The Liberty City LGBT Democratic Club set its agenda for the upcoming year at its Annual Meeting and Priorities Convention Feb. 2 at the William Way LGBT Community Center. The organization voted to include 10 themes in its Issues Agenda 2013, the first the agency has ever created. The issues — which will help inform future candidate questionnaires and educate policymakers and others about LGBT priorities — are anti-discrimination, health care, public safety, education, youth and aging, reproductive justice, HIV/AIDS, transgender documentation and recognition, social justice and economic empowerment and family & relationship recognition. According to Liberty City co-chair Sherrie Cohen, the organization’s policy and advocacy committee researched the issues impacting the LGBT community for the past six months and held workshops to gain feedback on what topics were most important to the community. “We had committee meetings where we invited a lot of people in the community at large to come and share their views and priorities,” Cohen said. For an hour of the meeting, members split into five groups to discuss possible priorities, coming up with about 30 different options before voting on the final issues. “It was really exciting to see the engagement and the collaboration,” Cohen said. “We have members with so much experience, wisdom and knowledge in our community.” A change in leadership was also made at the meeting, with longtime board co-chair Lee Carson, nominating committee chairperson Su Ming Yeh and member Howard Moseley, stepping down from the board, while Gary Hines and Tony Campisi were elected to the board. New membership rates were also announced; membership is now $40 for individuals, $60 for couples or $10 for low-income, students and elderly individuals. Liberty City’s primary endorsement meeting will be held April 1. Members should have their dues paid 45 days before the meeting. For more information, visit www.libertycity.org.
