Former HRC president to speak at International House Thursday - RSVP for pizza

"Dear Interns,

We are writing to let you know that the former president of the Human Rights Campaign is going to speak exclusively to WIP interns this Thursday, June 7 at 7:30 PM. While most of you are already are aware of this speaker, we wanted to send you one more reminder. The event will occur at International House which is located at Iris Street, N.W. Please see below for more detailed directions. For those of you who are spring interns but might still be in the area, this will be our last event and will be a great opportunity to speak to Dr. Bayer before you leave. If you are a new summer intern, our first official class will be on June 14 at Georgetown University. However, this could also be a good chance to talk to Dr. Bayer about any concerns you might have before our first official class. We are still awaiting the room number for Georgetown next week which we will probably send out to you next Monday with the all the other details on how to get there, etc. Typically we will send out all announcements for Thursday night events the Monday before each one. Although this week's speaker is a spring semester event, we encourage all summer interns to also attend this event if you are already in town. If you haven't already done, please RSVP so we know how much pizza to get for everyone.

Cheryl Jacques is a national leader in the gay civil rights movement where she writes and speaks nationally on issues of diversity, civil rights and politics. She is Of Counsel to the law firm of Brody, Hardoon, Perkins and Kesten, and is a consultant on diversity issues to corporations and non-profit organizations. She appears frequently as a commentator on such shows as the CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, ABC's World News Tonight, The O'Reilly Factor, CrossFire, ABC's Good Morning America, Nightline, Fox News, CNN, NPR and many other television and radio broadcasts. Ms. Jacques recently spoke at universities such as Columbia, Vassar, Harvard Law School, Boston College, as well Carnegie Mellon to name just a few of the fine schools she has spoken to.

At our event, Ms. Jacques will discuss the differences between civil unions and gay marriage. (Here is a link of some arguments she will probably make: http://www.bidstrup.com/marriage.htm) Ms. Jacques may also touch on other issues such as employment discrimination, where in 37 states it is still legal to fire someone solely for being gay. Finally, she will also talk about the status of homeless youth in America. Of course, students will also have an opportunity to ask questions at the end of our session.

Jacques formerly served as president and executive director of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) which is the nation's largest bipartisan gay rights organization - an organization known for endorsing both Democrats and Republicans. Jacques oversaw significant growth in fundraising and membership, including a record $30 million budget for 2004 and a membership that now exceeds 600,000. She vastly increased the organization’s internal and external diversity and established a strong national presence with a record amount of media coverage.

Jacques took the helm of HRC after serving nearly a dozen years in the Massachusetts State Senate as the first openly gay State Senator in Massachusetts history. She was first elected to her seat at the relatively young age of 29 in a traditionally conservative district, proving her ability to speak to constituents across a spectrum of ideologies.

As a State Senator, Jacques was a leader on civil rights and equality in the Massachusetts Legislature. In 1996, she successfully pushed for the inclusion of sexual orientation in the Commonwealth’s Hate Crimes Statute. She also passed legislation establishing standby guardianship provisions to protect the children of AIDS patients and other chronically ill individuals. With recent statistics showing that 42% of all homeless youth are gay, she has been an outspoken and tireless advocate for the needs of gay and lesbian youth in Massachusetts. She was a leading Senate advocate on civil rights, consumer protection, criminal justice and victim’s rights. She authored and passed over 40 pieces of legislation including the landmark Gun Control Act of 1995, the 1998 Consumer Protection Act and the 2000 Clergy Abuse Mandatory Reporting Act.

Jacques (left) with her spouse Jennifer, and their twin boys, Timmy and Tommy

Before her six terms in the State Senate, Jacques served as an Assistant District Attorney in Middlesex County, MA and went on to serve as an Assistant Attorney General in the Trial Bureau of the Attorney General’s Office. She was an Adjunct Professor of Law at Suffolk University Law School, and served on several state and local boards. Now in Washington, D.C. Jacques is an Adjunct Professor at George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management.

Jacques lives with her spouse Jennifer, who serves as Executive Director of the Family Pride Coalition – the nation’s largest organization dedicated exclusively to gay families. They live in Washington, D.C., where they are raising their twin boys, Timmy and Tommy.

For more information on her, you can check out her website, at

http://www.cheryljacques.org and see a recent piece written about her in the Boston Globe below. We hope to see you all there!

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2006/09/10/the_advocate?p1=email_to_a_friend "

RSVP significa Resdond Sie Vou Plea (o algo asi, pero esta en Frances).
Bueno, de todos modos, con la promesa de Pizza gratis, fui a la reunion, la verdad estuvo bien interesante, lo unico que no me gusto fue la compraracion de los derechos de los inmigrantes con los derechos de los Gays, no por algo racista u homofobico, pero sino por que me parecen que hay mas inmigrantes con problemas que gays con problemas, pero bueno.

Por suerte si habia Pizza gratis. Aca dejo un video: