HRC Blog

Just Out blog spotlights HRC Portland’s Lobby Day trip

March 12, 2009

Portland's Just Out blog follows HRC's Portland Steering Committee's trip to Washington last week for HRC's annual lobby day:

Todd Canon, Wendy Blenning, Michael Long, CM Hall, Scott Laing, John Leonard, Shaley Howard, Betsy Watkins, Donna Tarabella, Barb Bloom, and Harvey Lau visited members of Congress and personally visited with Sen. Jeff Merkley, D, Ore., Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., and Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore. The group even passed Rep. Brian Baird, D-Wash., and lesbian Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis. in the halls.
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Another highlight was a speech delivered by President Barack Obama’s longtime friend and Senior White House advisor Valerie Jarrett. “I was so moved by her inclusive language–saying lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender multiple times in her remarks, and not stumbling over these words but having a keen understanding that this administration intends to be inclusive and will work to pass a fully inclusive ENDA and the Mathew Shepard hate crimes bill,” said CM Hall, HRC Portland’s steering committee political co-chairman. “It was just amazing to get a sense that HRC and our issues are welcome to be discussed in this White House.”

All told, more than 260 HRC members from around the country came to Washington, DC last week to lobby their members of Congress and to take part in HRC's annual Equality Conference. View a sampling of photos from HRC's lobby day here. For a review of HRC's Spring Lobby Day and Equality Convention from March 5-7, check out the HRC Back Story Twitter feed at twitter.com/hrcbackstory or search Twitter for tags #hrclobbyday and #hrcspringboard.