Janice K. Langbehn (born September 22, 1968) is a gay American

activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...

social worker Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...

, and attorney who became an activist as a result of the events surrounding the death of her partner, Lisa Marie Pond (October 8, 1967 − February 19, 2007). Langbehn earned a master's degree in Public Administration in 1995, a Masters in Social Work from the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

in 2000, and a Juris Doctor from

Seattle University Seattle University (Seattle U or SU) is a private Jesuit university in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the largest independent university in the Northwestern United States, with over 7,500 students enrolled in undergraduate and grad ...

in 2018.

Background story

In February 2007, Langbehn and Pond, along with three of their four children, were in

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, Florida to depart on a cruise. Pond collapsed before the cruise departed and was rushed to

Jackson Memorial Hospital Jackson Memorial Hospital, also referred to as Jackson or abbreviated MJMH, is a non-profit, tertiary care hospital, and the primary teaching hospital of the University of Miami's School of Medicine. As of 2021, it is the largest hospital in t ...

's (JMH) Ryder Trauma Center. When Langbehn and their children arrived, a JMH social worker told Langbehn she was in an "anti-gay city and state" and required a

health care proxy In the field of medicine, a healthcare proxy (commonly referred to as HCP) is a document (legal instrument) with which a patient (primary individual) appoints an Agent (law), agent to legally make healthcare decisions on behalf of the patient, when ...

to see Pond. Langbehn had a

power of attorney A power of attorney (POA) or letter of attorney is a written authorization to represent or act on another's behalf in private affairs (which may be financial or regarding health and welfare), business, or some other legal matter. The person auth ...

(POA) which was faxed to the hospital within an hour of Pond's arrival. However, Langbehn and their 3 young children were kept from Pond's side for eight hours. Pond slipped into a coma from a

brain aneurysm An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a cerebral aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder characterized by a localized dilation or ballooning of a blood vessel in the brain due to a weakness in the vessel wall. These aneurysms can occur in an ...

and died without her partner of 18 years or her children by her side.

Federal lawsuit

When Langbehn unsuccessfully sought an apology from the hospital, she turned to Lambda Legal Defense Fund. Lambda Legal filed suit against Jackson Memorial on June 25, 2008, in the

Federal District Court The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one feder ...

of Miami, FL.

Lawsuit dismissed

Florida Federal District Court Judge Jordan wrote in his Order to Dismiss,

Media

Langbehn was asked to speak publicly about her partner's death for the first time at the Olympia, WA

Pride Pride is a human Emotion, secondary emotion characterized by a sense of satisfaction with one's Identity (philosophy), identity, performance, or accomplishments. It is often considered the opposite of shame or of humility and, depending on conte ...

gathering on June 18, 2007, four months after Pond's death. As the family's story caught national attention they were featured in the ''New York Times'' by writer Tara Parker-Pope. As a result of the article, White House chief of staff

Rahm Emanuel Rahm Israel Emanuel (; born November 29, 1959) is an American politician, advisor, diplomat, and former investment banker who most recently served as List of ambassadors of the United States to Japan, United States ambassador to Japan from 2022 ...

brought the article to the attention of President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

. On April 15, 2010, President Obama called Langbehn from

Air Force One Air Force One is the official air traffic control-designated Aviation call signs, call sign for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. The term is commonly used to denote U.S. Air Force aircraft modifie ...

to apologize for the treatment her family received at Jackson Memorial Hospital and to inform her about the

Presidential Memorandum A presidential memorandum (from Latin ''memorare'', 'to remember') is a type of directive issued by the president of the United States to manage and govern the actions, practices, and policies of the various departments and agencies found under ...

he signed earlier that day. President Obama's Memorandum directed the Secretary of

Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the US federal government created to protect the health of the US people and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Im ...

Kathleen Sebelius Kathleen Sebelius (; née Gilligan, born May 15, 1948) is an American politician who served as the 21st United States secretary of health and human services from 2009 until 2014. As Secretary of Health and Human Services, Sebelius was instrumenta ...

to create a rule allowing hospital visitations for same-sex couples comparable to those of married and opposite sex couples. Following Langbehn's phone call with President Obama, she spoke live to

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

news anchor

Anderson Cooper Anderson Hays Cooper (born June 3, 1967) is an American broadcast journalist and political commentator who anchors the CNN news broadcast show ''Anderson Cooper 360°''. In addition to his duties at CNN, Cooper serves as a correspondent for ''6 ...

on the show ''

Anderson Cooper 360° ''Anderson Cooper 360°'' (commonly shortened to either ''AC-360'' or ''360'') is an American television news show on CNN and CNN International, hosted by CNN journalist and news anchor Anderson Cooper. Current segments include ‘Reality Check ...

''.

Committee for Fair Visitation at Jackson Memorial Hospital

As a result of the ongoing media attention the "Committee for Fair Visitation at Jackson Memorial Hospital" negotiated changes with the hospital regarding same-sex visitation. The committee consisted of partners throughout the LGBT Community including Lambda Legal,

Human Rights Campaign The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for L ...

(HRC), and

Gay and Lesbian Medical Association GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality (GLMA) is an association of LGBTQ+ and allied health professionals in the United States. Its members include interdisciplinary health professionals, such as physicians, nurses, physician assoc ...

