Columbus City Council appointed 13 Columbus residents to sit on a newly established LGBTQ+ Affairs Commission that will advise city leaders on policy.
The permanent commission will advise Columbus City Council and the mayor's office on policies, programming and outreach, and it will monitor local and federal legislation that would affect LGBTQ+ citizens. The commission will also work on a strategic plan to determine its long-term priorities and will work to build allyship in the community.
Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin announced in June the city would form the commission. The city also created the Commission on Immigrant and Refugee Affairs this year.
Hardin told reporters Monday more than 100 people applied to be on the commission. He said the group was ultimately chosen to reflect diversity of age, race and where they reside in the city.
"We are doing something that is demonstrably to enshrine their place, their right to be, our interests as a city and them thriving as a part of our community," Hardin said. "And I think that that's really important after a year where so many laws coming out of the state house have been anti-their ability to live and thrive and be healthy in the state of Ohio."
Jasmine Roberts-Crews, who will be the new chair of the commission, said the commission will help to make sure the city council and mayor support the LGBTQ+ community in a meaningful way. Roberts-Crews identifies as bisexual and is married to another woman.
"When I think about all the rollbacks of trans and queer rights, I can't think of a better to really fight back, if you will, and... mobilize our community," Roberts-Crews said.
Roberts-Crews said the group also represents a broad swath of the LGBTQ+ community including trans people, queer women and young LGBTQ+ people.
"Through our work we want to make sure there is special attention to the most marginalized within the LGBTQ+ community, which includes our trans people of color who without them there would be no pride," Roberts-Crews said.
Hardin said there are also parents of LGBTQ+ children and a straight ally on the commission.
Roberts-Crews, who lives in Columbus near Gahanna, said she would like to prioritize policies on affordable housing, gender-affirming care and police violence towards queer people of color.
"We haven't even gotten together yet, like this is so new for us. And so I wanna make sure even though I'm saying these are the priorities of the commission, I wanna hear from my other commission members as well," Roberts-Crews said.
The members appointed to the commission include:
- Julia Applegate
- Siobhan Boyd-Nelson
- Peaches Calhoun
- Tyson Crenshaw
- Jaylah Hollins
- Jonathan Keilholz
- Rob Leis
- Jamie Lenzo
- Jasmine Roberts-Crews
- Blaine Saito
- Thomas Savage
- Jimmie Vera
- Riley Williamson
Roberts-Crews said there hasn't been a set date or location for the commission's first meeting. She expects work for the commission to start in January and for the group to meet quarterly.
