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411 Hillsborough Street • Raleigh, NC 27603

RALEIGH, N.C. (March 15, 2012) — As voters consider the N.C. Constitutional Amendment to define marriage as between a man and a woman, The LGBT Center of Raleigh, organizer of the second annual OutRaleigh festival themed “All Families Matter,” announces today the results of a recent study “All Children Matter.” The report shows how two million children have become collateral damage from decades of ideology, laws and policies designed to hurt lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.

The 134-page report looks at current laws and their impact, as well as makes policy recommendations to improve the situation. Findings Include:

Poverty:

• Children being raised by same-sex couples are twice as likely to live in poverty as children being raised in married, heterosexual households.
• The average household income for same-sex couples raising children lags that of heterosexual couples raising children by more than $15,500, or 20 percent.
• Same-sex couples of color raising children are at even greater risk of living in poverty.

Tax Burden:

• Same-sex couples are unable to file federal tax returns jointly.
• Non-recognized LGBT parents cannot take many key exemptions including: the dependency exemption, child tax credit, earned income tax credit, child and dependent care credit, education credit or adoption credit.
• When employers electively offer extended health benefits for same-sex partners and non-related children, families who use these benefits are taxed on their value, costing the average employee with domestic partner benefits $1,069 more per year in taxes than a heterosexual employee.

Lack of Health Insurance:

• LGBT adults have much lower rates of health insurance coverage than heterosexual adults.
• N.C. employers are not required to offer health benefits to the partners or non-recognized children of LGBT workers.
• LGBT families face unequal COBRA access for continuing health coverage when losing or changing jobs.

In a side-by-side comparison, the additional financial burden for a LGBT headed family of four, over the 18 years of raising children, can exceed $89,000. It can jump to more than $219,000 if the primary breadwinner dies during that period.

The report goes into detail on how to address each area of inequality. The overall solution is for governmental entities to legally recognizing LGBT headed families and provide the same rights and benefits as heterosexual families have. To download a copy of the report, visit www.children-matter.org.

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About LGBT Center of Raleigh:

The LGBT Center of Raleigh is a non-profit organization that offers a supporting and welcoming space for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, as well as their friends, family and supporters. Their offices include a library, art gallery, coffee shop, meeting rooms and performance space. Open seven days a week, the center provides social, educational and health programs for all ages and affinity groups. These include youth programs, Gay and Gray, NAIL (No Accidents in Life), M Club, the Women’s Initiative, the Transgender Initiative, HIV /STD testing and the annual OutRaleigh festival. Visit www.lgbtcenterofraleigh.com.

About the “All Children Matter” Study:

“All Children Matter: How Legal and Social Inequalities Hurt LGBT Families” was published in October 2011. The report was authored by the Family Equality Council, Center for American Progress and the Movement Advancement Project in partnership with COLAGE, the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute and the National Association of Social Workers. “All Children Matter” documents how laws fail to protect children living in U.S. LGBT families—and illustrates these policy failures with personal stories. It outlines solutions for helping ensure that both public policy and child welfare professionals work to serve all children. The full report, as well as condensed versions, are available at www.children-matter.org.

RALEIGH, NC, March 8, 2012 -- From equal-opportunity employment, to healthcare, to parental rights, OutRaleigh 2012 festival goers will have the opportunity to learn about the struggles different groups face and how they can help. Addressing these issues will be Workplace Options, the world’s largest integrated employee support services and work-life provider, Equality NC, Human Rights Campaign, and a variety of faith-based organizations.

“Including social-equality awareness as part of the festival is important to ensure the theme, All Families Matter, is more than hollow words,” says Mitch Null, OutRaleigh steering committee member.

Partnering in the promotion of OutRaleigh is the Alliance of AIDS Services-Carolinas.* The annual AIDS Walk+Ride fundraising event will take place on the northern end of Fayetteville Street May 5 in tandem with the festival. AIDS Walk+Ride is a family-fun event that includes a one and three-mile walk in downtown Raleigh, as well as 30, 60 and 100-mile bike rides around the Triangle. Monies raised support individuals living with HIV/AIDS and their families.

