Mayor Creates Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Affairs
Related Links

Mayor’s Order 2004-148 09/02/04

Agenda: 2004 section on GLBT Affairs office 07/07/04

GLAA to Council: Oppose reintroduction of bill to create Office of GLBT Affairs 02/27/03

Evans withdraws support for proposed Office of GLBT Affairs 10/04/02

GLAA to Council: Oppose creation of an Office of GLBT Affairs 09/10/02


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Executive Office of the Mayor
Washington, D.C.

News Release for Immediate Release
September 8, 2004

Mayor Creates Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Affairs


(Washington, DC) Today, Mayor Anthony A. Williams signed a Mayor's Order establishing the Mayor's Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Affairs. Councilmember Jim Graham first submitted legislation in 2001 establishing this Office as a permanent office within the Executive Office of the Mayor, and by leaders from the District's LGBT community. He also announced that leading the office will be Wanda R. Alston, who for the past two years has served as Special Assistant to the Mayor on LGBT affairs.

"Today, we join cities like Boston, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, which all have offices or senior officials designated to address LGBT health," said Mayor Williams. "We're raising the stakes here in the Nation's Capital, establishing a cabinet level office to address the important concerns of lesbian and gay citizens. I'm proud to be establishing this office with Wanda Alston leading it."

The mission and objectives of the Office are to:

The Office of LGBT Affairs will work in collaboration with an Advisory Committee, appointed by the Mayor, to identify and address community issues, collect and disseminate research on the impact of public policies and legislation affecting the LGBT community, and recommend to the Mayor the development and implementation of public policy around LGBT issues.


Biography of Wanda R. Alston, Acting Director, Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Affairs

Wanda Alston has served as the special assistant to the Mayor for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Affairs since November 2001. In this role, she serves as a liaison between the District government and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. Through Ms. Alston's efforts, the LGBT community has achieved greater representation on District government boards and commissions. In addition, she has worked with the Office of Human Rights and the Department of Employment Services to establish sensitivity training for all government agencies. She has also worked with family court judges in the District to create a mentoring program for children in foster care who have self-identified as LGBT.

Ms. Alston also was the community coordinator supervisor for the District of Columbia government's Office of the Public Advocate and Director of Operations for the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice. She was the Mayor's liaison to the US Census Bureau from 1999-2000.

Prior to working for the District of Columbia Government, Ms. Alston worked as a legal assistant for the law firm of Legal Assistant at Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson & Hand and as the events manager for the Human Rights Campaign. In 1997, Ms. Alston started Alston Consulting Services, a full-service firm specializing in political fundraising, event management and community relations for non-profit organizations.

From 1992-1996, Ms. Alston served as the executive assistant to Patricia Ireland, president of the National Organization for Women (NOW), and as a special projects director. In this position she helped to organize four national marches on Washington and one in San Francisco, co-led a NOW delegation to the World Conference on Women in Beijing, China, and served as the staff liaison to the National Rainbow Coalition.

Ms. Alston has received several community service awards: the 1994 Welmore Cook Award from DC Black Pride, Inc. given as the highest community service award by the Black LGBT community; the 1995 National Welfare Rights Union community award; and the DC Coalition of Black Lesbians, Gay Men and Bisexuals community service award, also in 1995. In 2004, she received the Trusted Servant Award from the Transgender Health Empowerment organization.

Ms. Alston received a Master of Business Administration in international management from Southeastern University in Washington, DC, and a Bachelor of Science in mass communications from Norfolk State University in Norfolk, VA. She also graduated from the District of Columbia's Certified Public Manager program. Ms. Alston currently serves on the DC Commission on Women, is a former co-chair of the DC Coalition of Black Lesbians, Gay Men & Bisexuals, and served on the National Board of Directors for NOW from 1998-2000.