Today, the City of Atlanta and Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced that she has appointed the city’s first-ever LGBTQ Affairs Coordinator and formed an LGBTQ Advisory Board, which will advise the mayor on LGBTQ issues. Both of these announcements represent an important step forward in Atlanta working toward greater LGBTQ representation in City Hall.

Composed of citywide leaders and advocates, the Mayor’s LGBTQ Advisory Board will help shape the City’s policies and engagements with Atlanta’s LGBTQ community and serve as a bridge between City Hall and LGBTQ residents.

HRC Board of Governors member Malik Brown will take on the role of LGBTQ Affairs Coordinator, making him the first full-time official in the City of Atlanta to focus on liaising between the LGBTQ community and City Hall. Brown is a lifelong Atlantan and has worked with the Human Rights Campaign as well as AID Atlanta, a direct-service HIV & AIDS organization based in Atlanta.

Atlanta received a score of 100 on HRC’s Municipal Equality Index, which examines how inclusive municipal laws, policies and services are of LGBTQ people who live and work there. Despite the city’s perfect score, Mayor Bottoms has shown that she is interested in engaging the LGBTQ community further.

“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,” said Mayor Bottoms. “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.”

Find out more about HRC Atlanta here: https://hrcatlanta.com/