Family Equality, the leading national organization for current and future LGBTQ+ families, today announced their new CEO, Darra Gordon, a social justice leader with over 20 years of experience in LGBTQ+ advocacy and nonprofit work, who is raising three children with her wife.
Gordon was most recently deputy president and COO of GLAAD, the LGBTQ media advocacy organization. There, she oversaw the organization’s day-to-day operations including the fundraising and development, HR, IT and finance departments. She also led and created GLAAD’s current five-year transformational strategic plan and expanded its capacity and programs centered in diversity, equity, and inclusion. She previously spent over 15 years at Hetrick-Martin Institute, the nation’s oldest and largest LGBTQ+ youth service organization, achieving national expansion, leading fundraising efforts to triple the budget, and championing technology innovation to increase program impact.
Her work has garnered her the BMW Woman of Xcellence award, the Stonewall Honors for LGBTQ leadership, and the outstanding alumni award at her alma mater, Lycoming College.
She and her wife Nicole live in New York with their three children and two dogs. About her new role with Family Equality, Gordon said in a statement:
Stepping in to lead Family Equality wasn’t a choice for me. It’s a calling. I’ve dedicated my career to protecting and preserving our community’s right to be celebrated, respected, and connected. Together with our dedicated team, families, and allies, I am excited and eager to continue this work on behalf of LGBTQ+ families around the country. As a parent myself, I know firsthand that family is a powerful force for good and a right that is fundamental to who we are as humans. By building Family Equality’s impact and becoming stronger and more sustainable, I know we can build a world where everyone can experience the unconditional love, safety, and belonging that only family can provide.
Gordon takes over from Jaymes Black, who had been CEO since 2021, but left last July to head up The Trevor Project. Family Equality Board Co-Chair Alexis Kantor had been serving as interim CEO.
Family Equality is one of the oldest LGBTQ organizations still active, formed in 1979 as Gay Fathers Coalition at the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights and evolving into a source of community and support for all LGBTQ families. The organization held the first Family Week in Provincetown, Mass., three decades ago, and continues to organize (in partnership with COLAGE) the popular annual event for LGBTQ families. It also undertakes an ongoing variety of advocacy, support, storytelling, and education initiatives “to ensure that everyone has the freedom to find, form, and sustain their families.”
“This is a vulnerable time for our community and for Family Equality,” Gordon emphasized. “But it is also a time of incredible possibility. Family is a great uniter. Together, we will rise to meet the challenges ahead, ensuring that the organization remains strong, steadfast, and impactful for generations to come.
“I’m ready to get to work.”
Gordon officially starts at Family Equality on Monday, March 3. Family Equality invites everyone to tune into the organization’s Facebook or YouTube channel for Family Equality LIVE at 3pm ET/12pm PT that day to meet Darra and hear her vision for Family Equality along with a Q&A.
Disclosure: I serve as an unpaid member of Family Equality’s Communications Committee.
