Philadelphia, April 28 – Mayor Michael A. Nutter announced today that Gloria A. Casarez would serve as the Mayor’s Office Liaison to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Communities in Philadelphia, the first time that such a position has existed within the Mayor’s Office.

“I am delighted that Gloria has agreed to join my administration and serve as Liaison to the LGBT communities,” said Mayor Nutter.  “One of Philadelphia’s attractions is our great diversity and we need to celebrate that and ensure that government is working effectively for all of the many diverse communities across the city.”

"This is an important time in the development of our LGBT communities and we need many committed individuals at the table,” said Gloria Casarez.  “I am proud to have spent the last 13 years working to improve the lives of LGBT people in Philadelphia and I plan to draw upon my experience and the knowledge of others in my role with the City.  We are fortunate to have a Mayor who has long understood that our communities have compelling needs as well as great assets to build upon."

The Mayor’s Office LGBT Liaison will report directly to the Chief of Staff, working across city government to advocate the needs of Philadelphia’s LGBT community, and to ensure that the interests of this diverse population are properly represented across a myriad of policy areas and initiatives.

Gloria will join the Administration from the Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative where she has served as Executive Director since 1999.  Prior to this she was a Program Coordinator at the LGBT Center of the University of Pennsylvania and a Marketing Associate at New Society Publishers, a non-profit committed to building an ecologically sustainable and just society.   

She has also been active in a number of community organizations including Empty the Shelters, an anti-poverty organization of which she was a co-founder, the Bread and Roses Community Fund where she serves as Co-Chair of the Board of Directors and the Philadelphia Health Management Corporation’s LGBT Research Community Advisory Board.

Gloria Casarez will join the Nutter Administration in July after she completes the current fiscal year with the Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative.  She will appear with Mayor Nutter at this evening’s Equality Forum, starting at 6:00pm in Conversation Hall, City Hall.