President Barack Obama is scheduled to speak at the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC’s) annual dinner in Washington D.C., Saturday, Oct. 10, according to an organizational press release.
U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy will also present the first-ever Edward M. Kennedy National Leadership Award to Judy and Dennis Shepard. The award is named in honor of the late U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, a staunch ally of the LGBT community.
“We are honored to share this night with President Obama, who has called upon our nation to embrace LGBT people as brothers and sisters,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “It is fitting that he will speak to our community on the night that we pay tribute to his friend and mentor Senator Edward Kennedy, who knew that as president, Barack Obama would take on the unfinished business of this nation — equal rights for the LGBT community, and for every person who believes in liberty and justice for all.”
The dinner is on the same weekend as the the National Equality March, a gathering of LGBTA individuals that will take place in Washington Sunday, Oct. 11.