Columbus LGBTQ+ Affairs Commission emphasizes youth leadership and accountability

The Columbus LGBTQ+ Affairs Commission, established in July 2025, will prioritize youth leadership, center multiply marginalized residents and work to ensure city resources are explicitly LGBTQ+ affirming, Chair Dr. Jasmine Roberts Cruz said during a City Chat interview.

"We are not going to go back into the closet," Dr. Jasmine Roberts Cruz said, adding that the commission’s existence sends a clear message that LGBTQ+ residents will demand visibility and accountability from public officials. She said the commission will use listening sessions and public feedback to track whether the city is responding and to report back to the community on how input is incorporated.

Vice Chair Thomas Abage, who identified himself as a licensed educator with about 15 years in education, said the commission will focus on how policies affect youth. "It's more about helping them step into their own inherent power and what that takes is power sharing and power shifting," Abage said, describing a model that moves beyond one-time consultation to sustained inclusion.

Both commissioners said a practical early task is reviewing the City of Columbus health resources page and other listings to identify which services are affirming for LGBTQ+ people. Dr. Roberts Cruz noted city listings often do not flag LGBTQ+ affirming providers, creating barriers for elders, trans people of color and others who require explicitly affirming care.

On accountability, Dr. Roberts Cruz urged an ongoing, evidence-based approach: gather community feedback, document how the commission and city acted on that feedback, and provide clear reporting back to residents. She also said the commission is examining systems to report incidents such as hate crimes or circumstances in which residents do not feel safe.

"Our commission is an advisory commission. Um we do not particularly endorse a particular, you know, politician or public official," Dr. Roberts Cruz said, stressing the body’s role is to advise and to partner with city government while holding officials to account when necessary.

The commission plans a public listening session at the end of the month and described its membership as intentionally cross‑sector — from undergraduate students to retirees — to connect siloed services across the city. The commissioners said they will prioritize issues that affect the most marginalized LGBTQ+ residents, including queer youth, elders and trans people of color.

The conversation closed with a pledge to remain engaged with the community and to use the commission’s advisory role to surface gaps in services and press for change.