NORRISTOWN, Pa. — The Montgomery County Commissioners unanimously voted to appoint 21 members to the County’s first-ever Commission on LGBTQIA+ Affairs. Since announcing the creation of the new Commission in June, the County received 94 applications from residents and advocates interested in volunteering.
“I’m proud to welcome these members of our new LGBTQ Commission in Montgomery County, because I know they are going to make great contributions to our work at the County,” said Jamila H. Winder, chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. “I look forward to hearing their input to guide more inclusive policies, programs, and services, to meet the needs of our residents. The number of applications we received demonstrates the value of creating spaces and forums where different lived experiences and perspectives can help shape how government works. Creating the Commission for LGBTQIA+ Affairs not only shows that all are welcome here in Montgomery County, it makes the strong statement that your voice is important and deserves to be heard when we are making decisions as a board.”
The Commission for LGBTQIA+ Affairs will advise the County Commissioners and Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer on issues and opportunities facing the LGBTQIA+ communities in Montgomery County. This includes developing educational programs and engaging with organizations across the County to combat bias and promote tolerance and understanding for marginalized individuals and communities.
“What isn’t always understood is that the work is not yet done,” said Neil Makhija, Montgomery County Commissioner. “It’s apparent every day seeing how many members of the LGBTQ community are targeted and attacked as political pawns. It’s disturbing — and the need for this Commission is apparent. We have to find ways at the County level to protect civil rights for everyone. I’m particularly interested in seeing how we can work with the townships and municipalities because they have the authority to enforce civil rights through human relations commissions. That’s something we can’t do at the County level, so a big piece will be intergovernmental collaboration to ensure we can fully protect people’s rights.”
“I was blown away by how many people applied. We had close to 100 people that were all wonderful candidates,” said Lori Schreiber, Montgomery County Clerk of Courts and head of the LGBTQ Commission Selection Committee. “There were so many people that we could’ve put on this commission and that’s why we spent so many hours being very deliberate in our choices—because we wanted to have diversity in lots of ways. We have people from every part of the county. We have all age groups from high school to seniors. Professionally, we have people from all different career backgrounds so we could really address all of the different things that might come up and need to be addressed that relate to LGBTQ+ people.”
The new appointees to the County Commission for LGBTQIA+ Affairs are:
Kimberly Allen
Joshua Arsenault
Sharon Bastone
Kason Besch
Liz-El Black
Elliott Boldin
Raymond Cattaneo
Mary Epright
Beth Eustis
Sarah Franzone
Louis Growmiller
Jennifer Lehman
Marcy Lynch
Nina Mitchell
Rebecca Schatschneider
Morgan Selkirk
CC Tellez
Loreen Bloodgood
Denise Valerio
Evan Wang
Keith Willard
Plus two non-voting advisors:
Richard Buttacavoli – Senior Advisor to Liaise to the Governor’s Advisory Commission on LGBTQ Affairs
Lynne Viscio – Senior Advisor to Liaise with Local Municipalities
For more information, the Commission on LGBTQIA+ Affairs, visit: https://www.montgomerycountypa.gov/LGBTQCommission.
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