FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 7, 2014
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RUTH MESSINGER NAMED 2014 STRAIGHT FOR EQUALITY IN FAITH COMMUNITIES AWARD WINNER
PFLAG National’s Sixth Annual Awards Gala to Celebrate Worldwide Impact of President of American Jewish World Service
WASHINGTON D.C. – PFLAG National—the nation's largest grassroots-based organization for families, friends, and allies of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people—has named Ruth Messinger, president of American Jewish World Service (AJWS), the 2014 Straight for Equality in Faith Communities Award honoree. The award will be presented at the Sixth Annual Straight for Equality Awards Gala on Thursday, April 10 at the Marriott Marquis Times Square. Straight for Equality—a national outreach and education project created by PFLAG National—invites, educates and engages straight allies to advocate for and support LGBT people.
Ms. Messinger is a lifelong social justice leader, who has worked to improve the quality of people’s lives, starting as a social worker and community organizer, an elected official in New York City, and as the president of AJWS, the leading international Jewish human rights organization advocating for LGBT rights. For decades, Messinger has been an outspoken ally to the LGBT community, starting with her advocacy for the first anti-discrimination bill in New York City through her current efforts as the leader of AJWS to support advocates of LGBT rights in 19 countries. On a personal, note, Messinger’s daughter is a lesbian, coming out long after her mother had established her reputation as an advocate for LGBT rights.
“The worldwide struggle for human rights for LGBT people isn’t just a part of Ruth’s mission, work at AJWS and her Jewish identity,” said Jody Huckaby, Executive Director of PFLAG National, “It’s an essential part of her life. In the early ‘80s, at a time when thousands were dying of AIDS and the gay community was fighting for recognition and rights, Ms. Messinger helped fight an uphill battle for a gay rights bill in New York; the passage of this bill was a major political and ethical victory and is just one example of how she has consistently walked her talk around issues of inclusion.”
“The fight for LGBT rights is one of the most crucial worldwide human rights struggles in human history, and I am deeply gratified to be recognized by PFLAG, an organization that understands this essential truth in the most personal terms,” said Ms. Messinger regarding her Straight for Equality honor. “As a Jew, I must stand up for the essential dignity of every person, for we are all created in the divine image of God, and I must speak up because our history is proof of what happens when the world remains silent in the face of hate.”
Recognized as a national and international leader, Ms. Messinger currently sits on the State Department’s Religion and Foreign Policy Working Group and Strategic Dialogue with Civil Society and has served on the Obama administration’s Task Force on Global Poverty and Development. Among her many awards and honors, including PFLAG’s Straight for Equality honor, Ms. Messinger has been recognized for her inspirational work by many national Jewish organizations and has received honorary degrees from four major American rabbinical seminaries. She was named by The Jerusalem Post as the sixth most influential Jew in the world of a list of 50, and by The Huffington Post as one of the 10 most inspiring women religious leaders of 2012.
To learn more about the 2014 Straight for Equality Awards Gala, visit www.straightforequality.org/2014gala.
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Founded in 1972 with the simple act of a mother supporting her gay son, PFLAG is the original family and ally organization. Made up of parents, families, friends, and straight allies uniting with LGBT people, PFLAG is committed to advancing equality through its mission of support, education and advocacy. Now in its 40th year, PFLAG has more over 350 chapters and 200,000 supporters crossing multiple generations of American families in major urban centers, small cities and rural areas in all 50 states. To find out more about PFLAG National’s programs and services, please visit us at www.pflag.org.
Straight for Equality is a project of PFLAG National. It was launched in 2007 to invite, educate, and engage straight individuals to have the discussions necessary to move equality forward for their lesbian, gay, bi, and transgender friends in simple, nonpolitical ways. Learn more at www.straightforequality.org
Inspired by the Jewish commitment to justice, American Jewish World Service (AJWS) works to realize human rights and end poverty in the developing world. AJWS advances the rights of women, girls and LGBT people; promotes recovery from conflict, disasters and oppression; and defends access to food, land and livelihoods. AJWS is the 8th largest U.S.-based funder of LGBT rights. AJWS supports social justice organizations that promote equality and work to end discrimination and violence against people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, so that they can access the full spectrum of opportunities in society and live in health, safety and dignity.