'We are grateful for any further clarification that science and research will be governed by scientific concerns and criteria, not politics and ideology,' said HRC Vice President of Policy David M. Smith.

WASHINGTON - The Human Rights Campaign issued the following statement today from Vice President of Policy David M. Smith regarding national news stories last week indicating that the words &quotlesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender&quot had been censored from the title of a suicide prevention workshop in Oregon state. In a letter and press release, HRC called for an investigation into the manner and corrective action, if necessary.

&quotThanks to congressional allies like Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., and Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., who pursued this issue with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, we have discovered that there is not policy at SAMHSA calling for the censorship of or prohibiting the use of the terms 'gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender.'

&quotWe thank the SAMHSA administrator, Charles Curie, who has clarified that he supports the goals of the suicide prevention conference, and plans to personally attend.

&quotWe are grateful for any further clarification that science and research will be governed by scientific concerns and criteria, not politics and ideology. The health of our great nation depends on it.

&quotGiven some of the confusion that might still linger in this area among government staff and the public, we ask that this policy be made clear across the Department of Health and Human Services and other agencies.&quot