NCADP at Capital Pride

I received the following press release today from one of our exhibitors at Capital Pride.

CONTACT:
David Elliot, NCADP Communications Director
202-331-4090, ext. 16
cell: 202-607-7036
delliot@ncadp.org www.ncadp.org

NCADP, ARKANSAS AFFILIATE TO HONOR LITTLE ROCK PRIDE

The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (NCADP), along with the Arkansas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, will set up an informational table at the upcoming Little Rock Pride Festival.

“The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities have long been an important ally for human and civil rights,” said NCADP Executive Director Diann Rust-Tierney. “It’s an honor to be invited to participate in this special weekend.”

National lesbian and gay organizations are a powerful voice in the fight to abolish the death penalty not just in Arkansas, but across the United States as well. Katherine Acey, the Executive Director of the Astraea National Lesbian Action Foundation has implored the community “to speak out against violence, including capital punishment.” The Lambda Legal Defense & Educational Fund opposes the death penalty because it is “a harsh and irreversible use of government power.” The Executive Director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission has stated that “the death penalty is wrong in all cases,” and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force passed a resolution opposing the death penalty as a criminal sanction.

In 1999, shortly prior to the upcoming trial of those accused of beating Matthew Sheppard to death in Wyoming, 11 major organizations representing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities announced their joint opposition to the death penalty.

The 2007 Little Rock Pride Festival marks the first time NCADP will have a presence, but the organization hopes that this is the start of a long, productive relationship with not only Arkansas’ gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, but with other organizations as well. “NCADP has an unwavering commitment to building consensus and finding common-ground with all organizations opposed to the death penalty. We look forward to future collaborations and building strong partnerships throughout Arkansas,” said Rust-Tierney.

About the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
Since its inception in 1976, NCADP has been the only fully staffed national organization exclusively devoted to abolishing capital punishment. NCADP provides information, advocates for public policy, and mobilizes and supports individuals and institutions that share our unconditional rejection of capital punishment.