Gautam Raghavan, the new Associate Director of the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs, and White House LGBT liaison, just sent this email, “White House LGBT Update: Across the Ages.”
I can’t seem to find it on the White House site, so here’s a excerpt, sans some photos.
HUD Convenes First-Ever LGBT Elder Housing Summit
Demographic shifts across the country have highlighted issues and challenges for older Americans, and this is especially true for aging LGBT Americans – a population that is more likely to age without the benefits of family support, face discrimination in housing and health care, and rely on assisted living and long-term care.
With these issues in mind, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the National Center for Lesbian Rights convened the first-ever national summit for LGBT elders last Wednesday, December 7, 2011 at HUD’s headquarters in Washington, DC.
The day-long conference brought together advocates and practitioners from across the country to highlight existing barriers for LGBT elders, as well as explore future possibilities for building upon current efforts to support housing and long-term care for LGBT elders. Speakers included Assistant Secretaries Raphael Bostic of HUD’s Policy and Research Development, and John Trasviña of HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, as well as a host of other leaders in the LGBT community.
For more information about the summit, please visit the LGBT Housing Summit website and read more about HUD’s ongoing efforts to prevent discrimination in housing.
HHS Participates in HRC’s “All Children-All Families” Initiative
ACF Commissioner Bryan Samuels speaks at HRC’s National Adoption Month event, November 30, 2011 (Photo by Robert Villaflor for HRC).
Today, more than 100,000 children are in foster care waiting for loving families. In response to this need, child welfare agencies across the country are proactively increasing their pool of available adoptive families by reaching out to prospective LGBT parents.
Last month, Bryan Samuels, Commissioner of the Administration for Children, Youth and Families at HHS participated in an event hosted by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC)Â to celebrate National Adoption Month and the progress made in opening more doors to qualified LGBT foster and adoptive parents.
Read a blog post by Commissioner Samuels describing the Obama Administration’s commitment to finding loving, supportive, and permanent homes for all children.
Dignity For All: Reactions from LGBT and Human Rights Organizations
Last week, President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton articulated the first-ever U.S. Government strategy to promote and protect the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons through the work of federal agencies engaged abroad.
In response to these developments, a number of organizations that advocate for LGBT and human rights issued statements praising the strong leadership of the President and Secretary of State. Read some of these statements here.
Tweet of the Week
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This week, after nine years of sacrifice, the final troops stationed in Iraq will cross the border out of the country — marking the end of the war and fulfilling the promise President Obama made to the American people when he was a candidate for this office.
To see more milestones from the Iraq War, from President Obama’s very first day in office through the work his Administration has done to support our troops as they return home, check out our new timeline.
What You May Have Missed
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Soldiers respond as President Barack Obama delivers remarks on the end of America’s war in Iraq at the 440th Squadron Maintenance Building at Pope Army Airfield, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Dec. 14, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson).
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- Dec 15: First Look: New Obama Family Portrait
- Dec 15: Meet the Home Healthcare Worker Who Inspired the President
- Dec 14: White Board: Brian Deese on the Payroll Tax Cut
- Dec 14: 2.5 Million More Young Adults Have Coverage Thanks to Health Law
- Dec 12: First Lady Michelle Obama Visits Patients at Children’s National Medical Center
- Dec 9: A White House Hannukah Celebration
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