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Kierra Johnson

Executive Director

she/they

Washington, DC

Kierra Johnson

Executive Director, Kierra Johnson, joined the Task Force in 2018 as Deputy Executive Director but was already engaged with the organization, previously serving on the National LGBTQ Task Force’s board of directors and its National Action Council.

Johnson came to the Task Force after serving as URGE’s Executive Director with a wealth of experience in organizational leadership and management, program development, youth leadership and reproductive justice. As a bisexual Black woman, Johnson will become one of few out queer-identified women of color at the helm of a national LGBTQ organization.

She is recognized as a national expert on queer and reproductive rights issues and has testified in front of the U.S. House of Representatives and has appeared in Newsweek, The New York Times, Fox News, Feministing.com and National Public Radio. Johnson also serves on the boards of directors of the General Service Foundation, Groundswell Fund, and Guttmacher Institute.

Throughout her career, she has also served on the boards of Center for Community Change and the Women’s Information Network (WIN). Johnson has been recognized for her leadership with awards, including the Young Women of Achievement Award for WIN in 2002, the Women of Vision Award for the Ms. Foundation for Women in 2013, and Washingtonian Magazine’s Most Influential Washingtonians Under 40 in 2009.

When announced as the next Executive Director of the National LGBTQ Task Force, Kierra Johnson said, “Dignity, liberation, joy, freedom, love and resistance are just a few of the words that I associate with the National LGBTQ Task Force. As a bisexual/pansexual woman, I am no stranger to being made invisible, advised to tone down, or trained in the art of the code switch. As a queer southern mom, it is no surprise why I would be drawn to an organization that touts the tagline ‘Be You.’ In these cultural and political times, it is an act of resistance to live out loud and to lead and love with our full identities. I am excited and honored to be named the next Executive Director of the LGBTQ Task Force! I welcome the opportunity to think strategically with a powerful team of leaders and be in service to those working to ensure that LGBTQ people—especially the most targeted among us—not only survive but thrive. I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and dive in to continue the ongoing and creative work of the Task Force to change hearts and minds, behavior and policies so that justice is no longer a vision but a reality for all!”

Recent posts by Kierra Johnson

Kierra Johnson
March 14, 2023

Podcast Launch Note from Kierra Johnson

I’m so excited to announce that our limited podcast series, Movement Moments: The National LGBTQ Task Force at 50, launches on March 31, featuring engaging conversations between thought leaders and trailblazers who have a diversity of experiences talking about the critical issues affecting LGBTQ+ people over the last five decades.
Kierra Johnson and Mayra Hidalgo Salazar
February 7, 2023

Executive Director Kierra Johnson’s Reaction to the State of the Union Address

It was vital — and appreciated — that President Biden mentioned the urgent need to pass the Equality Act and actions taken to secure marriage equality. What many people may not realize is that LGBTQ+ people are at the center of all the issues President Biden spoke about throughout his address. Social security. Fair wages.…
Photo with the legs of 5 people standing in front of an LGTBQ+ pride flag, flowers, and candles at dusk outside Club Q in Colorado Springs, CO after Nov 20, 2022 shooting.
November 21, 2022

Response to Club Q Attack

Executive Director, Kierra Johnson, responds to the attack at Club Q in Colorado Springs, CO on November 20, 2022.
Brittney Griner
August 5, 2022

WNBA Star Brittney Griner Sentenced to 9 Years in Russian Jail

“We support her appeal and stand with Brittney and her family, friends and supporters."
API woman in purple shirt stands in crowd at rally with determined look on her face, wearing a purple National LGBTQ Task Force shirt. A sign in the background reads "The future is queer."
July 25, 2022

Statement on the “Respect for Marriage Act” by Kierra Johnson

No matter the vote, we will hold accountable any elected official willing to destroy a major civil rights advancement that has put LGBTQ people closer to being treated as full citizens. November Midterm elections are coming, and our community is paying attention.