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Center director David Mariner reflects on 20 years in Washington

Longtime gay D.C. community leader heading to Rehoboth with new husband

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David Mariner, gay news, Washington Blade
David Mariner has been credited with helping the D.C. Center for the LGBT Community expand its programming exponentially during his 11-plus years as executive director. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

David Mariner began in 2008 as a volunteer and then a part-time employee when the D.C. Center for the LGBT Community had a small office suite in the American Dental Association’s building on 14th Street, N.W. next to Thomas Circle.

Mariner, who soon became the Center’s executive director, recalls that the center’s volunteer treasurer told him back then that the organization had about $2,000 in the bank.

Now, a little over 10 years later, the D.C. Center operates in a comfortable suite of offices in the city’s Reeves Municipal Center building at 14th and U Streets, N.W. with an annual budget of $442,000 and an expected 2020 budget that Mariner says will reach the half-million dollar mark.

The Corning, N.Y., native, who moved to Washington in 1999 after graduating from college at Furman University in Greenville, S.C., departs Monday for a similar job at CAMP Rehoboth in Rehoboth Beach, Del., with his husband of one week, Khusan. He spoke to the Blade this week about his decade-plus at the D.C. Center.

WASHINGTON BLADE: When did you start at the D.C. Center?

DAVID MARINER: I began working at the D.C. Center in 2008. I volunteered for the first few months, and then they brought me on part time. When I started volunteering, they did not have the budget to hire me, but we worked up to that.

BLADE: What were things like back then?

MARINER: When I started Jim Marks (gay activist and former Washington Blade feature writer) was our treasurer. And other than a grant to work on crystal meth, which we were doing collaboratively with other organizations, we had about $2,000 in the bank, and for the first few months I would always ask Jim where we were money wise, and he would always say we have about $2,000.

BLADE: And where was the Center located at that time?

MARINER: At that time we had a suite at the American Dental Association Building on 14th Street, near the Green Lantern. 

BLADE: That was the first office the Center had when you began working there?

MARINER: Uh-huh. We had no full-time staff when I started, and now we will soon have a team of six or seven people in October. So we’re going to have the biggest and most robust team we’ve ever had at the Center.

BLADE: So when did you begin as the full-time executive director?

MARINER: That was January 2009, one year later.

BLADE: Can you tell a little about how the Center has changed since that time? You’ve been credited with helping to grow it quite a bit.

MARINER: We have a $47,000 grant from the Department of Aging and Community Living, which is the first time DACL has ever funded an LGBT group, which is exciting. The grant expands our social support network for LGBTQ older adults. We will continue having regular lunches and weekly coffee socials for LGBTQ older adults and expand into other programming, including yoga. We will also have a part-time case manager on site to support our LGBTQ older adults. One of the things we’ve asked for is for the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs to get to 20 housing vouchers for LGBTQ seniors. And I still don’t know where that stands, but a case manager like the one we will have is really important in helping older adults utilize those vouchers.

BLADE: Was there one other place the Center moved to before moving to the current location at the Reeves Municipal Building at 14th and U Street, N.W.?

MARINER: In 2009, we moved out of the American Dental Association Building at 1111 14th Street, Suite 350 and moved into the Whitman-Walker Space at 1810 14th Street, N.W., where Doi Moi is now. JBG Properties gave us the opportunity to stay there at a very reasonable rent knowing they were planning to demolish the building. When JBG moved forward with demolishing that space, we moved to another JBG property 1308 U Street N.W., in June of 2010. We encouraged the city to release an RFP for vacant space at the Reeves Center. There is still a lot of unused space at the Reeves Center including a hair salon that has not been touched for many years. We submitted our application with others that included a convenience store and a restaurant. At one point after our RFP was accepted there was a proposal for the city to trade the Reeves Center. Ultimately those plans fell apart. However, the future of the Reeves Center is still up in the air.

BLADE: Since moving into the Reeves Center the D.C. Center appears to have grown considerably. What do you see as your accomplishments there?

