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DignityUSA
PO Box 376
Medford, MA
02155
tel: 800.877.8797
202.861.0017
fax: 781.397.0584
email:
info@dignityusa.org
Comments to
Web manager
RETURN TO > SPEECHES > CONVENTION 2005 > HOME
Address
of Debra Weill, Executive Director, DignityUSA to Philadelphia Convention
attendees – July 10, 2005
Thank
you for the very warm reception. You have really helped me feel welcomed.
I hope you are enjoying the Convention, and I hope we have had the chance
to meet. If not, let’s try to do so before you leave.
Please keep the good people of the Gulf States in your prayers. Hurricane Dennis is now a category four storm as it approaches landfall.
I certainly want to echo the thank you for Tom Streeper, Michael Flynn, and anyone else who worked to plan and present this wonderful Convention. Let’s give a final thank you to those who worked so hard to put this weekend’s Convention together!
Being in just my third week at DignityUSA, I thought I would take just a few moments to introduce myself. Home for me is Wisconsin, and I have lived most of my life in the Midwest. I am a lifelong Catholic who studied six years in the seminary to be a Catholic priest. If you’re thinking, “Were women being admitted to Catholic seminaries back then?,” well, the answer is no. The Milwaukee, Wisconsin seminary program wasn’t quite that progressive. I am a transsexual woman, and as a youth was still male, at least in appearance.
After college, I sold radio advertising for a number of years while doing extensive volunteer work, first with Catholic parishes and then with inner city community organizations. In the mid 1990’s, I became actively involved with the LGBT community center movement, and I remain involved up through this time. I have run LGBT community centers in Madison, Wisconsin, and in Contra Costa County, California, and was Senior Field and Policy Coordinator for the national office of PFLAG. There I worked on faith issues and serviced 120 Midwest chapters.
Enough about me. What’s ahead for DignityUSA and our national office in Washington, DC?
- Communication — two way communication and active listening — are good things. My ears are good size. I intend to use them.
- We need to find a way to effectively communicate with more church leaders. We will need to be creative, persistent, and seemingly ever-present. It may need to be stealth-like, secretive. Perhaps one at a time. We have to get this done.
- Actively participating on national coalitions for LGBT civil rights: legislation like federal hate crimes, employment non-discrimination, stopping constitutional marriage amendments.
- Support DignityUSA chapters, including working on state and local legislative issues.
- Strive for greater visibility in the national media. We have to work the national media to get our message out.
DignityUSA is a membership organization. Our members are very important. How important? Without you, we do not exist. That’s pretty important.
We have a staff of four: Two full-time, two part-time, one of whom has been hired primarily to help with this Convention. We have 3,500 members. An active membership is essential to carrying out our mission and having our voice be heard. Whether you work locally or with the national office, please be an active member. Please understand you can live anywhere in the country and still volunteer for the national office. Volunteering for our national office is a very good thing.
Another point about being a member: Please let me hear from you. Please share your ideas about DignityUSA and how we can do better. If you like something we did, let me know. Let me know how your chapters are doing. Let me know how we can help. My e-mail is very simple: executivedirector@dignityusa.org. Phone calls are good, too.
Be proud of DignityUSA and our rich history going back to 1969. There have been so many great people throughout the country doing phenomenal things during this time. Thank you to those of you who are here this morning.
Our present is a good present, and our future is exciting. Be proud of DignityUSA. Be proud to be a member of DignityUSA.
As an organization, we must never sell ourselves short. Rather, we must aim high, be bold, be creative, be visible, have fun, have faith.
God embraces every one of us, every fiber of who we are, our sensual beings, with His/Her love. Let there be no doubt: God loves today, tomorrow, into eternity.
Throughout church history, our Catholic Church has honored us by canonizing at least 16 LGBT saints. Christ, through the example of his life, challenges us to serve one another — lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender, or wonderful allies.
DignityUSA, doing God’s work, sharing Her/His love with those made in His/Her image, doing the work of the Church.
Providing love and care for whom the Church has failed to provide.
DignityUSA, serving the Lord Christ Jesus.
See you in Austin in 2007. God bless you all!
