[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 63 (Wednesday, April 30, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E630-E631]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     42ND ANNIVERSARY OF THE GAY AND LESBIAN ACTIVISTS ALLIANCE OF 
                        WASHINGTON, D.C. (GLAA)

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 30, 2014

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of 
Representatives to join me in celebrating the 43rd anniversary of the 
Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington, DC (GLAA). GLAA is a 
valued organization that has become a local leader in the struggle for 
equal rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) 
community.
  Since its formation in April 1971, GLAA has been a respected and 
tireless advocate for full and equal rights for the residents of the 
District of Columbia, and has been at the forefront of efforts to 
strengthen enforcement of the landmark D.C. Human Rights Act of 1977. 
One of GLAA's most significant achievements, on which it worked with 
coalition partners, D.C. elected officials, and District residents, was 
the enactment of the District of Columbia Religious Freedom and Civil 
Rights Equality Amendment, which permits same-sex couples to marry in 
the District.
  In addition to its leadership on LGBT rights in the District, GLAA 
has always provided leadership on a wide range of civil rights issues, 
such as family rights, police accountability, and access to condoms in 
prisons and D.C. public schools. GLAA also emphasizes effective public 
health strategies and accountability in the fight against HIV/AIDS in 
the District.
  At GLAA's 34rd anniversary reception on April 30, 2014, the 
recipients of its 2014 Distinguished Service Awards will be recognized, 
including:
  Jerry Clark, Chair of the D.C. Statehood Coalition, political 
director of D.C. for Democracy, and a board member of the Coalition to 
Stop Gun Violence. He has served as a trustee for the Law and Society 
Association, a co-chair of the Whitman-Walker spring gala, and as a 
member of the Democratic National Committee's Gay and Lesbian 
Leadership Council. He has served on the board of directors of the

[[Page E631]]

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, including as co-chair. He was 
appointed to the Mayor's Committee on the 15th Anniversary of the March 
on Washington. He earned his J.D. from the University of Chicago and 
his undergraduate degree from Princeton. He is a health benefits 
consultant.
  Earl D. Fowlkes, Jr., President and CEO of the Center for Black 
Equity, Inc. (originally known as the International Federation of Black 
Prides), the only Black LGBT international organization in the world. 
He founded IFBP in 1999 as a coalition of Black Pride organizers in the 
United States, Canada, United Kingdom and South Africa to promote a 
multinational network of LGBT Pride and community-based organizations. 
There are over 30 Black Pride events with over 450,000 attendees each 
year. IFBP became the Center for Black Equity in 2012 with an expanded 
mission ``to promote a multinational LGBT network dedicated to 
improving health and wellness opportunities, economic empowerment, and 
equal rights while promoting individual and collective work, 
responsibility, and self-determination.'' He previously served as 
executive director of the DC Comprehensive AIDS Resources and Education 
Consortium (formerly known as the DC CARE Consortium) and Damien 
Ministries. He was licensed as a Social Worker in New Jersey, and has 
worked on HIV/AIDS and LGBT issues for 25 years. He serves on seven 
nonprofit boards, and is chair of Mayor Vincent Gray's LGBT Advisory 
Committee. He attended Rutgers University with degrees in history and 
business.
  Alison Gill, Government Affairs Director at The Trevor Project, the 
leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide 
prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender queer 
(LGBTQ) youth, where she coordinates advocacy for LGBTQ youth mental 
health and well-being through policy initiatives at the federal, state, 
and local level. Prior to joining The Trevor Project, Alison was Public 
Policy Manager at the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, where 
she focused on state and local safe schools policy issues. Alison also 
engages in local transgender advocacy in Washington, DC, through Trans 
Legal Advocates of Washington. Alison is a graduate of Rutgers 
University, and received her J.D. from The George Washington University 
Law School.
  I ask the House to join me in honoring the recipients of GLAA's 2014 
Distinguished Service Award and in celebrating GLAA's 43 years of 
contributions to the LGBT community in the District of Columbia.

                          ____________________