HRC Blog

Fighting for Full Equality

June 19, 2012 by Dan Rafter, Online Campaigns Manager

HRC President Chad Griffin spent his first week on the job meeting with LGBT community members, activists, and leaders from across the country. Chad addressed a number of issues critical to our daily lives, from bullying and addressing the needs of LGBT youth, to pushing for federal workplace protections in the form of ENDA, to the need for accessible, high-quality healthcare.

Chad kicked off his HRC tenure with the release of our groundbreaking survey “Growing Up LGBT in America,” a one-of-its-kind look at what LGBT youth are facing – and how they feel about their futures. The survey shows us that we must do more to make youth feel safer and more comfortable being themselves, and more to educate adults as to why anti-LGBT rhetoric can be so harmful. After the survey’s release, Chad met with youth at a homeless drop-in shelter in Salt Lake City.

Chad connected with community members to hear their feedback in places including San Francisco, his home state of Arkansas, Nebraska, and Maryland.

In Arkansas, Chad sat down with lawmakers to discuss the state’s anti-bullying legislation, as well as his own experience of growing up gay in the state. He met with religious leaders in Nebraska, where he also had the opportunity to talk about HRC’s Healthcare Equality Index and the need to provide accessible, high-quality healthcare to all LGBT patients. And he submitted testimony to the Senate HELP Committee’s historic hearing on the need for federal workplace protections.

The work is only beginning. Today, Chad was joined by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for the release of the 2012 Healthcare Equality Index. Read more about Chad’s first week at the helm of HRC, and get involved in helping the fight for full equality.