MARINER: Well when I visited other community centers through my consulting, what I loved most about them is how they created a space for everyone in the community, and how easy it was for community members to organize and support each other because they had a space to gather. I really wanted the D.C. Center to be a place where everyone felt welcome, which is difficult in a city that is so often divided. And I wanted it to be a space where we could work together to make D.C. better for everyone. Some of the work I’m most proud of is not the work I did, but the work community members did. The D.C. Center just made it easier by supporting their work. So for example, I’m very proud that D.C. for Marriage was a program of the Center, and (marriage equality leader) Michael Crawford and others did such amazing work creating marriage equality in D.C. long before it was nationwide. I’m proud of Daniel O’Neal, who worked on HIV prevention when we saw an increase in new HIV cases among younger gay/bi/trans men, and I’m really proud of the work Eddy Ameen and the Youth Working Group did holding forums and advocating for more beds for homeless LGBTQ Youth. As you remember, the Youth Working launched a petition for more beds for homeless LGBTQ youth when there were only a handful of beds. That has thankfully changed. And of course I’m proud of the fact that the D.C. Center is filled with activities almost every evening we are open. Many of our meetings at the D.C. Center are peer-facilitated support groups. There are 18 different peer-facilitated support groups that meet at the D.C. Center including our newest, which is for LGBTQ military members and first responders. In an era where trans people and people living with HIV are being pushed out of the military, I’m very excited we can offer this service

BLADE: What is the D.C. Center’s current budget?

MARINER: Our current 2019 budget is $442,000 and next year we will surpass the half million mark. That includes about $190,000 in government grants, $60,000 in private foundation grants and generous community support that comes through monthly donors, special events and our professional partners.

BLADE: What was your vision for the Center when you started and how much of that were you able to make happen?

MARINER: A lot of the goals that I set for myself when I started at the D.C. Center have been met. And 11 years is a long time to be with any organization. For me, I wanted to build an LGBTQ community center that I knew would last after I left and I believe that we’ve done that. I’m really proud of the work that I’ve done, but I’m ready for a new adventure and I’m ready to see what someone will bring to the D.C. Center when they take over.

BLADE: Will your new endeavor in Rehoboth Beach bring some changes in your personal life?

MARINER: Personally, this year has had some changes for me as I’ve gotten married. And I’m excited to be moving to Rehoboth with Khusan and be able to get a bigger place to live and for us to have a new beginning together. We’ve been together for two years

BLADE: How did you and Khusan meet?

MARINER: Khusan and I met at Trade (the D.C. gay bar) in August 2017, and got engaged in Key West, Fla., on July 13, 2019, and then we got married this past Friday, Sept. 20. Christopher Dyer was our officiant and it was a very small gathering of friends.

BLADE: How did you find out about the job opportunity at CAMP Rehoboth?

MARINER: I saw the Rehoboth job posting through CenterLink, the national association of LGBT Centers, and it felt like a great fit and a great opportunity. I applied and went to Rehoboth for two different interviews and got a chance to meet the team there. I had the opportunity to meet the board of directors and staff, and they are truly an amazing group of people, and Rehoboth itself is simply a very special place for the LGBTQ community.

BLADE: What if any new projects to you expect to be working on when you begin your new job in Rehoboth?

MARINER: Well I think the first task at hand for me when I get to Rehoboth is to really learn more. There are so many programs that CAMP Rehoboth offers and so many amazing volunteers and supporters that I want to learn from. Obviously there is a lot of overlap between what different LGBT Centers do across the country, but CAMP is also a unique place that I need to learn more about. One thing that is going to be unique for me is having a (U.S.) Senator and Representative that can vote, and I’m really looking forward to learning more about local politics. Obviously I could not be more excited that (transgender rights advocate) Sarah McBride is running for office, and CAMP has always played a role not just in Rehoboth, but in the state of Delaware. I’m excited to learn more about how we can support students in our area, and how we can best support LGBTQ older adults as well. I’m also excited to make some connections between D.C. and Rehoboth. For example, I know there are LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness who’ve never had a day at the ocean. And being so close to the ocean, I would love to have some D.C. visitors. So I’ve already started some of those conversations with local organizations about visiting.

BLADE: Do you have any thoughts about carrying on the legacy of the late Steve Elkins, who co-founded CAMP Rehoboth and served as executive director for over 25 years before his death last year?

MARINER: Steve Elkins had such a profound impact on Rehoboth and the entire state of Delaware. The entire team at CAMP Rehoboth continues that legacy. I was impressed when I recently visited Rehoboth for the Sundance weekend and met so many elected leaders and community leaders who are deeply invested in CAMP and our future. Much like D.C., I believe that those of us who are fortunate enough to live in parts of our country that are LGBTQ supportive, have a responsibility to move the ball forward in the quest for full equality, and there is still much work to do.

