Subject: White House Hate Crimes Summit
From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 10 Nov 1997 17:34:08 -0600

PFLAGers:

For your information, here is the PFLAG release on the White House Hate
Crimes Summit, which took place today. Thank you to those who participated
at the local levels!

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For Nov. 10, 1997 Release

Contact:  Janice Hughes, Communications Director
202/638-4200 x225

PFLAG President Applauds Clinton
For Convening White House Hate-Crimes Summit

        Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)
President Nancy McDonald praised President Clinton for convening the
historic White House Conference on Hate Crimes today.
        Among the leaders who participated in the event, McDonald stressed
that the first ever conference "lends more credibility to the seriousness
of anti-gay violence." She noted that PFLAG also encourages Clinton to
recommend expanding coverage of hate-crimes legislation to sexual
orientation.
        "As parents of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender children, we
live with the real fear that our children - family members - will be
victims of a hate crime," said McDonald who heads the 70,000-member group
which is based in Washington, DC.
        "Hopefully, one outcome will be much more attention to the huge
rise in hate crimes against gays and lesbians," McDonald said. Two other
key areas needing attention are tracking hate crimes and supporting
strategies to prevent such acts of violence, she added. And hate speech
itself must be reckoned with, she said.
        PFLAG works to battle hate crimes through:
        *    a highly successful public education campaign - Project Open
Mind - which underscores the link between hate speech and violence. PFLAG
plans to expand Project Open Mind to additional U.S. cities over the next
few years; and
        *   another nationwide initiative to mobilize the creation of "safe
spaces" for gay youth and their families in response to violent hate
crimes.
        This week, several PFLAG chapters in a number of cities are also
making their voices heard as participants in the White House-sponsored
Field Conferences on Hate Crimes. PFLAG is organized in more than 400
communities across the U.S.
        McDonald traveled to Washington from Tulsa, Okla., where she resides.
        McDonald is available for interviews at 918-742-8565. PFLAG
parents who participated at the field conferences are also available for
interviews.

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Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) promotes the
health and well-being of gay, lesbian and bisexual persons, their families
and friends through: support, to cope with an adverse society; education,
to enlighten an ill-informed public; and advocacy, to end discrimination
and to secure civil rights.   PFLAG provides an opportunity for dialogue
about sexual orientation, and acts to create a society that is healthy and
respectful of human diversity.   Serving more than 69,000 members, PFLAG
affiliates are located in more than 400 communities across the United
States, and in 11 other countries.

1101 14th Street, N.W., Suite 1030 Washington, D.C. 20005
(202) 638-4200 * Fax: (202) 638-0243 * E-mail: [email-masked] Web:
http://www.pflag.org