplifies the 
quiet, unheralded commitment of the many people who do the vital work 
of building community.
  Jeffrey D. Richardson is Director of the Mayor's Office of Gay, 
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Affairs, where he has taken the 
initiative to connect activists with key agency staff and get results. 
His tireless efforts have ranged from advocacy within the government to 
supervising young LGBT interns. He brings to his job the empathy and 
service-oriented approach that he developed in his career as a social 
worker. In his prior post as president of the Gertrude Stein Democratic 
Club, he was a steady leader who worked amicably and productively with 
GLAA and other advocacy groups and this year's recipients of its 
Distinguished Service Award.
  I ask the House to join me in congratulating the Gay and Lesbian 
Activists Alliance.

                          ____________________