Tickets for the White House Easter Egg Roll are always hard to come by, but for a lucky few, the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce® (NGLCC) has been able to open the gates for a trip to the celebrated event for the second year in a row.
The Easter Egg Roll, a White House tradition that dates back to 1878, brings some 30,000 parents and their children to the South Lawn for a festival that hasn't always been welcoming to LGBT families.
But that's changed with the Obama White House. LGBT families have been invited to fully participate in the lively event, which includes music, sports courts, cooking stations, storytelling and, of course, Easter egg rolling.
An NGLCC guest at the Easter Egg Roll, Ken McNeely, president of AT&T California , said he and his family felt welcomed and was grateful that the White House "bestowed upon us the same dignity and respect given to all other families invited." McNeely received his tickets for the April 5 event from the NGLCC.
For McNeely, attending the event with his family was significant for many reasons.
"We are a family of color and the election of the first president of color has been widely discussed in our family," McNeely said. "And our kids, though only 5 and 3 years old, know very well the significance of Obama as President and readily recognize him and his family. They were so happy to see his house and ‘play in his yard.'"
McNeely and his family were so happy with their visit that they have decided to share the experience during Family Share Day at their children's school.
For most people, a limited number of Easter Egg Roll tickets were distributed through an online lottery system run by the White House, but David Ricciardi, president and co-founder of NGLCC-certified Proximo Consulting Services, was given the opportunity to attend the event as a guest of the NGLCC. "We were very excited to attend, as it is a well-known event," Ricciardi said. "It didn't hurt that we planned a whole mini-vacation around it...and the event itself was fantastic. If it had not been for the chamber, I might never have had the chance to attend the Easter Egg Roll."
"The NGLCC was thrilled to be able to give these families a chance to attend such a renowned White House event," said Nelson. "It's great that the NGLCC's relationship with this administration has afforded LGBT business owners and their families these kind of opportunities for such memorable experiences."
