WASHINGTON -- February 25 -- The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force today announced the creation of a new Department of Public Policy and Government Affairs and the hiring of three noted leaders and advocates — including former U.S. Assistant Attorney General Eleanor D. (Eldie) Acheson — to staff the department.

The new department, a significant strengthening of the Task Force's voice in federal matters, will lead two new initiatives — leveraging government resources to meet the pressing health and human service needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and a drive for new, comprehensive legislation to addresses inequities faced by gay people well beyond workplace discrimination. The new initiatives are part of the Task Force's mission to build the grassroots strength of the LGBT movement. The new Public Policy and Government Affairs staff also will expand upon the current Task Force policy work of providing technical assistance, training and strategic advice on legislative and policy matters to state and local LGBT organizations.

"For the past 32 years the Task Force has worked closely with LGBT community organizations across the nation. This new team will not only work hand-in-hand with our local, state and national colleagues but will also seek to magnify their voices and expertise to access federal resources and protections. Together, we will work to respond to the needs our community, from hate violence to economic justice to services for seniors," said Rea Carey, the Task Force's Deputy Executive Director.

The new department will also assume management and coordination of the National Policy Roundtable, comprised of the Executive Directors of national policy-focused LGBT organizations, and the National Religious Leadership Roundtable comprised of interfaith leaders from pro-LGBT faith, spiritual, and religious organizations.

While the new department is a marked ratcheting up of its voice and involvement in Washington, DC, the Task Force has a long and proud history of involvement in federal affairs. In 1974, it was the driving force behind the first gay rights bill introduced in Congress (a bill introduced by Bella Abzug and Ed Koch to amend civil rights laws to include discrimination based on sexual orientation). In the late 1970's the Task Force hired the first full-time gay and lesbian rights lobbyist, and in 1982, the first federal lobbyist on HIV/AIDS. In more recent years, it has led efforts to insure that proposed legislation include protections for transgender people.

The three exceptional leaders hired to staff the department are:

• Eldie Acheson, former U.S. Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Policy Development, will serve as Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs. During her eight-year tenure at the Department of Justice, Ms. Acheson managed the agency's judicial appointment process and had responsibility for a broad array of criminal and civil justice policy and legislative initiatives, including law enforcement, crime and violence control, violence against women, and sexual assault.
  
• Dave Noble, who stepped down as Executive Director of National Stonewall Democrats last week, has been appointed Political Director.
  
• Amber Hollibaugh, will serve as Senior Strategist. She comes to the Task Force from SAGE (Services and Advocacy for GLBT Seniors) and is one of the nation's leading experts on LGBT senior issues and HIV in women.

(More detailed background information appears at the end of this release.)

They will be joined by a Government Affairs Coordinator in the coming months, as well as two attorneys already on staff — Kara Suffredeni (Legislative Lawyer) and Lisa Mottet (Transgender Civil Rights Project Lawyer) — who will continue to provide legislative and policy assistance to state and local LGBT rights organizations.

Founded in 1973, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Foundation (the Task Force) was the first national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights and advocacy organization and remains the movement's leading voice for freedom, justice, and equality. We work to build the grassroots political strength of our community by training state and local activists and leaders, working to strengthen the infrastructure of state and local allies, and organizing broad-based campaigns to build public support for complete equality for LGBT people. Our Policy Institute, the community's premiere think tank, provides research and policy analysis to support the struggle for complete equality. As part of a broader social justice movement, we work to create a world that respects and makes visible the diversity of human expression and identity where all people may fully participate in society. Headquartered in Washington, DC, we also have offices in New York City, Los Angeles, and Cambridge. The Task Force is a 501(c)(3) corporation incorporated in Washington, DC. Contributions to the Task Force are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law.

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Inc. ("NGLTF, Inc."), founded in 1974, works to build the grassroots political power of the LGBT community to win complete equality. We do this through direct and grassroots lobbying to defeat anti-LGBT ballot initiatives and legislation and pass pro-LGBT legislation and other measures. We also analyze and report on the positions of candidates for public office on issues of importance to the LGBT community. NGLTF, Inc. is a 501(c)(4) non-profit corporation incorporated in New York. Contributions to NGLTF, Inc. are not tax-deductible.

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