OBAMA INVITES GAY FAMILIES

The Obama administration has attempted to apply their outreach to diverse communities by reaching out to the LGBT community. Tickets have been specifically allocated to Gay and Lesbian families for today’s Easter Egg roll – a daylong event at the White House that has become a presidential tradition.

“The Obama administration actually reached out to us as an organisation, and said we want gay families there, and they are an important part of the American family fabric,” said Jennifer Chrisler, executive director of the Boston-based Family Equality Council, which is helping families attend the event.

Chrisler said that she expected more than 100 gay- and lesbian-headed families to take part in the egg roll.

In 2006, the event, which took place under the Bush administration, was “crashed” by more than 100 gay families who took part in order to make a statement that they should be welcome.

According to Colleen Gillespie, who helped organise the 2006 effort, this year it already feels different.

“We feel so welcomed and embraced, and that in a very real way, I think we can just go as a family and enjoy it.”