El Pasoan To Attend White House Reception Today

El Paso native Eddie Gutierrez will discuss gay and lesbian issues with President Barack Obama during a reception today at the White House.

Gutierrez, who spoke with ABC-7 last week, called the invitation to the White House “a humbling experience.”

“I only found out a few weeks ago that I was invited alongside 150 other leaders from across the country to talk to the administration about the future of gay and lesbian policies,” Gutierrez said.

ABC-7 caught up with Gutierrez in East El Paso, where he works the business side of his mother’s beauty salon. But it’s his years of working as a communications expert with national gay and lesbian organizations and foundations that caught the attention of the White House.

“Our community is looking forward for progress and for our community to have the same rights and privileges as any other family, as any other community,” Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez, who plans to put the spotlight on his hometown, will tell Obama about the El Paso City Council’s decision two weeks ago to reinstate health benefits for gay and unmarried partners of city employees. Gutierrez called the decision a smart business move.

“As a member of the community, I think the decision that (Mayor John Cook) and the council made was on the right side of history,” Gutierrez said. “When I speak to the (Obama) administration, it’s going to have that same insight: that El Paso is inclusive and welcoming of all communities, all businesses, including the gay and lesbian community.”