(GLMA) among others. On April 13, 2010,

in conjunction with the committee announced significant changes to visitation policies regarding LGBT patients. In addition to the changes at Jackson Memorial Hospital, the

Joint Commission The Joint Commission is a United States-based nonprofit tax-exempt 501(c) organization that accredits more than 22,000 US health care organizations and programs. The international branch accredits medical services from around the world. A majori ...

, formerly the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospital Organizations - JCAHO, published new guidelines addressing inclusion of LGBT patient and families in hospital visitation.

Healthcare Equality Index

In 2007, the

published a report entitled the "Healthcare Equality Index" which examined equality of care in US hospitals. In 2010, the HEI reported indicated progress, crediting the Langbehn-Pond story for bringing the issue of hospital visitation for same-sex couples into the public eye. The proposed rule for "Fair Visitation" was issued in November 2010. Over 1,250 public comments were received during the open comment period. In 2010, the Human Rights Campaign published the fourth edition of the Healthcare Equality Index, assessing America's hospitals in their inclusiveness for treating LGBT families and individuals. This report was dedicated to the memory of Langbehn's partner, Lisa Marie Pond.

White House pride celebration

On June 22, 2010, Langbehn and her three children met with Secretary Sebelius and then attended a

gay pride In the context of LGBTQ culture, pride (also known as LGBTQ pride, LGBTQIA pride, LGBT pride, queer pride, gay pride, or gay and lesbian pride) is the promotion of the rights, self-affirmation, dignity, Social equality, equality, and increas ...

reception at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

. Prior to the reception, President Obama met with Langbehn and the children to again offer his apology. While speaking at the reception, President Obama described the struggles the Langbehn-Pond family faced and the impact of his memorandum. The President said, "Just a few moments ago, I met with Janice Langbehn and her children ... And when Janice's partner of 18 years, Lisa, suddenly collapsed because of an aneurysm, Janice and the couple's three kids were denied the chance to comfort their partner and their mom -- barred from Lisa's bedside. It was wrong. It was cruel. And in part because of their story, I instructed my

Secretary of Health and Human Services The United States secretary of health and human services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all health matters. The secretary is ...

, Kathleen Sebelius, to make sure that any hospital that's participating in Medicare or

Medicaid Medicaid is a government program in the United States that provides health insurance for adults and children with limited income and resources. The program is partially funded and primarily managed by U.S. state, state governments, which also h ...

-- that means most hospitals -- (laughter) -- allow gay and lesbian partners the same privileges and visitation rights as straight partners."

Recognition and awards

In 2010, Langbehn was awarded the Olympia, WA "Capital City Pride Award for 2010". On September 25, 2010, Langbehn was awarded the National Equality Award by the Human Rights Campaign for her continued fight for equality in hospital visitation. Langbehn continues to speak for the need of equality for LGBT families and impressing upon her audiences that "holding Lisa's hand was not a gay right but a human right." Notable editor of the ''

Windy City Times ''Windy City Times'' is an LGBT newspaper in Chicago that published its first issue on September 26, 1985. History ''Windy City Times'' was founded in 1985 by Jeff McCourt, Bob Bearden, Drew Badanish and Tracy Baim, who started Sentury Public ...

'', Tracy Baim, wrote about the Langbehn-Pond family in her recently published book, ''Obama and the Gays: A Political Marriage''. Also in 2010, the Human Rights Campaign published a Health Care Equality Index assessing America's hospitals in their inclusiveness for treating LGBT families and individuals. This report was dedicated to the memory of Langbehn's partner, Lisa Marie Pond. Lambda Legal presented Langbehn with their Liberty award in New York City on May 2, 2011.

Presidential Citizens Medal

On October 20, 2011, President Barack Obama awarded Langbehn with the second highest civilian honor: the

Presidential Citizens Medal The Presidential Citizens Medal is an award bestowed by the president of the United States. It is the second-highest civilian award in the United States and is second only to the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Established by executive order on N ...

. Langbehn was one of 13 recipients for 2011. Langbehn's citation read

Public policy change

The hospital visitation rule requiring all hospital receiving Medicare and

funding to allow for LGBT family visitation went into effect January 18, 2011. A short film, ''Quiet'', a fictionalized version of Lisa's death is receiving awards and showing at Academy Award qualify festivals. The film is dedicated to the memory of Lisa Pond and how her death catapulted LGBT hospital visitation to the forefront of publicly policy. Langbehn resides in

Lacey, Washington Lacey is a city in Thurston County, Washington, United States. It is a suburb of Olympia, Washington, Olympia with a population of 53,526 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Washington, 24th mos ...

, raising the children that Pond and she adopted from the

Washington state Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

foster care program.

Lisa Marie Pond

Langbehn's partner of 18 years, Lisa Marie Pond, collapsed on February 18, 2007, after a fatal brain aneurysm. She was 39 years old. Arriving at the Ryder Trauma Center at

, Langbehn was barred from seeing Pond. Langbehn could not see Pond or receive information about her health status. Langbehn contacted friends in their hometown,

, and the required documents were faxed to the hospital. Pond died the following morning at 10:45am EST and per her wishes outlined in her Living Will her organs were donated saving four lives. Pond's partner and children participated in the Tournament of Roses Parade on January 2, 2012, celebrating Pond's organ donations.NWCN
NWCN Coverage of Tournament of Rose Parade
January 2, 2012, accessed July 23, 2012