National LGBTQ Task Force

National LGBTQ Task Force

File:National LGBTQ Task Force logo.png
Formation	1973
Headquarters	Washington, D.C., USA
Region	United States
Executive Director	Rea Carey
Deputy Executive Director	Russell Roybal
Slogan	Be You.
Mission	The National LGBTQ Task Force advances full freedom, justice and equality for LGBTQ people.
Website	thetaskforce.org
Formerly called	National Gay Task Force; National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

The National LGBTQ Task Force is an American social justice advocacy non-profit organizing the grassroots power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community. Also known as The Task Force, the organization supports action and activism on behalf of LGBTQ people and advances a progressive vision of liberation. Current leadership includes executive director Rea Carey and deputy executive director Russell Roybal.

The Task Force organizes the annual National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change, a skills-building event for community and allies with over 2,000 attendees each year. The Task Force Policy Institute think tank conducts social science research, policy analysis, strategy development, public education, and advocacy.

Milestones

• Founded in 1973 as National Gay Task Force, the organization became National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in 1985, and adopted its current identity in October 2014.
• Founding leaders included Dr. Howard Junior Brown, Dr. Bruce Voeller, Father Robert Carter, a Roman Catholic priest, and Dr. Frank Kameny.
• Lani Ka'ahumanu was the first out bisexual to be invited and to serve on a national gay and lesbian board, and as such completed her term with the Task Force board of directors in 2000.
• In 2003 the Creating Change conference featured the first ever Skills Academy for Leadership and Action, a daylong session dedicated to skills training for grassroots activists.
• In 2005 the Task Force protested against the Instruction Concerning the Criteria for the Discernment of Vocations with regard to Persons with Homosexual Tendencies in view of their Admission to the Seminary and to Holy Orders, prohibiting the ordination of Catholic homosexual seminarians.
• In 2010 Jaime Grant, then director of the Task Force's Policy Institute, thought of the idea of a bright pink sticker for people to stick on their census envelope which had a form for them to check a box for either "lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or straight ally," which her group called "queering the census." Although the sticker was unofficial and the results were not added to the census, she and others hope the 2020 census will include such statistics.

Executives

• Bruce Voeller (1973-1976; co-director 1976-1978)
• Jean O'Leary (co-director 1976-1979)
• Charles Brydon (co-director 1979–1981)
• Lucia Valeska (co-director 1979-1982)
• Virginia Apuzzo (1982-1986)
• Jeff Levi (1986-1989)
• Urvashi Vaid (1989-1992)
• Peri Jude Radecic (1992-1994)
• Melinda Paras (1994-1996)
• Kerry Lobel (1996-2000)
• Elizabeth Toledo (2000-2001)
• Lorri Jean (2001-2003)
• Matt Foreman (2003-2008)
• Rea Carey (2008–present)

See also

• LGBT rights in the United States
• List of LGBT rights organizations
• Lorri Jean
• Matt Foreman
• Robert Carter
• Torie Osborn
• Urvashi Vaid
• Bruce Voeller
• Jean O'Leary

External links

• Official website