For Immediate Release                                                                      
November 4, 2008
                                                           
Contact: Steve Ralls
(202) 679-0362 / sralls@pflag.org

Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays
Congratulates President-Elect Obama
Organization Congratulates Pro-Equality Congressional Candidates

Washington, DC – Jody M. Huckaby, executive director of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) released the following statement following the election of President-Elect Barack Obama:

“All of us at PFLAG congratulate President-Elect Obama on his victory this evening.  Tonight, our country has turned an historic corner, electing our first African-American commander-in-chief.  As a United States Senator, and a candidate for the Presidency of theUnited States, Obama has been a steadfast friend to the LGBT community, our families and friends.  We look forward to working with the new administration, and new Congress, in moving equality forward for our families and friends. 

“Tonight, old prejudices have fallen, and outdated barriers have been broken.  For those of us with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) loved ones, the significance of this moment cannot be underestimated.  President-Elect Obama will arrive in the Oval Office as a remarkable advocate for our community and our families.  He will be the first sitting chief executive to support repeal of the military’s prejudicial ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ ban on LGBT Americans, and the first occupant of the White House to support federal recognition of same-sex relationships.  We believe our families have an invaluable ally in the White House, and LGBT Americans have a champion for ‘liberty and justice for all.’  We join our country in congratulating pro-equality candidates for Congress as well, as it appears we have obtained a significant majority of fair-minded candidates in both houses of Congress. Even as we await the results of ballot initiatives on marriage equality and adoption, we take great hope and inspiration in President-Elect Obama’s victory.

“In her 1993 inaugural poem to the nation, one of America’s greatest treasures, Dr. Maya Angelou, implored our nation to ‘lift up your eyes to the day breaking for you; give birth again to the dream.’  This evening, we have heeded Dr. Angelou’s call, and we embark on a new journey for America.  PFLAG’s family, friends, supporters and volunteers are proud to join President-Elect Obama on that journey, and we salute his historic victory on this unforgettable election day in America.”

# # #

PFLAG promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender 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 equal civil rights. Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays provides opportunity for dialogue about sexual orientation and gender identity, and acts to create a society that is healthy and respectful of human diversity.