Newly appointed president of Kennedy Institute for the Senate pledges support for LGBT community

Peter Meade, the newly appointed president of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, has pledged to continue the senator's legacy of support for the LGBT community in his new role. The Institute, which is slated to be built across from the John F. Kennedy Library on the UMass Boston campus, will commemorate Kennedy's more than four decades of service in the Senate, and it will also work to foster civic education among the general public. Meade said among the many areas of Kennedy's legacy that will be honored by the Institute is his long commitment to LGBT rights.

"His support has been incredible and his leadership has been inspiring," Meade said of the Massachusetts senator. "Every part of his rich career will be celebrated."

Kennedy has long been a vocal supporter of the LGBT community. He has publicly come out in support of marriage for same-sex couples and has been a longtime sponsor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and federal hate crimes legislation. Kennedy called the Massachusetts legislature's June 2007 defeat of a proposed amendment that would have limited marriage to heterosexual couples "a triumph for civil rights and fundamental fairness."

The Senator said in a public statement that he is "honored that [Meade] will be leading what will become an important educational institution for this region and for our nation."

Hoping to break ground on the Institute's new building by the end of the year, Meade explained that the organization will "teach people about working across party lines and ideological lines to get things done," while educating the public about the importance and role of the United States Senate.