Press

MEDIA CONTACT:
Roberta Sklar, Director of Communications
media@theTaskForce.org
646.358.1465

On behalf of the Board, staff, volunteers and supporters of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to the same-sex couples who are getting married today in Massachusetts.

This wonderful day would never have happened but for the more than four decades of struggle for equal rights by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people all across our nation. Day after day, year after year, we have opened hearts and changed minds.

There are so many people in Massachusetts to whom we owe this extraordinary breakthrough, including Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, Mary Bonauto, MassEquality, the Massachusetts Freedom to Marry Coalition, our own Sue Hyde, the couples who joined in the Goodridge litigation, and the tens of thousands of Massachusetts residents - gay and straight - who have come forward to preserve Goodridge and celebrate for our families. We also applaud the four justices on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court for having the courage to impose the rule of law in the face of extraordinary opposition.

No doubt, the religious and political right will attempt to use today to further fan the flames of homophobia and intolerance. Our community - and the Task Force - will be there to fight back. The fight will be long and hard, but we now know we will prevail.

For today, though, let's all rejoice and savor this wonderful moment in our movement's history.

–30–

The mission of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is to build the political power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community from the ground up. We do this by training activists, organizing broad-based campaigns to defeat anti-LGBT referenda and advance pro-LGBT legislation, and by building the organizational capacity of our movement. Our Policy Institute, the movement’s premier think tank, provides research and policy analysis to support the struggle for complete equality and to counter right-wing lies. As part of a broader social justice movement, we work to create a nation that respects the diversity of human expression and identity and creates opportunity for all. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., we also have offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis and Cambridge.