After more than 20 years of service to ASU and Tempe, former mayor and ASU graduate Neil Giuliano has been named the new president of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, a national media advocacy organization.
GLAAD, which serves as a watchdog for gender identity and sexuality issues in the media, announced Giuliano's appointment last week. Giuliano was chosen for his experience in ASU's Office of Public Affairs and his success building partnerships in Tempe, according to a GLAAD press release.
"They've [GLAAD] been pretty stagnant over the years," said Jeff Stensland, a member of ASU's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Queer and Questioning Coalition.
"We [the LGBTQ community] need someone who's tenacious, someone who's not afraid to speak his mind," Stensland said.
Stensland, who first met Giuliano in 2002 and worked with him as a student reporter and member of the LGBTQ Coalition, added that Giuliano's hard work and drive would help revitalize the organization.
Giuliano, a Republican, served four terms as Tempe's mayor, from 1994 to 2004. He won a recall election in 2001.
"As a progressive Republican in a slightly more liberal community, [Giuliano] has done a good job of working with both sides," Stensland said.
Giuliano was instrumental in bringing the 2004 Presidential Debate to ASU, and while mayor, worked to develop Tempe as an urban center, including the creation of Tempe Town Lake.
In 2001, Giuliano faced a recall election in light of accusations that city money had been squandered on projects such as the Town Lake and the Ikea store. But Giuliano defeated the recall by a landslide and remained in office until 2004. The recall attempt has been blamed on anti-gay sentiment among Giuliano's opponents.
"As I think about the LGBT community's journey toward full equality, I think of my own experience in Tempe," Giuliano said in a prepared statement. "I understand firsthand how important it is to ensure that our stories are being told through the media in every corner of this country."
Reach the reporter at emilia.arnold@asu.edu.
