We’re shaking things up! Tomorrow our Lambda Coffee Break will be held at

Artfully Chocolate Bistro And Wine Bar
506 John Carlyle St
Alexandria, Virginia

We’re looking forward to sweets, ice cream and of course, coffee with a side of interesting conversation. See you there!

Good morning,

Since June is ‘LGBT Pride Month’, the USPTO Weekly would like to feature an article celebrating the agency’s unique community – including members of the LGBT community. If you believe a colleague has noteworthy achievements, an interesting hobby, or a remarkable background, submit an Employee Profile.

Profiles should be 300-700 words long, and the profiled employees must review the articles before they are submitted. Once submitted, stories may be edited and fact-checked by Weekly staff. Publication is not guaranteed.

To submit a story, first consult our Submission Guidelines and then send your submission to the USPTO Weekly. The deadline is noon every Wednesday for the following week’s issue. Stories may be edited for clarity and brevity, and to conform to the Associated Press Stylebook for journalism.

Regards,
Managing Editor, USPTO Weekly

On Tuesday June 3 at 11 am in the Jefferson Conference Center Lambda PTO is holding its annual Pride Month event.

The featured speaker, Michele Zavos of Zavos Juncker Law Group PLLC, will be giving a talk on marriage – not marriage in a political sense, but rather a legal sense. Many members of the LGBT community did not grow up thinking that marriage was a possibility.

Now that we CAN get married, SHOULD we? What are we getting ourselves into when we say, “I do?”

The event is open to the entire PTO community and should be particularly informative for anybody who has ever thought about getting married. Please join us on the 3rd!

This year during Community Day on May 8th, Lambda will display its usual booth and also march in the parade! We will Line up for the parade with our brand new rainbow flag at 10:15 AM and start 11AM. We need as many people as we can get to represent the LGBT community in PTO and carry the flag.

Also we need two people per shift to be available at the Lambda Information Table so more people can sign up and get to know our community. Shifts for the table last for one hour each from 10AM to 2PM. Please contact us if you can help!

Celebrate Cinco De Mayo
at the SHPE USPTO Happy Hour!

Monday, May 5th 2014
5:00 PM at San Antonio’s Grill
200 Swamp Fox Rd, Alexandria

Join us for dinner at Hank’s Oyster Bar of Old Town on April 24th, 2014. A portion of the profits will be donated to benefit Food and Friends. This charity cares for men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-challenging illnesses by preparing and delivering specialized meals and groceries in conjunction with nutrition counseling. So take out your wallets for a great cause and come over for a great evening of food and friends.

Article by Lambda Legal

It’s tax season – and for married same-sex couples, it’s a new world! Since the Supreme Court struck down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the federal government now recognizes the marriages of same-sex couples.

Filing taxes is serious business, so we have tried to answer the most frequently asked questions about it below. Unfortunately, there are still complications for couples that live in states that do NOT recognize the marriages of same-sex couples. We are still fighting for the freedom to marry across the country – but for now, here are some things you need to know.

http://lambdalegal.org/blog/20140207_8-things-to-know-about-taxes-2014

Presented by the National Society of Black Engineers.

Learn how to effectively
communicate in your TC environment! Join us for a candid discussion with a panel of Directors, SPEs and Primary Examiners on Thrusday, January 30th from 11:00 am to12:00 pm at the Randolph Building conference room, 1D04.