Equality Center Hosts National Equality Dinner

The versatility of the Human Rights Campaign’s Equality Center was in the spotlight during a recent weekend that was among the busiest in the history of the organization.

More than 150,000 visitors were in Washington, D.C., for the National Equality March on Oct. 11. A day earlier, HRC hosted its 13th annual National Dinner, which was broadcast live on CNN and C-SPAN and featured keynote speaker Barack Obama, Lady GaGa and the cast of the hit TV show “Glee,” among others.

HRC staff converted the Equality Center – which is right in the heart of D.C.’s business district – into an action center for the LGBT community. At various stations set up around the space, visitors could peruse packets of information on LGBT activism within their home states, write letters to their congressmen regarding local or federal legislation and get trained on how to lobby for equality in their home districts. Visitors had the opportunity to purchase a wide variety of HRC merchandise and create posters to carry at the march.

Through the dedication of the HRC staff and volunteers, the Equality Center provided an attractive and effective showcase for the HRC's mission and goals, and gave our many visitors the chance to directly involve themselves in the pursuit of equality for all LGBT Americans.

All proceeds from the Equality Center go to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. Through research, educational efforts and outreach, the Foundation encourages gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans to live their lives openly and seeks to change the hearts and minds of Americans to the side of equality.