BLADE: What can you say about the selection of your successor at the D.C. Center and what that person will be dealing with in the next few years?

MARINER: The board of directors is working with our friends at CenterLink to conduct a job search. I believe there has recently been a renewed focus on LGBTQ advocacy locally in D.C. and I very much hope to see that continue. This includes passing the LGBTQ Older Americans and Older People Living HIV legislation, the Bella Evangelista and Tony Hunter Gay and Trans Panic Defense Bill, and the bill to Decriminalize Sex Work in D.C. I know the D.C. Rainbow Caucus (of LGBT Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners) and others will continue to push for more local funding and I hope to see that happen. And if we are pushed out of our current space at the Reeves Center, I hope to see at least twice as much space in our new home, as we continue to grow.

David Mariner (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
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New book celebrates 1970s dance music icons

‘A Night at the Disco’ features interviews with Donna Summer, Debbie Harry, more

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Christian John Wikane will appear at book signing events in D.C. and Baltimore next week.

If you’re a fan of 1970s-era dance music, don’t miss the irresistible new book by Christian John Wikane and Alice Harris, “A Night at the Disco,” which revisits more than 90 interviews conducted with some of the biggest names in pop culture. 

“A Night at the Disco” (ACC Art Books) was published on March 24, and distributed by Simon & Schuster. It celebrates more than 100 artists who sparked a phenomenon in dance music from 1970-1979 and features excerpts from interviews with everyone from Donna Summer to Debbie Harry. 

Lost City Books (2467 18th St., N.W.) will welcome author Christian John Wikane for a book signing and conversation about “A Night at the Disco” on Thursday, April 16 at 6 p.m. Details at lostcitybookstore.com. Bird in Hand Coffee & Books in Baltimore (11 E. 33rd St.) )will also host a Q&A with the author on Wednesday, April 15 at 6 p.m. Details at theivybookshop.com.

Below is an excerpt from “A Night at the Disco.” 

“I’ll let in anyone who looks like they’ll make things fun.” Steve Rubell is guiding a New York Times reporter through Studio 54 as resident DJ Richie Kaczor dazzles the crowd with records by CHIC, Odyssey, and T-Connection. “Disco, that’s where the happy people go,” The Trammps sing as dancers spin and twirl underneath tubes of flashing lights. Seven months since Rubell and co-owner Ian Schrager opened Studio 54 in April 1977, it’s welcomed untold numbers of “happy people” … at least those lucky enough to pass through the doors. 

“We were part of the chosen few,” says André De Shields, who immortalized the title role in The Wiz on Broadway at the time. “We could show up at Studio 54 and the doorman at the velvet stanchion would look over everyone and point to us from The Wiz to come in, that kind of thing.” As the lead vocalist in the GRAMMY-nominated Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band, whose debut modernized big band sophistication for the discothèques, Cory Daye had carte blanche in the club. “The energy was like a New Year’s Eve party every night,” she says. “I would go up to the mezzanine and watch the mechanical light pillars go up and down, metallic confetti falling from the ceiling, the spoon and the moon. I was so fascinated and enamored by it. 

“When a certain song came on, the people would just rush to the dance floor. There was no contact dancing — the hustle was pretty much on its way out — but it was just an amazing experience to see all the cultures together. It was a fusion of cultures, which described my life and my band, so I was right at home there.”

“Studio 54 was the place,” adds Linda Clifford. “Crazy parties. If you could think it, you would see it. It was like a circus. Just an amazing place to be. I worked 54 so many times. It was like a second home to me. The people there treated me so well. The crowd always seemed to enjoy my show. I always had a good time with them. That was the most important thing: making sure that they had fun.”

Well before Studio 54 opened, disco had become a business juggernaut. “A four billion dollar market and still growing,” Billboard announced in February 1977, with dance music offering more variety than ever. “There is no longer a single, readily identifiable disco beat, but a kaleidoscope of sounds that are melodic and danceable,” Tom Moulton told the magazine. In the clubs, records by veteran artists like Stevie Wonder and the Bee Gees were mixed in with a range of new acts like Grace Jones, Boney M., and The Ritchie Family, while everyone from ABBA to Marvin Gaye scored number one pop hits with songs that had club-centric storylines.

