Youth at White House LGBT Conference

From First White House LGBT Conference

PHILADELPHIA – Leaders of the Pennsylvania Student Equality Coalition (PSEC) attended the first-ever White House LGBT Conference on Feb. 16. The conference focused on LGBTQ health and was hosted at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

The gathering featured a keynote address by Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius and an invigorating opening speech by openly-gay Director of the Office of Personnel Management John Berry. Notably, it is also the first-ever open forum for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to hear directly from LGBTQ community leaders and contributors.

“The goal of these conferences is to talk about some of the work that we’re doing that might be of interest to you in health,” Sebelius said. “But it’s also a real opportunity … to listen, to have you share your ideas and your challenges and your struggles with us because that really helps us inform our policy each and every day.”

Sebelius and a panel of administration officials pointed to key sections of the Affordable Care Act, set to go into effect in 2014, which directly impact the everyday lives of LGBTQ community members. One such provision includes a bold block preventing federally-funded hospitals from denying visitation rights to same-sex partners, with another provision denying insurance companies the privilege of discriminating against LGBTQ customers.

The administration also mentioned efforts to include sexual orientation in upcoming national health surveys and pushes from President Obama to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

PSEC Executive Director Jason Landau Goodman (pictured) was able to challenge HHS officials about LGBTQ youth engagement in setting public health policy. PSEC leaders were noticed as the youngest attendees at the conference of more than 300 community leaders and health advocates.

PSEC supports the Obama administration’s strong efforts to communicate with LGBTQ community members, and hopes to continue its involvement with HHS in standing against discrimination and promoting awareness of health concerns in the LGBTQ community going forward.

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About Jason Landau Goodman

Jason Landau Goodman is a law student at the University of Pittsburgh, and the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Youth Congress. A recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Jason is a fifth generation Pennsylvanian from Lower Merion, PA.

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