NCLR and USDA Host LGBT #RuralPride Summit in Nashville, TN

(Nashville, TN, March 11, 2015)—The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will host the next #RuralPride summit in Nashville, Tennessee on March 19. The event, co-hosted by True Colors Fund and the Oasis Center focuses on addressing the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people living in rural communities across the country.

The event will take place at the Oasis Center, 1704 Charlotte Avenue, Room 200, Nashville, TN 37203 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT.

The keynote address at the event will be delivered by Abby Rubenfeld, Esq. Ms. Rubenfeld is counsel in Tanco v. Haslam, the Tennessee marriage equality case currently scheduled for oral argument before the U.S. Supreme Court on April 28, 2015. Other panelists and speakers include:

• Dr. Nicole Cobb, Director of School Counseling, Metro Nashville Public Schools
• Ashlee Davis, Director, LGBT Rural Summit, USDA
• Bobby Goode, State Executive Director, Rural Development, USDA
• Maya Rupert, NCLR Policy Director
• Chris Sanders, Chairman Tennessee Equality Project

This event is part of the #RuralPride summit series being organized across the country to elevate the voices of LGBT people and families in rural communities, explore how these communities are particularly vulnerable, and discuss proposed and enacted federal policy changes that can increase equality and access for rural LGBT people and their families. The #RuralPride summits center on LGBT experiences in rural America, including increased rates of economic insecurity, lack of family and nondiscrimination protections, the relationship between LGBT and faith communities, and the heightened challenges facing rural LGBT youth and rural LGBT people of color.

The summit series is the centerpiece of the #RuralPride campaign, a partnership between NCLR and USDA that challenges the stereotype that LGBT people only live in metropolitan areas by raising awareness of the particular issues faced by LGBT rural communities

This event is free and open to the public. Lunch will be served.

Please register here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-lgbt-ruralsouthern-summit-series-nashville-tn-tickets-15222716555

Learn more about #RuralPride.

The National Center for Lesbian Rights is a national legal organization committed to advancing the human and civil rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education. www.NCLRights.org