"It's Your Table Too"
Gore Tells NGLTF
WASHINGTON, DC---September 17, 1997
Vice President Al Gore
addressed a crowd of about 300 people at the National Gay and
Lesbian Task Force's eighth annual "Honoring Our Allies" reception
last Monday night in Washington, DC. The annual event honors
those who make an extraordinary contribution to gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) communities.
In his remarks, the Vice President reaffirmed his commitment to
fight against discrimination faced by members of the GLBT community.
He also told the crowd that in addition to having a seat at the
table, "everybody's got to realize that as full members of the
American family, it's your table too."
The Vice President came to pay tribute to Coretta Scott King;
John Sweeney, President of the AFL-CIO; and the Mautner Project,
a health services organization for lesbians with cancer. All
three were recipients of the 1997 Honoring Our Allies award.
Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) introduced Mrs. King and renewed his
commitment to pushing for passage of the Employment Nondiscrimination
Act (ENDA).
In her acceptance speech, Mrs. King said in 1997, "I still hear
from people who claim to be followers of Martin Luther King, Jr.,
but who think I should be silent about the human rights concerns of
gays and lesbians." She said the civil rights movement should be
inclusive and unified. "All of us who oppose discrimination and
support equal rights should stand together to resist every attempt
to restrict civil rights in this country," she added.
Echoing similar sentiments, Vice President Gore remarked that gays
and lesbians "certainly have my commitment to work as hard as I can"
to stop anti-gay hate crimes, find a cure for AIDS and end workplace
discrimination. The Vice President, who was well-received by the crowd, also
vowed to ensure gay and lesbian issues continue to have a place on the agenda
of this Administration. Vice President Gore reiterated the Administration's
commitment to combat hate crimes against members of minority groups,
including the GLBT community. He spoke about the upcoming White House
conference planned for November which is intended to focus attention on these
acts of violence and ways to prevent them.
"Some of the greatest challenges we face are not challenges of law
but challenges of the heart," said the Vice President. "Please be
assured, you certainly have my commitment to work as hard as I can
until the day we do reach those goals."
Linda Chavez-Thompson, executive vice president of the AFL-CIO
accepted the award for Mr. Sweeney. Chavez-Thompson, the highest
ranking woman of color in the labor movement said, "your destiny
and our destiny are linked." Recalling an old Woody Guthrie song,
she said "this land wasn't made for the bigots who claim that their
families and their marriages are threatened by your families and
your marriages. This land was made for you and me to live with
dignity and security and equality and hope."
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