“Partnering with OutRaleigh to share Fayetteville Street is a win-win scenario,” says John Paul Womble, AASC executive director. “Walk+Ride supporters get to learn more about the LGBT community, and festival goers can become familiar with the ever-changing face of HIV and AIDS, as well as learn about its prevention and treatment.”

The second annual OutRaleigh festival is a free, family-friendly event that will take place Saturday, May 5, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh. Activities include guest speakers, live entertainment, a KidsZone, and an expo area. Visit www.outraleigh.org.

*The mission of the Alliance of AIDS Services - Carolina is to serve people living with HIV/AIDS, their loved ones, caregivers and communities at large, through compassionate and non-judgmental care, prevention, education and advocacy.

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About LGBT Center of Raleigh:
The LGBT Center of Raleigh is a non-profit organization that offers a supporting and welcoming space for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, as well as their friends, family and supporters. Their offices include a library, art gallery, coffee shop, meeting rooms and performance space. Open seven days a week, the center provides social, educational and health programs for all ages and affinity groups. These include youth programs, Gay and Gray, NAIL (No Accidents in Life), M Club, the Women’s Initiative, the Transgender Initiative, HIV/STD testing and the annual OutRaleigh festival. Visit www.lgbtcenterofraleigh.com.

411 Hillsborough Street
Raleigh, NC 27603
(919) 832-4484
www.lgbtcenterofraleigh.com

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For Immediate Release

Media Contact: Glen Medders, Chair, Board of Trustees
(919) 832-4484

THE LGBT CENTER OF RALEIGH ANNOUNCES JAMES MILLER AS NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

RALEIGH, NC, November 19, 2011 - The Board of Trustees of The LGBT Center of Raleigh has announced today they have selected James Miller as the new Executive Director of The LGBT Center of Raleigh.

The LGBT Center, a Community Center that supports the needs of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals within the Triangle and beyond, announced in October that it was beginning the search for an Executive Director.

Miller, a native of North Carolina hailing from the coast, returns to the state following working with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health in Boston. Miller recently acquired a Master’s in Public Policy and a Master’s in Business Administration from Brandeis University. He brings with him of wealth of knowledge in both nonprofit management and the LGBT community.

“The Board of the LGBT Center is excited to welcome James Miller as the new Executive Director,” says Board Chair Glen Medders. “James arrives at a time of very rapid growth and expansion of the Center and its programs and services. We are all very excited about the future potential of the Center and are pleased to have James here to help guide the way.”

In the past two years, The LGBT Center of Raleigh has reached new heights within the community and has gone from a great idea to a fully operational community center offering services for the Triangle and the entire state of North Carolina. 

Miller is prepared to dive in and take the LGBT Center of Raleigh to the next level: “The sky is the limit for the next year- but our main goal will be to continue facilitating community development through education and outreach, while growing our capacity to serve the very diverse LGBT population in the Triangle.”

For more information on The LGBT Center of Raleigh, visit www.lgbtcenterofraleigh.com.

The LGBT Center of Raleigh is a 501(c)3 Community Center that strives to strengthen individual and community development through social and educational activities, facilitate the incubation of supportive services and groups, and identify needs and advocate for resources benefiting the diverse population of lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual people, their friends and supporters within and beyond central North Carolina.

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411 Hillsborough Street
Raleigh, NC 27603
(919) 832-4484
www.lgbtcenterofraleigh.com

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For Immediate Release

Media Contact: Glen Medders, Chair, Board of Trustees
(919) 832-4484

THE LGBT CENTER OF RALEIGH ANNOUNCES DEPARTURE OF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BOBBY HILBURN

RALEIGH, NC, July 25, 2011 - The Board of Trustees of The LGBT Center of Raleigh has announced today that Bobby Hilburn, the organization’s Executive Director for the past year, will be leaving the organization on October 14, 2011 to pursue other career opportunities.

The LGBT Center, a Community Center that supports the needs of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals within the Triangle and beyond has made great strides in the past year under Hilburn’s leadership.

“Leading the LGBT Center of Raleigh has been an absolute honor and I am proud to have been part of something so important to so many,” states Hilburn. “I became involved in order to help create a place for our community and never envisioned I would become its first director. The Center will always have a very special place in my heart and I look forward to the future as it continues to serve and support our LGBTQ community.”