Las Vegas Volunteers Attend HRC Training in DC

As Senator Ted Kennedy boldly stood at the podium announcing his heartfelt support and dedication to getting ENDA passed, hundreds of steering committee members and other HRC members from across the country stood at their seats applauding his and other political figures efforts in their continued commitment to our vision, equality. Looks of motivation, inspiration, and pride covered the attendees faces following the convincing words proclaiming that one day, hopefully in the near future, our vision will become a reality. This was only one of the many amazing moments experienced by the members in attendance at the Washington DC conference on March 7th and 8th.

Twelve members of the Las Vegas HRC community participated in the 2008 Spring Board Meeting and Equality Convention, while seven of those members also participated in HRC Lobby Day on Capital Hill the day prior to the training. During the convention various training tracks and programs were available for participants to attend with the purpose of gaining knowledge and tools to use to become more effective leaders in their communities. Trainings varied from how to create and embrace a more diverse membership base to how to coordinate an effective and entertaining gala dinner.

On Lobby Day, members of the steering committee met with the following senators and representatives to discuss ENDA, the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, HIV/AIDS prevention and funding, domestic partner benefits and tax concerns: Sen. Harry Reid, Rep. Dean Heller, Rep. Shelley Berkley, Rep. Jon Porter, and Sen. John Ensign.Many positive discussions were held during this day, and the support and commitments received definitely surpassed any resistance.

In addition to gaining information and tools that will make HRC more successful in our community, the steering committee was also recognized for their hard work during the awards ceremony. During the final session of the weekend, the Las Vegas steering committee was awarded with six awards for their hard work and dedication; this is double the number of awards received at last years convention.Special recognition is given to Gwen Migita and Tom Skancke for the individual awards they received due to their relentless work and commitment to the Las Vegas LGBT community.

It truly is experiences such as these that remind us of how important the work we do is. Working together to discuss and combat the discrimination that we face on a daily basis will mean that one day, and as Senator Kennedy said, hopefully in the near future, we will reach our goal of equality.