National LGBTQ Task Force

The Task Force has a political arm, the National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund, and the Task Force Policy Institute, a think tank. ³

History

In 1973, the National Gay Task Force was founded to advocate for gay and lesbian acceptance and political rights by a group of activists in New York City, including Howard Brown, Martin Duberman, Barbara Gittings, Ron Gold, Franklin Kameny, Nathalie Rockhill, and Bruce Voeller. One of the organization’s first focuses was lobbying the American Medical Association to remove homosexuality from its list of mental disorders. In 1975, the Task Force successfully lobbied the government to permit the hiring of openly gay federal employees. ³

In 1977, the National Gay Task Force sent representatives to a meeting with former President Jimmy Carter, marking the first meeting between a U.S. President and LGBT activists at the White House. ³

Throughout the 1980s, the Task Force organized efforts to combat the AIDS crisis within the gay community. It received the first federal grant for an AIDS education program and pushed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to pursue antibody testing. In 1985, Task Force Director Virginia Apuzzo testified before Congress alleging that the federal government had failed in its response to the AIDS crisis. ³

Also in the 1980s, the Task Force created the Gay Media Task Force to monitor the portrayal of gay characters in movies and television. In 1981, the Task Force opposed the Family Protection Act, which gave parents more control over local schools leading to fears it would lead to anti-gay discrimination. ³

In 1985, the Task Force was renamed to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. In 1986, the Task Force formed the Privacy Project, which aimed to repeal anti-sodomy laws across the country. ³ In 1995, the Task Force formed the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute, a think tank associated with the Task Force. ³

In 1997, the Task Force officially included bisexual and transgendered people in its mission, and launched the Federation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Statewide Political Organizations. ³

In 2014, the Task Force was renamed to the National LGTBQ Task Force. ³

Advocacy and Action Team

The Task Force’s 7-person Advocacy and Action Team identifies and pursues opportunities to support LGBT policy goals. As of November 2020, the Team operates four programs. ⁴

Queer the Census

Queer the Census is a drive to encourage LGBT individuals to take the 2020 Census. The Census determines the allotment of electoral votes in each state and the allocation of $1.5 trillion in annual federal funding. By generating a higher LGBT count on the 2020 Census, the Task Force aimed to gain more political representation and access to funding for LGBT individuals. ⁵

Equality for Me All the Time

Equality for Me All the Time is a national education campaign run by the Task Force and the National Black Justice Coalition to encourage politicians to support pro-LGBT policies. Other nonprofit supporters of the program include the Civil Rights Education and Enforcement Center, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the National Council on Independent Living, the National Women’s Law Center, and Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity. ⁶

Institute for Welcoming Resource

In 2006, the Task Force absorbed the Institute for Welcoming Resources, which an offshoot of the Welcoming Church Movement. The Institute encourages Christian denominations to become more accepting of LGBT individuals and to cease condemnation of same-sex sexual acts. ⁷

Queering Reproductive Justice

The Queering Reproductive Justice program promotes abortion and government-funded birth control for the LGBT population. ⁸

Creating Change

The Task Force has hosted the annual Creating Change conference since 1988 to discuss tactics for promoting LGBT-interest policies. In 2018, the conference had over 3,500 attendees, including members of over 1,500 LGBT organizations. ⁹ The 2020 conference will be held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ²

In 2017, the Task Force spent $744,000 on conferences. ¹⁰

Finances

In 2017, the Task Force generated $6.9 million in revenue, with $5.8 million coming from donations and grants. Nonetheless, the Task Force spent only $240,500 on disbursing grants to other organizations, with the rest of its expenditures supporting basic operations, including $3.8 million spent on salaries,¹¹ $489,000 spent on office expenses, $420,000 spent on office rent, $341,000 spent on travel, and $260,000 spent on fundraising. ¹⁰

Similarly, in 2016 the Task Force raised $7.8 million and spent $360,000 on grants. ¹⁰