Janice K. Langbehn (born September 22, 1968) is a gay American activist, social worker, 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, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

in 2000, and a Juris Doctor from Seattle University in 2018.

Background story

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

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

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

Jackson Memorial Hospital Jackson Memorial Hospital (also known as "Jackson" or abbreviated "MJMH") is a non-profit, tertiary care hospital, the primary teaching hospital of the University of Miami's School of Medicine, and the largest hospital in the United States with 1 ...

'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 to legally make healthcare decisions on behalf of the patient, when the patient ...

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 brain aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder in which weakness in the wall of a cerebral artery or vein causes a localized dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel. Aneurysms in the posterior circ ...

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, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...

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 defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) w ...

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 and diplomat who is the current United States Ambassador to Japan. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served two terms as the 55th Mayor of Chicago from 2011 ...

brought the article to the attention of President

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

. On April 15, 2010, President Obama called Langbehn from Air Force One to apologize for the treatment her family received at Jackson Memorial Hospital and to inform her about the

Presidential Memorandum A presidential memorandum 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 the executive branch of the United State ...

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 U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is ...

Kathleen Sebelius Kathleen Sebelius (; née Gilligan, born May 15, 1948) is an American businesswoman and 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, Sebeli ...

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 CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

news anchor Anderson Cooper 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. Since May 20, 2019, ''360°'' has been b ...

''.

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 (HRC), and

Gay and Lesbian Medical Association GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality (GLMA) is an international organization of approximately 1,000 LGBT healthcare professionals and students of all disciplines. Its members include physicians, advanced practice nurses, physician ...

(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 Human Rights Campaign 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 LGBT pride (also known as gay pride or simply pride) is the promotion of the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people as a social group. Pride, as opposed to s ...

reception at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

. 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 in the United States is a federal and state program that helps with healthcare costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, including nursing home care and per ...

-- 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 Publicat ...

'', 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. 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 with a population of 53,526 at the 2020 census. Lacey is located along Interstate 5 between Olympia and the Nisqually River, which marks the border with ...

, 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 Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the 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