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Gloria Casarez, Philadelphia's Head of LGBT Affairs, Dead at 42

By Mike Dunn

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Nutter administration and city's gay and lesbian community are mourning the loss of Gloria Casarez, director of the Philadelphia Office of LGBT Affairs, who passed away this past weekend at age 42 after a lengthy battle with cancer.

"We're going to miss her," said Mayor Nutter, who created the Office of LGBT Affairs in 2008 and appointed Casarez to head up the office.  "She was so dedicated, so focused on her work.  She cared about people deeply: everyone, but with a particular focus on the LGBTQ community.  I just loved working with her."

 

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(Mayor Nutter, standing in front of City Hall's LGBT flag lowered to half-staff, speaks at a ceremony in honor of the late Gloria Casarez. Photo by Mike Dunn)

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Casarez, a native of the Kensington section of the city, began her public service career by helping found the housing advocacy group "Empty the Shelters."  She served for ten years as executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative before going to work for the Nutter administration.

Rue Landau, executive director of the city's Human Relations Commission, worked with Casarez for twenty years as advocates and, more recently, as city officials.

"For the community, Gloria was a warrior, not just for the LGBT community, but for all vulnerable and oppressed people," Landau says.  "She worked city departments and agencies to make sure their practices and policies were inclusive of the LGBT community, and that they executed those practices in a nondiscriminatory way.  She worked behind the scenes all the time.  Many people saw her on a larger legislative and policy fight, but she was also a behind-the-scenes worker to make sure that there was equality and nondiscrimination happening throughout the city."

Funeral arrangements were incomplete.

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