Out In The Mountains : News - Family Pride Honors "Buster" Family

     Washington, DC – According to a press release from The Family Pride Coalition, the Gillian Pieper and Karen Pike family will receive the organization’s fourth annual "Families of Courage" award at its 10th annual Family Week event in Provincetown July 30-Aug. 6.
      The Pieper/Pike family was featured in the "Postcards from Buster" episode that ignited a national debate after U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings strongly denounced the program.
     "We are deeply touched by this award from the Family Pride Coalition," Pieper and Pike said. "We simply did what any mother would deem necessary. When bullies come knocking, you stand up for your child’s safety and rights. The real courage lies in our children who stood up along side us and fought for their family's right to be seen and loved by America. That's courage."
      Family Pride is the only national organization exclusively dedicated to securing equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) parents and their families. Jennifer Chrisler, executive director of Family Pride, said, "It is real families, sharing real facts about their lives that will dramatically reshape our civil rights battles. The Pieper/Pike family will long be remembered as heroes of our movement for doing just that – sharing the real story of who their family is."
      Pieper and Pike said, "What Margaret Spellings and PBS took from us, Family Pride has returned tenfold."
      A longtime activist for human rights and diversity in the workplace, Pieper is a nationally-renowned presenter and a founding member of Vermont Safe Harbors, a Department of Education-sponsored effort to maintain safe, civil schools for LGBT youth, families and staff.
      An award-winning photojournalist, Pike's work has appeared in countless publications, including Time, Newsweek, The Washington Post, The New York Times and the best-selling book America 24/7. As an activist for human rights, Pike has provided a visual image of social justice throughout her career, donating her time to non-profit organizations, documenting poverty across the world and standing up for sexual minority and gender identity rights.
      Pieper and Pike were united in a Vermont civil union in 2002. The couple lives with their three children, Emma (12), James (12) and David (10), in Hinesburg.
      For more information on Family Week, see www.familypride.org or call (202) 331-5015.