_____________________________________________ PRESS RELEASE -- And Justice for All Contact: David King, Communications Director Phone: (202) 298-9362 Internet: justice@clark.net America Online: AndJst4All@aol.com Address: P.O. Box 53079 Washington, D.C. 20009 WWW: http://www.qrd.org/qrd/www/orgs/aja/ ________________________________________
Washington, DC - And Justice for All (AJA), an organization dedicated to involving heterosexuals in the bisexual, gay, lesbian and transgender (b/g/l/t) rights movement, for the second year called for b/g/l/t people to encourage their straight friends and family to take part in National Coming Out Day, Friday, October 11. Bringing straight allies to NCOD events provides an opportunity for the l/g/b/t rights movement to show its true strength -- one that goes well beyond its supposed boundaries.
National Coming Out Day (NCOD) is a day for celebration of identity and is a part of the National Coming Out Project of the Human Rights Campaign. NCOD asks that lesbian and gay Americans to come out to their friends, family and co-workers and to educate them about the important issues affecting us all.
"By inviting heterosexuals to join in NCOD celebrations, we take an important step in opening another closet door, one that keeps straight people from learning and caring about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues." said AJA Executive Director Jonathan Zucker. "We cannot underestimate that link -- that simply learning about the issues that affect b/g/l/t friends and family, one takes a step toward greater understanding."
AJA does not believe that the audience for this celebration should include only the b/g/l/t community, but also supportive heterosexuals. An effort to diversify the audience at NCOD events would not only allow heterosexuals a chance to stand by their friends, but also act to involve them in the ongoing struggle for l/g/b/t civil rights.