(Washington, DC) Darlene Nipper, director of the Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Affairs (LGBT), announced today the submission of the LGBT Advisory Committee Report* on important issues for the LGBT community. The committee, which advises Mayor Williams, the Office of LGBT Affairs and the Council of the District of Columbia on issues related to the LGBT community, has identified a set of recommendations that are critical to ensure the vitality of the city’s diverse LGBT community.

"We truly feel that these recommendations offer critical information and suggested plans of action that will help the Mayor and the incoming administration to adequately address the most pressing needs of our community,” said Nipper.

The committee used the April 2005 LGBT Citizen Summit Report, which reflects the interests of the city’s LGBT residents, along with the work that was done in four subcommittee areas—Health and Social Justice; Public Safety and Law; Education; and Economic Opportunity—as the foundation of its recommendations to the Office of LGBT Affairs, the Mayor and the DC Council. 

The four key priority recommendations are:

1. (3.1) District health officials must undertake a comprehensive review of DC health-related data collection systems and ensure that LGBT-specific data are collected in a manner comparable to race, ethnicity and gender.
2. (4.1) Safe spaces must be created in schools and other government funded agencies, facilities, places of learning and recreation centers.
3. (2.3) The development and implementation of ongoing LGBT-specific cultural competency training of all personnel, especially law enforcement officers, first responders, correctional staff and emergency response staff, is a high priority.
4. (1.1) Collect data and conduct a citywide study on District of Columbia workforce and those who are unemployed, inclusive of sexual orientation.

The advisory committee includes the following: A.Cornelius Baker, Earline Budd, Toni Collins, June Crenshaw, Charles Debnam, Clarence Fluker, Jose Gutierrez, Tyrone Hanley, Pat Hawkins, Robyn Holden, Keith Jackson, A. Billy Jones, Kathleen Maloy, Vincent Micone, III, Brett Parson, Rebecca Sawyer, Michael Sessa, Kevin Shipman, Candice R. Shultis, Adam Tenner, Brian Watson, and Bruce Weiss.