Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms today announced the formation of the Mayor’s LGBTQ Advisory Board. Composed of citywide leaders and advocates, the Mayor’s LGBTQ Advisory Board has been tasked by Bottoms to help shape the City’s policies and engagements with Atlanta’s LGBTQ communities as well as to serve as a bridge between City Hall and LGBTQ residents.
Bolstering her commitment to making City Hall more open and inclusive, Bottoms has also hired the City’s first-ever, full-time LGBTQ Affairs Coordinator, Malik Brown.
Brown, a lifelong Atlanta resident, is an established LGBTQ advocate and a member of the Human Rights Campaign’s National Board of Governors. He also previously served AID Atlanta, the largest AIDS Service Organization in the Southeast, in an HIV education/prevention, event planning, and development capacity.
The LGBTQ Board of Advisors and the LGBTQ Affairs Coordinator add to and amplify the City’s efforts to engage Atlanta’s LGBTQ community. Robin Shahar, who has served as the City’s LGBTQ Policy Advisor since 2013, will also continue in her role.
“During my campaign, I spoke at length of my commitment to the LGBTQ community. As Mayor, my recognition of that importance has been put into action, as I have made the formation of the LGBTQ Advisory Board and the hiring of a full-time LGBTQ Affairs Coordinator a priority,” Bottoms said. “I am proud to welcome our first full-time employee dedicated solely to liaising with our LGBTQ constituents, and I am equally proud to welcome such a distinguished group of community advocates and leaders to the City’s LGBTQ Advisory Board.”
Focus areas of the Mayor’s LGBTQ Advisory Board, LGBTQ Affairs Coordinator, and LGBTQ Policy Advisor include:
- Reducing the LGBTQ homeless youth population in Atlanta;
- Working to combat the rising rate of new HIV infections in Atlanta;
- Developing programming to support job-readiness among LGBTQ youth; and
- Working to attract and host more LGBTQ conferences and events in Atlanta.
The LGBTQ Advisory Board and the LGBTQ Affairs Coordinator are both housed in One Atlanta, the newly announced Mayor’s Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Members of the Mayor’s LGBTQ Advisory Board include:
- Bishop Oliver Clyde Allen, Founder, Vision Church Atlanta
- Kia Barnes, Community Organizer
- Emily Halden Brown, Atlanta Coalition for LGBTQ Youth (ACFLY)
- State Representative Park Cannon, GA House District 58
- Richard Cherskov, Former Owner, Jungle Atlanta
- Gabrielle Claiborne, Co-Founder, Transformation Journeys Worldwide
- Paul Conroy, Founder, Out Front Theatre
- Tori Cooper, Prevention Specialist, Positive Impact Health Centers
- Lisa Cunningham, CEO, Atlanta Film Partners
- Jamie Fergerson, Executive Director, Atlanta Pride
- Jeff Graham, Executive Director, Georgia Equality
- Colton Griffin, LGBT Caucus Chair, Democratic Party of Georgia
- Roshelle Darlene Hudson, MSW, Co-Founder, Annual Rustin/Lorde Breakfast
- Rabbi Joshua Lesser, Founder, Southern Jewish Resource Network (SOJOURN)
- Ivette Lopez, Board of Directors, Latino LinQ
- Tracee McDaniel, Executive Director, Juxtaposed Center for Transformation
- Josh McNair, Community Activist
- Daniel Newman, Actor, The Walking Dead
- Rev. Dr. Joshua M. Noblitt, Saint Mark United Methodist Church
- Matt Parkey, Board Chairman, AID Atlanta
- Philip Rafshoon, Former Owner, OutWrite Book Store & Coffeehouse
- Kirk Rich, Principal, Avison Young
- Ryan Roemerman, Founding Executive Director, LGBT Institute
- Jonathan Russell, Senior Director of Development, Woodruff Health Sciences Center
- Brigid Scarbrough, National Board of Governors, Human Rights Campaign
- Melissa Scott, Owner, Soul Bar At Pals Lounge
- Fred Smith, Law Professor, Emory University
- Pam Stewart, Board of Directors, GLAAD
- Feroza Syed, Transgender Activist
- Alex Wan, Former Atlanta City Council Member, District 6
- Craig Washington, Communication Specialist, American Institutes for Research Atlanta
- Miss Lawrence, Actor, Star (FOX)
- Kelly Wentworth, Atlanta President, Muslims for Progressive Values
