By John Mack Freeman
Gloria Casarez passed away this week due to complications from her five-plus year battle with cancer. Casarez is best known for her work as the mayor of Philadelphia’s liaison to the LGBT community. Via PGN:
Nutter appointed Casarez as Philadelphia’s first director of LGBT affairs in 2008. In that capacity, she oversaw the city’s work to ensure full LGBT inclusion in all facets of city government, bridged gaps between the LGBT community and city leaders and represented Philadelphia and its LGBT efforts on local and national levels.
The mayor said Casarez far exceeded the duties of her position.
“She didn’t just limit herself to the work I asked her to come here to do. She was active in a variety of areas of government. She knew everybody, engaged with everybody,†Nutter said. “She was a highly respected and valued member among our top leaders here and set a very, very high bar and standard for all public servants: those who serve, those who give, those who do. She elevated issues of diversity and made sure there were a number of different voices around the table. She insisted on that.â€
