Darra Gordon is entering her new role as CEO of Family Equality during an unsettling time for many LGBTQ families afraid of the implications of the second Trump administration. The national LGBTQ organization exists to create a world where everyone can experience unconditional love, safety, and belonging of family, its website states.
But Gordon, a 52-year-old self-described "proud lesbian mom," is bringing over two decades of nonprofit experience to the role, which she starts March 3.
Family Equality, based in New York City, got its start at the 1979 National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, according to its website.
"We're at a precarious moment in our community and Family Equality is uniquely positioned to lead," Gordon told the Bay Area Reporter in a phone interview February 6. "Over the next couple of months and years I'm planning on focusing on addressing the immediate crisis facing LGBTQ families from attacks on our rights to barriers to security and inclusion."
Among those, Gordon said, were attacks on LGBTQ rights, and particularly transgender rights, in red states.
Since coming to power January 20, President Donald Trump has sought to bring some of those policies to the federal level. He has issued executive orders declaring gender is only male or female and determined at conception and banning transgender people from the military; banning trans female athletes from girls' and women's sports; and the weakening of civil rights provisions for federal contractors. Some federal websites have been scrubbed of LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS information.
To Gordon, "The mission is really deeply personal to me and my wife." She and her wife, Nicole, have three children, according to Gordon's bio. Gordon said that one of their children identifies as nonbinary.
"We wake up every morning worrying about our freedoms and the safety of our own family, as well as other LGBTQ families," she said. "I'm honored and excited about joining Family Equality as CEO. I'm really looking forward to building the team, the partners, strengthening our advances, and delivering meaningful change for families across the nation. I'm basking in the excitement."
Gordon couldn't speak to specifics of what she'd do in charge at the organization, and requested to speak with the B.A.R. once she's had the chance to set the course for the nonprofit that works on family law and policy, education, and child welfare, and provides resources to help people start or expand their families.
However, she did say, "We're already working on a plan and my priority is to ... really advocate for policies and protections that allow our families to thrive; the second [priority] is providing resources and support to our most marginalized families; and the third [priority] is to build a movement to ensure every LGBTQ family is seen, valued and empowered. This moment of vigilance is paramount."
Gordon had been deputy president and chief operating officer at GLAAD, the national LGBTQ media advocacy organization. In those roles, according to her bio, Gordon oversaw the organization's day-to-day operations including the fundraising and development, human resources, IT, and finance departments. She also led and created GLAAD's current five-year transformational strategic plan and expanded GLAAD's capacity and programs centered in diversity, equity, and inclusion. Darra joined GLAAD as COO in 2018 and developed the organization during a time of rapid growth that saw GLAAD more than triple its annual operating budget and fundraising goals, her bio stated. GLAAD now has an annual budget of around $20 million.
Previously, Gordon spent over 15 years at Hetrick-Martin Institute in New York City, the nation's oldest and largest LGBTQ+ youth service organization, where she achieved national expansion for the organization, her bio stated. She led fundraising efforts that tripled HMI's budget and championed technology innovation to amplify programmatic impact.
Gordon serves as the treasurer of the Board of Directors at Black Trans Femmes in the Arts, on the advisory board of HabitQueer, and is a member of her community's Board of Education, the bio stated.
She received her master's of science degree in nonprofit management from the Milano School of Policy, Management, and Environment at the New School University, and her bachelor's of arts in philosophy and psychology from Lycoming College in Pennsylvania.
Gordon will remain based in New York state, she told the B.A.R.
Scott Gatz, the chair of Family Equality's board of directors, stated in a news release that the interim CEO Alexis Kantor will be rejoining the board.
"Her contributions will have a lasting impact, and we thank her for her tireless work on behalf of LGBTQ+ families," he said of Kantor.
As for Gordon, Gatz stated, "We are incredibly fortunate to have Darra at the helm."
"This is a vulnerable time for our community and for Family Equality," Gordon continued. "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."
Gordon declined to state her salary. According to the group's latest IRS Form 990, then-CEO Stacey Stevenson made $259,210 in salary 2023, plus $2,709 in other compensation. The agency's total revenue that year was $3,412,051 and the total expenses totaled $3,528,900, for a deficit of $116,849.
LGBTQ Agenda is an online column that appears weekly. Got a tip on queer news? Contact John Ferrannini at [email protected]
Due to the Presidents Day holiday, the LGBTQ Agenda column will return Tuesday, February 25.
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