Gloria Casarez
Gloria Casarez was a prominent LGBTQIA+ activist born on December 13, 1971, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She emerged as a significant advocate for social justice, particularly for marginalized communities, after coming out as a lesbian at the age of seventeen. Casarez graduated from West Chester University in 1993 with degrees in criminal justice and political science, where she was actively involved in student government and LGBTQIA+ mentorship programs. She became the executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative in 1999, significantly increasing funding and developing key programs for individuals of color and transgender individuals.
In 2008, she was appointed Philadelphia's first director of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Affairs, where she played a crucial role in establishing comprehensive LGBTQ protections and advocating for policies that supported the community. Throughout her life, Casarez received multiple accolades for her advocacy work, including being named one of Out Magazine's 100 Most Influential Leaders of the New Millennium. She remained active in her efforts until her death in 2014 from metastatic inflammatory breast cancer. In her honor, several initiatives, including a residence for homeless LGBTQIA+ youth and a public school, have been named after her, and a historical marker was erected in Philadelphia to commemorate her impact on the community.
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Subject Terms
Gloria Casarez
LGBT and civil rights activist
- Born: December 13, 1971
- Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Died: October 19, 2014
- Place of death: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Significance: Gloria Casarez was Philadelphia’s first director of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Affairs. Casarez’s work implementing Philadelphia’s LGBT Equality Bill helped earn the city a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Municipal Equality Index (MEI). She was also a founding member of Empty the Shelters, a youth-led organization that focuses on housing rights and economic justice.
Background
Gloria Casarez was born on December 13, 1971, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She grew up in the Kensington area of North Philadelphia and graduated from Haddon Township High School in 1989. When she was seventeen, she came out as a lesbian. After graduating from high school, Casarez attended West Chester University, where she was active in student government and political activism, which included being president of the Latino Student Union and a member of the Commission on the Status of Women. Casarez also created a mentor program for LGBTQIA+ students. She graduated in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice and a Bachelor of Science degree in political science.
In 1999, Casarez became the executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative in Philadelphia. She served in that capacity for nearly a decade, tripling the group’s funding and developing nationally known programs serving individuals of color and transgender individuals. The Trans-Health Information Project was the first of its kind for Philadelphia. Casarez also was a founding member of Empty the Shelters, which focuses on housing rights, and the coordinator of the University of Pennsylvania’s LGBT Center.
Life’s Work
In 2003, Casarez became a board member for Bread & Roses Community Fund, which provides monetary support for Philadelphia-focused grassroots organizing in the areas of economic, racial, and social justice. Prior to that, however, Casarez was a member of the Jonathan Lax Scholarship Committee that provided scholarships to gay men. Casarez remained on the board and committee until her death in 2014. Members of the organization referred to Casarez as “a tireless advocate” and “brilliant strategist.”
In 2008, Casarez was appointed by former-Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter as the city’s first director of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Affairs. During her tenure, Philadelphia established the broadest LGBTQ protections in the United States and received a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Municipal Equality Index (MEI). The index examines cities according to non-discrimination laws, relationship recognition, government “friendliness,” available services, hate crimes law enforcement, and overall relationship with the LGBT+ community. In 2013, Casarez helped guide the comprehensive LGBT rights bill through city council. The bill provided tax credits to companies that offered domestic partner and trans-healthcare benefits. Casarez also advocated for removing “gender stickers” on Southeast Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) passes. She also distributed an LGBTQIA+ resource guide to Philadelphia’s public schools and lobbied for a stricter anti-bullying policy. This policy was adopted by the School Reform Commission (SRC) in 2009.
Casarez also served as a board co-chair for Prevention Point Philadelphia, the city’s only syringe-exchange program.
Impact
In 1999, Out Magazine named Casarez as one of the 100 Most Influential Leaders of the New Millennium. She was also recognized by the Philadelphia Bar Association and the NAACP. Casarez received the Kiyoshi Kuromiya Award for HIV/AIDS activism in 2011 for her work on behalf of Latinx LGBTQIA+ youth. Kiyoshi Kuromiya was an HIV/AIDS activist who participated in the civil rights marches alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Kuromiya attended the University of Pennsylvania, and the award is given to a Philadelphia activist. Casarez remained involved with activism until her death. Two weeks before she died, she led the flag-raising ceremony at Philadelphia’s City Hall for LGBTQIA History Month.
In 2019, Project HOME named a new residence for homeless LGBTQIA+ young people in her honor. Project HOME offers permanent, subsidized housing for individuals and families who have been homeless. A public elementary school was also renamed in Casarez’s honor. In 2021, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission erected a historical marker in Casarez’s honor. The marker is located at the intersection of John F. Kennedy Boulevard and North Broad Street in Philadelphia.
Personal Life
Gloria Casarez was diagnosed with metastatic inflammatory breast cancer in 2009 and died in 2014. She was married to Tricia Dressel on August 12, 2011, in a civil ceremony in New York. On May, 20, 2014, Pennsylvania’s ban on same-sex marriages was struck down by a federal judge, and Casarez’s marriage to Dressel was legally recognized in her home state, roughly three months before she died.
Bibliography
“Bread & Roses Community Fund Mourns Loss of Board Member.” Bread & Roses, breadrosesfund.org/bread-roses-community-fund-mourns-loss-of-board-member-gloria-casarez/. Accessed 20 June 2023.
Cooper, Alison. “Know Your Gayborhood History: Gloria Casarez.” Beyond the Bell Tours, 27 Sept. 2020, www.beyondthebelltours.com/blog/badass-women-of-philadelphia-goria-casarez. Accessed 20 June 2023.
Flores, Kimberly. “Gloria Casarez: The Cardinal Honors LGBTQ+ Pride Month.” The Cardinal, 14 June 2022, thehoovercardinal.org/8435/features/culture/gloria-casarez/. Accessed 20 June 2023.
“Gloria Casarez: Philadelphia Women’s History Month All-Star.” The Philadelphia Citizen, n.d., thephiladelphiacitizen.org/gloria-casarez-philadelphia/. Accessed 20 June 2023.
Middleton, Josh. “Gloria Casarez Passes Away at 42.” Philadelphia Maiden, 19 Oct. 2014, www.phillymag.com/news/2014/10/19/gloria-casarez-passes-away-42/. Accessed 20 June 2023.
Winberg, Michaela. “The Unexpectedly Short History of the Gloria Casarez Mural, Whitewashed from the Gayborhood.” Billy Penn, 4 Jan. 2021, billypenn.com/2021/01/04/gloria-casarez-mural-whitewashed-lgbtq-activist-philadelphia-gayborhood-developers-apologize/. Accessed 20 June 2023.
Zipkin, Michele. “Philly Elementary School Renamed for LGBTQ Activist Gloria Casarez.” Pennsylvania Penn-Capital Star, 1 Sept. 2022, www.penncapital-star.com/civil-rights-social-justice/philly-elementary-school-renamed-for-lgbtq-activist-gloria-casarez/. Accessed 20 June 2023.