Human Rights Campaign launches “Moms for Equality” campaign
Sally Field, Betty DeGeneres, and Kelly Rippon add their voices in favor of equality
Ahead of Mother’s Day, the Human Rights Campaign has launched a new “Moms for Equality” campaign featuring mothers of LGBTQ children who have now become fierce advocates for LGBTQ rights.
The campaign includes Sally Field, whose son is gay, Betty DeGeneres, the mother of Ellen DeGeneres, Kelly Rippon, and the mother of Olympian Adam Rippon, as well as LGBTQ activists Jodie Patterson, whose son is transgender, Betty Hightower, the mother of HRC President Chad Griffin, and Nicole Cozier, HRC’s Director of Diversity and Inclusion, who is herself a mother.
“By joining HRC, these remarkable moms and advocates are standing up for their own kids and millions of LGBTQ youth across the country,” Olivia Dalton, HRC’s senior vice president for communications and marketing, said in a statement. “Today, so many LGBTQ youth still face disproportionately high rates of bullying, anxiety and depression, and other challenges. And that’s why it’s so powerful to have moms and parents from all walks of life coming together to organize, advocate and lead our country in a more affirming, inclusive and supportive direction.”
“At 20, Sam came out proudly as a gay man: to us and to a world where some still hate you just for being different,” Sally Field said in a “Moms for Equality” email. “Ten years later and that hate seems to have only gotten stronger. But with you, we can help stop hate in its tracks.”
“Like so many of you, Chad has never shied away from fighting for what’s right. From pushing marriage equality at the Supreme Court to his persistent activism and advocacy nationwide, he’s given his all to the fight for LGBTQ rights,” Hightower added. “I’m thrilled to stand by his side, today and always, as his mom and as one of HRC’s Moms for Equality.”
“Kindness, acceptance and love. Those are the traits my mom and my grandmothers built into our family. When I became a mom myself, I made sure to weave those same traits into mine, and as a staff member at HRC, I like to think we’re weaving those traits into the world around us, too,” Cozier said in a statement. “This Mother’s Day, on behalf of HRC, my wife and I want to give thanks to all the Moms For Equality who are doing their part to make life better for LGBTQ people.”
To learn more about HRC’s “Moms for Equality” campaign or to join, visit hrc.org.
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