LGBTI community advocates and allies will soon head to Washington, DC to meet with their members of Congress and Congressional Staff. Three organizations have scheduled lobby days for May, a popular month for hill visits.

The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) has scheduled their lobby days on May 14th and 15th. Top priorities include a Transgender Inclusive Hate Crimes bill recently passed in the House, and supporting the introduction of a Transgender Inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).

The National Association for People with AIDS (NAPWA) will hold their annual AIDS Watch event May 8th to May 10th. AIDS Watch is the largest annual AIDS-related advocacy event in the United States, and will focus on increasing federal support for domestic and global AIDS programs. Over 400 HIV/AIDS advocates are expected to participate.

The Service Members Legal Defense Network (SLDN) Annual Lobby Days will take place May 14-16. The top priority for SLDN is the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (H.R. 1059), which would end the 'don't ask don't tell' ban on gay and lesbian service members. The legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives and currently has 114 co-sponsors.

Everyone is welcome to participate in these events regardless of their level of experience. Each of these three events includes extensive training sessions and assistance to guarantee that everyone, even beginners, have effective meetings.