Equality Arlington Applauds Arlington County’s Formation of an LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee

Equality Arlington, an LGBTQ+ advocacy nonprofit, applauds Arlington County Manager, Mark Schwartz, for forming an LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee to provide information and guidance to county leadership on the needs of the LGBTQ+ community. Equality Arlington has been working with the County Manager’s office for months to shape the structure of the committee and ensure that it represents the diversity of the county’s LGBTQ+ residents and workers.

“We are very excited for the launch of the County Manager’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee this month. The committee will build on the advocacy work our organization has been doing for the last year and a half to ensure that Arlington County staff and leadership have a better understanding of the needs of LGBTQ+ residents and workers and that LGBTQ+ individuals have a voice within the county government,” said Kellen MacBeth, President of Equality Arlington.

The LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee—made up of members of the LGBTQ+ community in Arlington, representatives of organizations serving the LGBTQ+ community, and individuals with a strong interest in furthering the mission of the committee—will hold its first public meeting on Monday, October 21 at 6 PM ET both virtually and in person at the Bozman Government Center. Members of the public are welcome to attend and provide public comment.

The formation of the advisory committee comes after Equality Arlington sent a letter to Arlington County in March 2024 outlining a host of areas where the county could be more responsive to the needs of LGBTQ+ residents and recommended policy and program changes. The letter recommended the county develop a stronger liaison function for the LGBTQ+ community similar to the Alexandria LGBTQ+ Task Force or the D.C. Mayor’s Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Affairs.

For more information about the Arlington LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee, please visit https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Commissions-and-Advisory-Groups/LGBTQ-Advisory-Committee.

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