St. Louis Steering Committee Takes Top Honor at HRC Equality Convention

Last weekend, 12 St. Louis area volunteer leaders traveled to Washington, D.C. for the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) annual Equality Convention.

The weekend began with HRC St. Louis volunteers, HRC staff partners, and members of the St. Louis business community standing together on Capitol Hill to lobby our representatives and senators on both sides of the river….and aisle. We asked our elected officials to support the re-introduced Equality Act, Transgender rights in the military, voting rights advancement, and to help put an end to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, among other issues pertinent to the LGBTQ community and those that intersect our community.

During the convention weekend, HRC’s boards met and specific training tracks were offered for attendees based on their volunteer role. The weekend culminated in the Equality Awards, where many St. Louis leaders and programs were recognized, and the St. Louis Steering Committee received the night’s highest honor, Steering Committee of the Year.

While we’re incredibly honored to have been named Steering Committee of the Year, we know our work is far from over. We are focused on expanding our volunteer group to be more reflective of our diverse St. Louis community and we are committed to leading with the values of equity and inclusion. We are planning volunteer engagement events for this spring that will support other local organizations and statewide initiatives and will once again be visible at multiple prides throughout the community this summer. If you’d like to get involved or have ideas on how we can better serve the St. Louis LGBTQ community, please contact us through https://www.hrcstlouis.com.

Elizabeth Schlesinger is a St. Louis-based attorney and co-chair of the National Board of Governors for the Human Rights Campaign.