Beyond the charts, disco itself remained as idiosyncratic as ever, especially on several productions by Laurin Rinder and W. Michael Lewis, whose studio creations, El Coco (“Let’s Get It Together,” “Cocomotion”) and Le Pamplemousse (“Le Spank”), joined their own “Lust” from Seven Deadly Sins (1977) among the most tantalizing releases on AVI Records. Rinder & Lewis also produced acts for the newly hatched Butterfly Records in Los Angeles, where Saint Tropez (“On a Rien à Perdre”) and Tuxedo Junction (“Moonlight Serenade”) reflected the duo’s high gloss sound, spanning everything from European sophistication to a more literal translation of the ’40s sensibilities popularized by Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band.

12-inch singles had also grown as the preferred format to approximate the club music experience at home. Nearly a year after Atlantic Records introduced its series of promotional 12-inch singles for DJs, New York-based Salsoul Records released the industry’s first commercially available 12-inch single, “Ten Percent” by Double Exposure, in May 1976. A year later, T.K. Records was the first label to certify a gold record for a 12-inch single when Peter Brown’s “Do You Wanna Get Funky With Me” tallied one million sales.— Christian John Wikane

(From “A Night at the Disco” by Alice Harris & Christian John Wikane. Published by ACC Art Books.)

The Blade may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via this post.

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Award-winning D.C. chef reaching new culinary heights

Anthony Jones of Marcus DC competing on ‘Top Chef’

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Anthony Jones (Photo by Joshua Foo)

In Anthony Jones’s kitchen, all sorts of flags fly, including his own. Executive chef at award-winning restaurant Marcus DC, Jones has reached culinary heights (James Beard Award semifinalist for Emerging Chef, anyone?), yet he’s just getting started. 

Briefly stepping away from his award-winning station, Jones took a moment under a different set of lights. Recently, he temporarily gave up his post at the restaurant for a starring small-screen slot on the latest season of “Top Chef,” which debuted in March. (The show airs weekly on Bravo and Peacock). 

Before his strategic slice-and-dice competition, however, Jones, who identifies as gay, draws from his deep DMV roots. In the years before “Top Chef” and the top chef spot at Marcus, he was born and raised in Sunderland, Md., in southern Maryland, near the Chesapeake.

Early memories were steeped in afternoons on boats with his dad bonding over fishing, and wandering the garden of his great-grandparents spread with fresh vegetables and a few hogs. “It was Southern, old-school ethics and upbringing,” he said. “Family and food went hand in hand.” Weekends meant grabbing bushels of crabs, dad and grandma would cook and crack them. Family members would host fish fries for extra cash. In this seafood-heavy youth, Jones managed time to sneak in episodes of the “OG” Japanese “Iron Chef” show, which helped inspire him to pursue a career in the kitchen.

Jones moved to D.C. after graduating from college, ending up at lauded Restaurant Eve, and met famed chef Marcus Samuelson, who brought him to Miami to be part of the opening team for Red Rooster Overtown. After three years, Jones moved back to D.C., where he ran Dirty Habit, reinventing and reimagining the menu, integrating West African flavors and ingredients.

Samuelson, however, wouldn’t let a talent like Jones stay away for too long. Pulling Jones back into his orbit, Samuelson elevated Jones to help him open his namesake restaurant Marcus DC, which has been named a top-five restaurant by the Washington Post. Since then, Jones has been nominated as a semifinalist for the RAMMYs Rising Culinary Star in 2026 and won the Eater DC’s Rising Chef award in 2025.

Samuelson’s Marcus is a tour de force interpreting the Black Diaspora on the plate, from the American South to West Africa, along with his signature “Swedopian” touches. Yet it’s Jones who has deeply informed the plate, elevating his own story to date. Marcus DC is primarily a seafood restaurant, which serves Jones well.

“Where I’m from is seafood heavy, and as I’ve progressed in my career, I’ve moved away from meat.” Veggies and fish are hero dishes. His own dish, Mel’s Crab Rice, was not only lauded by the Washington Post, but is framed by his youth carrying home the crustaceans from Mel’s crab truck. It’s a bowl of Carolina rice, layered with pickled okra, uni béarnaise, and crab. Jones also points to a dish on the opening menu, rockfish and brassica, paying respect to a landmark D.C. institution, Ben’s Chili Bowl. Jones reverse engineered a favorite bowl of chili that’s seafood instead of meat forward, leveraging octopus and rockfish along with different riffs of cauliflower: showing his intellectual, creative, and cultural sides.

