Post submitted by Stephen Peters, former Senior National Press Secretary and Spokesperson

HRC launched a new “Moms for Equality” campaign ahead of Mother’s Day, featuring a star-studded lineup urging their fellow moms and all parents and allies to join the fight for LGBTQ equality. Sally Field, Betty DeGeneres, Jodie Patterson, and Kelly Rippon all share their stories in the “Moms for Equality” campaign, opening up about how their LGBTQ kids have made them fierce advocates for equality. The membership campaign also features HRC President Chad Griffin’s mother Betty Hightower and HRC’s Director of Diversity and Inclusion Nicole Cozier.

“By joining HRC, these remarkable moms and advocates are standing up for their own kids and millions of LGBTQ youth across the country,” said Olivia Dalton, HRC Senior Vice President for Communications and Marketing. “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.”

HRC is offering limited edition “Fight Like A Mother” t-shirts to those who join the membership campaign through Mother’s Day.

“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. Ten years later and that hate seems to have only gotten stronger,” says Sally Field in one of the HRC “Moms for Equality” campaign emails. “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,” says Betty Hightower, mother of HRC President Chad Griffin. “I’m thrilled to stand by his side, today and always, as his mom and as one of HRC’s Moms for Equality.”

“It’s on us to change the world for these kids and make it a better place. Just like my Ellen did 21 years ago and continues to do to this day,” says Betty DeGeneres, mother of Ellen DeGeneres. “I’m a proud Mom for Equality and a longtime member of HRC.”

“Everyone, LGBTQ or otherwise, should get to live as freely as Adam does –– and, as one of HRC’s Moms for Equality, I’m committed to making that happen,” says Kelly Rippon, mother of Adam Rippon. “This whole campaign has become such a family affair. All of us are in this fight for LGBTQ equality for Adam, of course, but also for all those young people like him who haven’t had an easy time openly being themselves. They need allies to support them, now more than ever!”

“As a mom, I’ve always wanted to fix things. But, as I soon realized, there wasn’t anything about Penelope that needed fixing. He, like every transgender child, was simply announcing to me and to the world how he truly saw himself. He was boldly claiming his identity,” says Jodie Patterson, who was recently named one of “The 20 Most Influential Moms of 2018” by Family Circle magazine and is also a member of the HRC Parents for Transgender Equality Council. “I joined the fight for transgender equality that very day and I’m here, seven years later, to keep that fight going 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,” says HRC Director of Diversity Nicole Cozier. “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.”