Carolina Almonte
Executive Director
Email: calmonte@cambridgema.gov
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Sarah Binney
Director of Operations
Email: sbinney@cambridgema.gov
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Amelia Joselow
Research Associate
Email: ajoselow@cambridgema.gov
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Phoebe Hallahan
Programming Leader
Email: phallahan@cambridgema.gov
Pronouns: She/her/hers
As of May 17, 2024, the members of the City of Cambridge LGBTQ+ Commission are:
Bill Barnert (Co-Chair)
Zachary Dresser (Co-Chair)
Frank Arce
Bob Bordone
Linden Huhmann
Noelani Kamelamela
Kat Long
Gregory MacDonough
Cindy Telingator
Mary Rebecca Gardner
Caitlin Egleson
Emmy Howe
Finley Foster
Evan MacKay
Sukia Akiba
Vincent Monrreal
The LGBTQ+ Commission meets the 4th Thursday of the month from 6:00pm - 7:30pm (the meeting is on the 2nd Thursday of December and there are no meetings in August or November). Members of the public are welcome to join the meetings. Please check the calendar for more information.
The mission of the Cambridge LGBTQ+ Commission is to advocate for a culture of respect and to monitor progress toward equality of all persons with regard to sexual orientation and gender identity.
We are committed to promoting and monitoring policies and practices that have a positive effect on the health, welfare, and safety of all persons who live, visit, or work in the City of Cambridge with regard to sexual orientation and gender identity.
In February 2004, a citywide GLBT Town Hall meeting was held in the Senior Center at which a number of issues affecting GLBT people were raised. Subsequently the Cambridge City Council adopted the order below on February 23, 2004 for the formation of a Commission. A second GLBT Town Hall meeting was held in October 2008. See above for information on this meeting.
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to appoint a Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) Commission to take up the recommendations that came out of the GLBT meeting of February 4, 2004.
Members of the GLBT Commission were appointed by the City Manager in the fall of 2004 and the inaugural meeting was held in May 2005. The Commission devoted its initial meetings to reviewing reports from the town meeting and a GLBT Health Forum also held in 2004, creating its mission statement, establishing its internal organization and operating rules, and setting priorities.
On Feb. 13, 2017, an Amendment to Cambridge Municipal Code Chapter 2.125, Section 2.125.010 was passed to change the name of the Cambridge Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) Commission to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Plus Commission and shall also be known as the “LGBTQ+” Commission.”