Task Force premieres new D.C. event, Pink & Purple Weekend

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is infusing new life into its annual Washington, D.C., event. What was once an evening gala in the form of the DC Leadership Awards and DC Recognition Evening is now a weekend of stimulating and diverse events for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

Beginning on Friday, June 3, Pink & Purple Weekend kicks off with Pink & Purple Sunset: a Women’s Event atop the Donovan House Hotel from 6-10 p.m. The event features three local lesbian DJs: vAnniety Kills, Natty Boom and JuneBullet, as well as performances by the DC Gurly Show.

Continuing on Saturday, June 4, the Task Force will be holding Pink & Purple Power: a Training from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. This training, taught by the Task Force’s Academy for Leadership and Action, will build skills of local activists. Guests will have an opportunity to attend workshops on volunteer leadership development, sexuality, HIV, race in D.C., and bridging the youth/elder divide.

Pink & Purple Weekend will conclude with its signature event, the Pink & Purple Recognition Awards Brunch, taking place at the Mayflower Hotel on Sunday, June 5 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. This year’s event will honor U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. She has demonstrated leadership and commitment to the rights of LGBT people and their families in the United States. Under her leadership, the Department of Labor has made significant strides in advancing equality for LGBT workers.

Skip Roberts, assistant director of Government Affairs at Service Employees International Union (SEIU), is also an honoree. He has played a huge role in landmark victories for the LGBT movement at the local and state level from equal rights in Kalamazoo, Mich., to civil unions in Hawaii, as well as on the federal level, working on the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Deacon Maccubbin and Jim Bennet, founders and owners of the former Lambda Rising Bookstore, will also be honored. They helped found many youth, social and business organizations in and around the D.C. area.

Sponsorships, tickets and hosting opportunities are all available online at www.theTaskForce.org/pinkandpurple.