While “Top Chef” is showing Jones’s spotlight side, he also lets his identity show at work. “In the kitchen, I make sure we’re inclusive. We don’t tolerate discrimination. Everyone that’s here should feel confident to express themselves. There are so many different flags in the kitchen.”

Jones says that he didn’t fully express his gay identity until fairly recently. He felt reluctant coming out to certain family members, “you’re scared to tell them about being different,” he says, and while that anxiety ate at him, “I’m lucky and fortunate to have unconditional love and that weight off my shoulders.”

Today, “I’m me all the time, Monday to Sunday. I’m honest with people, and my staff is honest with me.”

“Being a chef is hard,” he says, “and being a chef of color is even more difficult.”

Yet his LGBTQ identity is a juggling act, he says. “I need to keep that balance, because once someone finds out something about you, their opinion can change, whether you want it or not.”

Being on a whole season of TV cooking competition, however, might mean millions more might have an opinion of him (Jones has appeared on TV already, on an episode of “Chopped”). To prepare, he says, “I’ve just kept a level head. It’s just an honor to be on top chef with amazing people happy to be there.”

Plus, this season is set in the Carolinas, and Jones attended  Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, N.C. “It’s a full story of my life, now a monumental moment for me.”

Jones also recently was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award. “JBF has been a north star, a dream for so long. I always had this goal on my wall.”

Being at the top spot at Marcus DC, making waves through his accolades, and cooking on Bravo means that Jones is highly visible. “I think that if someone has a similar background to me, and can see our story, trajectory, and success, they can have more ability to be themselves. This is my goal.”

Back at Marcus, Jones has plenty up his chef’s white’s sleeves. A new spring menu is in the works. He’ll be launching a new tasting menu “dining experience,” he says, and has plans to work on more events and collaborations with chefs and friends to bring in new talent and share the culinary wealth.

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Introducing the Torchbearers Awards honoring queer, trans women and nonbinary people

Meet the Legends and Illuminators lighting new paths

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The Torchbearers Awards are more than recognition—they are a continuation of legacy. They honor the quiet architects of progress in our community: those who organize, advocate, build, and protect, often without fanfare but always with purpose. Rooted in a belief in intentional recognition, this honor names those who carry our movements forward—those who make room for others, who remind us that change is both generational and generative. In a time marked by uncertainty and challenge, these leaders push forward with courage, clarity, and an unwavering commitment to expanding opportunity and equity.

This year’s honorees reflect the full breadth of our community, spanning generations, backgrounds, identities, and industries. From Legends, with decades of leadership and having created pathways for others, to Illuminators, who are lighting new paths with creativity and innovation, each Torchbearer represents the power of intergenerational leadership and the strength found in our diversity. They are organizers, advocates, artists, policy leaders, healers, and changemakers whose lived experiences shape a shared vision for equity and liberation.

This award is our love letter to queer and trans women and nonbinary people who carry the flame when it would be easier to let it dim. To those who consistently show up, who use their voice and visibility and stand firm, often without recognition, so that others may live more freely and fully. The Torchbearers Awards celebrates not just what has been done, but the enduring spirit, responsibility, and collective care that ensure the work continues, and that the flame is always passed forward. 

Co-Creators of the Torchbearers Awards: Shannon Alston, June Crenshaw, Heidi Ellis

Torchbearers Awards Advisory Board: Aditi Hardikar, Lesley Bryant, Jasmine Wilson-Bryant, Stephen Rutgers

