In a New York Times op-ed column on this date, MARY FRANCES BERRY, the chair of the Commission On Civil Rights from 1993-2004, called for the “abolishing” of the commission she headed for eleven years and its replacement with one that will fully address LGBT rights. She wrote:

“The Commission on Civil Rights has been crippled since the Reagan years by the appointments of commissioners who see themselves as agents of the presidential administration rather than as independent watchdogs. The creation of a new, independent human and civil rights commission could help us determine our next steps in the pursuit of freedom and justice in our society. A number of explosive issues like immigration reform await such a commission, but recommendations for resolving the controversies over the rights of Gays, Lesbians, [Bisexual] and Transgendered people should be its first order of business.”