Houston's Inaugural Mayor's LGBT Advisory Board Announced

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announced yesterday afternoon that he was forming our city's first ever Mayor's LGBT Advisory Board that will serve as a direct link to the mayor's office and the Houston TBLGIQ community and providing recommendations and advice on issues impacting our community..

"It was important to me to make this announcement before the end of Pride Month," said mayor Turner. "However, let me be clear.  Our support for the LGBT community is not ending.  We are standing with Orlando today and we will be standing with them tomorrow.  In Houston, we fight hate with love and inclusion.  There is much work to be done and I can't wait to get started."

The Mayor's LGBT Advisory Board is comprised of 49 members (21 women, 28 men), a symbolic nod to the 49 people we lost in the Orlando Pulse club shooting, and will be co-chaired by Lou Weaver and Melanie Pang.

And in case you TransGriot readers were wondering, I'm one of the 49 TBLGIQ Houstonians who was appointed to the board.

The 49 members of this board reflect not only the diversity of my hometown, but the diversity of the Houston TBLGIQ community.  There are 21 Anglos, 13 Latinx, 12 African-Americans and 3 Asians on the Board.   In terms of the LGBTIQ composition of it, 26 members identify as gay, 13 are lesbian, 8 trans people, 2 intersex people, one bisexual, and one parent of a transgender child that is represented..

Because of the size of the board, Mayor Turner anticipates that much of the advisory board work will be done in committees.


Here's the list of the members of the inaugural Mayor's LGBT Advisory Board

Kristen Capps 
AJ Mistretta 
Alan Dettlaff 
Ashton P. Woods
Aurora Harris 
Barry Mandel 
Becca Keo-Meier 
Brad Pritchett
Brandon Mack
Brandon Wilke 
Chris Busby 
Crystal Solares-Bockmon 
Dee Dee Watters 
Dennis Beedon 
Eesha Pandit 
Erika Richie 
Felix Perez 
Fran Watson 
Frances Valdez
Harrison Guy 
Isabel Longoria 
Januari Leo 
Jeffry Faircloth 
Juan Lerma 
Kent Loftin 
Kevin Nix 
Koomah 
Lily Pando (15-year old who will serve as an honorary member)
Lura Groen 
Maria González 
Mark Chupik 
Maximo Cortez 
Mike Webb 
Monica Roberts
Paul Guillory 
R. Aaron Flores 
Renita Cooksey 
Ricardo Rodriguez 
Richard Lapin 
Ron Goines 
Ryan Leach 
Steven Guthrie
T. Ray Purser 
Tamira "Augie" Augustine 
Tammi Wallace 
Tiffany Ross 
Tim Martinez   

Congratulations to all the community leaders who were appointed to this board, and like Mayor Turner, I can't wait to get started making some positive things happen for our city and the Houston LGBT community.