ILLUMINATOR AWARDEES

  1. Representative Sharice Davids (she/her), (D, KS-03)
    — U.S. House of Representatives
  2. Greisa Martinez Rosas (she/her/ella)
    — Executive Director, United We Dream
  3. Paola Ramos (she/her)
    — Journalist & Correspondent
  4. Meagan A. Fitzgerald (she/her)
    — Journalist & Correspondent
  5. Jessica L. Lewis (she/her)
    — Founder / Producer, Play Play DC
  6. Savannah Wade (she/her)
    — Founder,  OAR Agency
  7. Suhad Babaa (she/her)
    — Filmmaker/ Former Executive Director of Just Vision
  8. Ashlee Davis (she/her)
    — Global Head of Inclusive Outcomes, Ancestry
  9. Jazmine Hughes (she/her)
    — Journalist and Former Editor at New York Times Magazine
  10. Queen Adesuyi (they/she)
    — Policy Advisor & Organizer, ReFrame Health & Justice
  11. Michele Rayner, Esq. (she/her)
    — Civil Rights Attorney, State Representative (Florida House of Representatives) 
  12. Gaby Vincent (she/her)
    — Sports/Cultural Commentator and Community Leader
  13. Jenny Nguyen (she/her)
    — Founder & Owner, The Sports Bra
  14. Denice Frohman (she/her)
    — Independent Artist, Poet / Performer
  15. Vida Rangel (she/her)
    — Founder, Our Trans Capital
  16. Roxanne Anderson (they/them)
    — Executive Director, Our Space
  17. Ann Marie Gothard (she/her)
    — Co-Founder & President, Pride Live (Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center)
  18. Diana Rodriquez (she/her)
    — Co-Founder & CEO, Pride Live (Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center)
  19. Wendi Cooper (she/her)
    — Founder / Executive Director, Transcending Women
  20. Toya Matthews (she/her)
    — City of San Antonio, Texas
  21. Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones (she/her)
    — Sports/Cultural Commentator and Community Leader
  22. Charity Blackwell (she/her)
    — Poet, LGBTQ Advocate & Community Leader
  23. Wilhelmina Indermaur (she/her)
    — Director of Communications, Tyler Clementi Foundation
  24. Em Chadwick (she/her)
    — CMO, For Them & Autostraddle
  25. Kylo Freeman (they/he)
    — CEO, For Them & Autostraddle

LEGEND AWARDEES

  1. Sheila Alexander-Reid (she/her)
      — Executive Director, PHL Diversity, Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau
  2. Cassandra Cantave Burton (she/her)
    — Interim Director of Thought Leadership & Senior Research Advisor, AARP
  3. leigh h. mosley (she/her)
      — Photographer / Educator, PhotoFlo Photography
  4. Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them)
      — Assistant Professor of Political Science; Author & Columnist, Syracuse University
  5. Jordyn White (she/her)
      —  COO, Washington Prodigy / VP of Leadership Development & Research, HRC Foundation
  6. AJ Hikes (they/them)
      — Deputy Executive Director, ACLU
  7. RaeShanda Lias (she/her)
    — Digital Creator, RL Lockhart
  8. Donna Payne-Hardy (she/her)
    — Educator, EEO Specialist, Founder of NBJC, Former Leader at the Human Rights Campaign
  9. Courtney R. Snowden (she/her)
      — Principal, Blueprint Strategy Group
  10. Gaye Adegbalola (she/her)
    — Musician & Activist, Musician / Inductee of the Blues Hall of Fame
  11. Cheryl A. Head (she/her)
    — Independent Author, Novelist (Crime Fiction)
  12. Letitia Gomez (she/her)
    — The American LGBTQ+ Museum, Board Chair 
  13. Lynne Brown (she/her)
      — Publisher, Washington Blade 
  14. Shay Franco-Clausen (She/Her/Ella/Queen)
    — Political Strategist and Organizer
  15. Melissa L. Bradley (she/her)
      — Founder & Managing Partner, New Majority Ventures
  16. Meghann Burke (she/her)
      — Executive Director, NWSL Players Association
  17. Victoria Kirby York, MPA (she/they)
      — Director of Public Policy & Programs, National Black Justice Collective
  18. Joli Angel Robinson (she/her)
      — CEO, Center on Halsted
  19. Jeannine Frisby LaRue (she/her)
      —  CEO, Moxie Strategies
  20. Alice Wu (she/her)
      — Film Director (Saving Face, The Half of It) / Screenwriter
  21. Storme Webber (she/her)
      — Interdisciplinary Artist / Educator, University of Washington
  22. Kim Stone
    — CEO of the Washington Spirit, Washington Spirit
  23. Mickalene Thomas
      — American Visual Artist, Mickalene Thomas Studio
  24. Erika Lorshbough (any/they/she)
    — Executive Director, interACT
  25. J. Gia Loving (she/ella)
      — Co-Executive Director, GSA Network
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