Subject: LARGEST NATIONAL LESBIAN AND GAY POLITICAL GROUP LAUNCHES BOLD NEW IDENTITY
From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 9 Oct 1995 18:17:18 -0400

_________________________________________________________________

NEWS from the
Human Rights Campaign

1101 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
email:  [email-masked]
WWW:    http://www.hrcusa.org
_________________________________________________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, October 9, 1995

               LARGEST NATIONAL LESBIAN AND GAY POLITICAL 
                 ORGANIZATION LAUNCHES BOLD NEW IDENTITY
                                    
                Changes Reflect Dramatic New Approach to 
              Building Political Strength, Membership,    
                  and Enhancing Dialog With America    
                                    
         THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN...  so much more than a fund 

Washington -- The Human Rights Campaign Fund unveiled its new
organizational identity this week, including new communications
tools, representing the culmination of an intensive eight-month
internal and external review of programs and community opinion.
The changes reflect a new approach to building  political
strength, membership and enhancing the dialog about lesbian and
gay issues with America. The new identity includes dropping the
word  fund  from the organization s name, emphasizing the fact 
the country s largest national lesbian and gay political
organization is so much more than a fund,  said Elizabeth Birch,
executive director of the Human Rights Campaign.

     Birch, who joined the Human Rights Campaign as the
organization s new executive director in January, 1995 vowing to
bring new and robust marketing and communications technologies to
the organization, said  We are changing to meet the challenge of
an evolving  political environment. I believe we are at a
critical turning point in the fight for lesbian and gay equality
in America. Our vision, approach, and new look reflect an
organization reaching out to more people than ever -- to build
hope and political power for change in America. Our new name
reflects our growth and diverse programs. 

     In concert with the unveiling of the  new look and feel, 
the Human Rights Campaign announced new methods for communicating
with its members and others whom the organization hopes to
motivate to become more politically involved. In July, the Human
Rights Campaign introduced the premiere issue of HRC Quarterly,
designed to provide political news for lesbian and gay America.
The second issue of the magazine, reflecting the new look and new
name will be distributed to Human Rights Campaign members in
mid-October, and will be available at most major lesbian and gay
bookstores. This month, the Human Rights Campaign debuts its new
site on the World Wide Web, designed to provide users with the
up-to-the-minute information they need to communicate with
Congress on a regular basis. The address is
http://www.hrcusa.org. Users enter their zip code and their
members of Congress are displayed with up-to-the-minute voting
records on gay and AIDS-related issues. Special instructions are
displayed if the member requires special action because of
committee membership, or sponsorship or lack of sponsorship of a
particular bill.

      During the past eight months, I ve worked with everyone at
the Human Rights Campaign to undertake a rigorous look at our
organization -- its vision and purpose, programs, and services.
In focus groups, membership polls, and at HRC functions and
events, we ve talked with thousands of HRC members and
non-members alike. What we heard is shaping where we re headed, 
said Birch.

     The Human Rights Campaign has completely reorganized its
programs, services, and teams.  We emerge with a plan that will
enable us to be an even more effective player at the federal
level -- while empowering our membership,  said Daniel Zingale,
the Human Rights Campaign s political director.  As we work to
build an even stronger relationship with our members, supporters,
community-based Human Rights Campaign leaders, and partner
organizations, and to gear up for Campaign  96 -- there s never
been a more important time to unify the voice of the gay
community. We are reinventing our organization to make us an even
more effective voice for the community,  said Zingale. 

     A cornerstone of the new organizational identity is the
Human Rights Campaign s new vision statement, reflecting a
sharper focus to guide the organization s mission:  The Human
Rights Campaign envisions an America where lesbian and gay people
are ensured of their basic equal rights -- and can be open,
honest, and safe at home, at work, and in the community.  

     The Human Rights Campaign also unveiled its new logo: a
simple equal sign that symbolizes the fight for basic equal
rights for all gay and lesbian people.  It s bold. It s simple.
It s colorful,  said Birch.

      The Human Rights Campaign has had the privilege  of working
with some of the best marketing and creative talent this country
has to offer,  said Cathy Nelson, membership director of the
Human Rights Campaign.  This talent has come to us out of the
vibrant high technology and publishing industries -- and much of
it on a pro bono basis.  

     The team was led by Susan Schuman, a marketing consultant,
along with the San Francisco-based design and advertising firm of
Stone Yamashita.  Both are highly respected in their fields and
have led corporate marketing overhauls for some of the fastest
growing  high-tech companies in the country. Assisting this team
and the Human Rights Campaign was an equally respected and
talented group of individuals who provided marketing and design
support to various projects within the overall marketing effort. 

     HRC Quarterly was designed by Roger Black, internationally
known designer of magazines such as Newsweek and Rolling Stone.
HRC Quarterly is produced by Out Custom Publishing. 

     Our new web site was designed by Mark Crumpacker, president
of Clement Mok Design, Inc., with overall coordination support
from Tom Rielly, president of Planet Out.  The combination of HRC
s political competence and the leading-edge marketing and
creative strategies of this incredible team has pushed us
light-years ahead,  said David M. Smith, the Human Rights
Campaign s communications director.

     Birch summed up the changes at the Human Rights Campaign -- 
We ve changed our name and logo. Perhaps a subtle change to most,
the dropping of  fund  from our name is a particularly strong
symbol for us. When we started in the early 1980s, we were
primarily a fund for supporting fair-minded political candidates.
Today, we re so much more than a fund: We have the most visible
and most effective gay equal rights lobbying team on the Hill. We
conduct some of the country s most comprehensive polls on
gay-related issues. We mobilize our membership through our
rapid-response programs: the Field Action Network, Action Alerts,
and SpeakOut Action Grams. We also sponsor huge outreach and
education efforts, including hundreds of events during the year
through our National Coming Out Project. In addition to this
work, we ve added more than 100 community events to the more than
35 HRC galas around the country. Just as important as our federal
work, we ve also been an effective partner in state and local
efforts to defeat anti-gay legislation on the state level. Of
course, we will continue our work as an effective PAC, but the
time has come for our name to reflect the full scope of our work.
So we ll now simply be known as the Human Rights Campaign, a
campaign for lesbian and gay equality. 

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