The ASPA LGBT Advocacy Alliance Section: Who We Are and Why You Should Join Us

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.

By Claire Mostel
August 12, 2024

The ASPA LGBT Advocacy Alliance Section (LGBT) hosted an ASPA Webinar, “Celebrating PRIDE in Public Service: Addressing Contemporary Challenges and Opportunities” as part of the recent Pride Month celebration. This event would not have taken place 34 years ago, when I first joined ASPA; the thought of a LGBT-related section was not even a blip on the radar. Gay public administrators and public administration faculty members were, for the most part, hidden deep in the closet, and conference tracks and panels were rarely dedicated to LGBTQ+ issues.

Social Equity is one of ASPA’s four core values. “ASPA promotes dialogue on social equity issues in all areas of public service such as public budgeting, government hiring practices, diversity in academia and others.” However, the social equity emphasis has traditionally been focused on race and ethnicity. LGBT issues had not been addressed nor embraced by ASPA until the last 15 years. According to Samantha June Larson, in a 2021 Administration and Society Journal article titled, Actions for Queering American Public Administration, “scholarship in top public administration journals has rarely examined how LGBTQ+ milestones relate to policy development, implementation and service-delivery. This exposes a discrepancy between what scholars study, what practitioners face and what queer communities need.” The LGBT Advocacy Alliance Section was created to address this discrepancy.

In 2010, Incoming ASPA President Erik Bergrud and I engaged in a recurring conversation at the ASPA Conference in San Jose, CA: whether ASPA was the inclusive organization it claimed to be. We began to take the first steps towards forming a new section: The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Advocacy Alliance Section (LGBT).

Steven Bobes, Luis Irizarry, Wally Swan and other ASPA members gathered the required number of signatures to form a new section at the 2011 ASPA Conference in Baltimore. The core group met during the conference to create the proposed section’s mission and we were on our way. Steven completed the section application process, and National Council approved the LGBT Advocacy Alliance Section application on December 7, 2011. The LGBT Section held its first official meeting at the ASPA National Conference in Las Vegas on March 3rd, 2012.

The mission of the LGBT Advocacy Alliance Section is to provide a safe and supportive environment within ASPA & its partners by:

• Focusing on equal rights, diversity and workplace issues
• Providing policy assistance through research and education on critical/relevant issues
• Being a clearinghouse for information– resources and materials
• Facilitating and supporting community engagement/development and coalition building
• Increasing awareness of cultural competency

The Goals of the LGBT Advocacy Alliance Section are to:

• Provide education
• Advocacy
• Support mentoring
• Academic/practitioner engagement

The desired outcomes are issue advocacy, value diversity brought by members and value perspectives brought to ASPA. The Section encourages critical thinking regarding intellectual, cultural and political effects of sexual and gender differences in ASPA, as well as outside the organization. By challenging bias and intolerance, the LGBT Section will promote affirmation and support a more welcoming climate for all.

Allies have been a valued component of the section from its inception and continue to be active members. They have held office and board membership throughout our twelve-year history, and have provided consistent support and mentorship to current and new members of the section. The section also aligns with other ASPA Sections, including the Section on Democracy and Social Justice, that support marginalization and other social justice issues.

Our LGBT Section members are active in local, regional and national conferences, as well as ASPA and Section activities, including publishing and webinars. The section encourages and supports activities and programs on LGBT-related issues; in addition, it publishes a newsletter and other publications to provide information and dialog regarding activities and research, and interacts with practitioners and professional organizations to address LGBT and all social equity issues.

Section members encourage/collaborate with schools of public affairs and administration to incorporate LGBT issues and concerns into existing curriculum, and develop appropriate courses to include LGBT issues. Section members are also available to provide professional commentary to government organizations on problems and issues of common interest and develops position statements as appropriate on public issues.

So, why should you join the ASPA LGBT Advocacy Alliance? There are numerous reasons, including:

• A safe place in your professional association to be your authentic self, or express support for all members of marginalized, underrepresented groups.
• Mentorship from peers in the LGBTQ+ community, as well as allies, networking opportunities in the academic, practitioner and nonprofit field, advocacy opportunities
• Membership provides an opportunity for a presence at the National conference, because ASPA guarantees each section a panel slot, which can lead to other professional opportunities.

The ASPA modern family should be a welcoming and supportive organization for all ASPA members, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, whether student, practitioner or academic. Inclusion of LGBTQ+ issues send a strong message that LGBT persons (and allies) are fully valued and integrated into ASPA. I hope you will join us in making this happen!

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Author: Claire Mostel retired in 2009 after serving with Miami-Dade County for 20 years. She holds BPA  and MPA degrees from Florida International University. Claire was an adjunct instructor at Barry University for 15 years and has been an adjunct instructor at Park University for 10 years. She is a Life Member of ASPA and served on National Council as well as several committees, task forces, and boards. Claire can be reached at [email protected] or 786-512-5180.

 

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