|
||||
|
||||
|
Saturday, Oct 11, 2008
|
||||
|
|||||||||
|
|
|||||
|
|||||
Louise Chernin honored at Leadership Awards dinner |
||
 |
||
| Louise Chernin honored at Leadership Awards dinner | ||
|
by Barbara Sehr-
SGN Contributing Writer "Bifurcation" appeared to be the word of the year for the LGBT community in 2007, both locally and nationally. From a splintered Pride Festival that separated itself across a weekend and across Capitol Hill to Seattle Center, to a community split over whether civil rights for our community should be spelled with a "T," distress was all too common. In between, the Mathew Shepherd hate crimes bill died an ignoble death. Of course, a large part of the LGBT audience gathered in the main ballroom of Seattle's Grand Hyatt Hotel had already been bummed by the Seahawks playoff loss in Green Bay that afternoon. The room, however, was filled with celebration and joy. The joy was in the acquisition of the Seattle Storm by four local women, the celebration was for the idea that "one person can make a difference" in the person of Louise Chernin. The accomplished activist who learned how to spell "oppression" at an early age brought hundreds of community members together to honor her legacy of community action over four decades. Chernin currently serves as Executive Director of the Greater Seattle Business Association, the nation's largest association of LGBT businesses. In the past she has led local operations for the Pride Foundation and the National Organization for Women. In her rousing speech to a packed room, she recalled her battles against the Vietnam War, and her efforts to stop production of Boeing's Cruise Missile back in the '70s. Chernin was awarded the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Leadership award for her service as an anti-war, women's rights, and LGBT rights activist. "Throughout her long history of work in progressive movements, including serving as the head of the largest LGBT chamber of commerce in the country, Louise has been a true leader in the fight for justice and equality," said Task Force Executive Director Matt Foreman. Chernin was introduced with a fiery speech by Ingersoll Gender Center founder Marsha Botzer, the 2007 winner of the NGLTF Seattle leadership award. The evening began with a long cocktail reception that brought together Chernin's allies in her many political fights, including some who are now in political office such as state senators Ed Murray and Joe McDermott and City Council members Tom Rasmussen and Sally Clark. Foreman expressed disappointment in the failure of the House to pass an inclusive ENDA, but pointed out the Task Force's leading effort to bring together an unprecedented coalition of more than 300 LGBT organizations to lobby for a unified ENDA. He noted that the Task Force will continue its efforts to bring a unified ENDA and a successful hate crimes bill to a successful conclusion in the new Congressional term that begins in 2009. To MC Kate Clinton and the assembled crowd, the prospect seemed as certain as another championship season for the Storm. |
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
 New!! LGBT & LGBT friendly "What's Happening WA" |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 post your own information on the Seattle Gay Blog |
copyright Seattle Gay News - DigitalTeamWorks 2007