This multi-year project is being lauded and promoted, and is yet another valuable tool in PFLAG National's work to prevent hate crimes, along with the implementation of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act and the President's 21st Century Community Policing Initiative, formulated in the past couple of years to address and repair heightened tension between law enforcement entities and the communities they serve and protect.
For this historic DOJ CRS initiative, PFLAG National board member Catherine Hyde and Director of Policy Diego M. Sanchez were both part of the leadership Subject Matter Expert Team. Both participated from the very first meeting three years ago, and Catherine spoke most strongly about including gender-expansive people in both the definitions and descriptions as well as in the discussions and dialogue throughout the thinking and writing or the film. Diego, Catherine, and Liz Owen, Communications Director for PFLAG National, also provided input on the script, and Diego was on-site , helping provide direction to the crew.