The city of Cleveland will hire a full-time LGBTQ+ liaison at City Hall after staff called for years for a paid advocacy position to be created.
The job, which is currently held by a volunteer with another full-time position at City Hall, will be housed in the city's Community Relations Board. The board already has paid liaisons who represent the interests of various city constituencies, including Cleveland’s Asian and Hispanic communities.
This comes as some LGBTQ+ people say they are leaving or planning to leave Ohio as legislation that limits the rights of transgender people go into effect, including a transgender bathroom ban on school campuses.
The liaison position was created as Mayor Justin Bibb and City Council reconciliated the city's annual budget. During hearings, Councilmember Rebecca Maurer emphasized the need for the position, which was not originally included in Bibb's budget proposal.
"We are fighting for our community," said Maurer, the first openly LGBTQ+ woman to serve on City Council. "We are making sure that we are going to keep ourselves safe, that we are going to make sure that this city is here for you and here for all of us in the future."
The employee will coordinate events at City Hall and with Cleveland's annual Pride Festival, advocate for inclusive policy and respond to "threats" coming from the White House and State House, Maurer said.
"Frankly, our legal security as the LGBT community is further under threat at the state and federal levels," Maurer said. "So we want this person hired, in the door and getting to work."
In recent years, states have introduced a record number of bills limiting LGTBQ+ rights, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, prompting the Human Rights Campaign to issue its first national state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people in 2023. Between 2023 and Feb. 13, Ohio legislators introduced 15 such bills.
Bibb has taken other measures throughout his tenure to make City Hall more inclusive: City health insurance now covers gender-affirming care, and there is a gender-inclusive restroom at City Hall.
"Embracing diversity and fostering inclusion is — and will always be — a priority for Mayor Bibb and his Administration," said a spokesperson for the city.
The salary for the position is budgeted at $63,750.
