Chad Griffin and Kristina Schake were each named today to the Board of Directors of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, an Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and advancing equal rights for every American.

Actor/director Rob Reiner, children’s advocate Michelle Singer Reiner, producer Bruce Cohen and writer and director Dustin Lance Black were also named to the Board. Griffin will serve as the organization’s first Board President.

The Foundation’s first project is a federal court challenge to California’s Proposition 8, which eliminated marriage rights for same sex couples. Led by attorneys Theodore B. Olson and David Boies, two of the nation’s most preeminent constitutional lawyers, the suit states that Proposition 8 creates a class of “second-class citizens” and thereby violates the U.S. Constitution.

>> Click here to read about the announcement in Variety or The Advocate.

Tags: American Foundation for Equal Rights, Bruce Cohen, Chad Griffin, David Boies, Dustin Lance Black, Kristina Schake, Michelle Singer Reiner, Proposition 8, Rob Reiner, Ted Olson, The Advocate, Variety

The Arkansas Times recently named Arkansas-native Chad Griffin an “Arkie to Watch” in light of recently being honored by The Advocate as one of the publication’s “20 People of the Year.”

Read the blog post here.

Tags: Chad Griffin, People of the Year, The Advocate

Los Angeles-based political strategist Chad Griffin has been honored as one of The Advocate’s 2008 People of the Year. The list, appearing in the January issue and selected by The Advocate’s editorial staff, includes 19 other luminaries of activism, politics and entertainment such as Steve Hildenbrand, The Obamas, Al Gore, Tina Fey, Clay Aiken and Hilary Rosen.

The list seeks to honor those who have made a profound impact for 2008 in the area of gay rights. The only Californian to make the list, Chad Griffin, president of the firm Griffin|Schake, is known for his campaign-style approach to communications for his A-list clients, political initiatives and philanthropic organizations.

Griffin shares the title of Person of the Year with Barney Frank, Tina Fey, Hilary Rosen, Bruce Bastian, The Obamas, Clay Aiken, Suze Orman, Steve Hildenbrand, Lawrence King, Amy Balliett, Matthew Mitcham, Sunil Bubu Pant, Al Gore, Chad Griffin, Thomas Beatie, Wanda Sykes, Jason Rae, Gus Van Sant & Dustin Lance Black, Keith Olbermann, Jared Polis & Linda Ketner and Luc Montagnier & Francoise Barre-Sinoussi.

Griffin was recognized for his career shaping the policy debate around some of the nation’s most important social issues - equal rights, early childhood education, universal health care, stem cell research, alternative energy and energy security, anti-smoking and global warming. The Advocate also applauded him his efforts to produce the Senator Feinstein and Secretary O’Connell television ads for the final push against Proposition 8.

Read The Advocate’s Person of the Year story here.

Tags: Al Gore, Chad Griffin, Gay Rights, People of the Year, The Advocate