The New Kings of the Hill: Brian Bond

Very few Washingtonians have been as entrenched at the intersection of LGBT and mainstream progressive politics as Brian Bond, friends and colleagues say. That's why the 25-year political veteran is a perfect fit for deputy director of the Office of Public Liaison at the White House -- a unit tasked with communicating and promoting presidential policies to constituency groups. Bond served in a similar capacity during President Obama's campaign, and before that was executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council at the Democratic National Committee. Earlier in his career, he worked as the DNC's LGBT outreach director, where he initiated the party's first financial contributions to targeted LGBT clubs and raised the DNC's visibility at gay pride events around the country. Bond was also executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund from 1997 to 2003, during a critical financial juncture for the organization. Current Victory Fund president Chuck Wolfe praises Bond's appointment, calling him "a true champion for LGBT Americans."

Leonard Hirsch, president of Federal GLOBE, a group that represents LGBT government employees, calls Bond a "thoughtful integrator of issues" and says his tireless work for the Democratic Party and gay Americans "shows how much a part of his whole gestalt is reaching the hand out and incorporating more and more people." That quality should serve him well in the Office of Public Liaison, which each president manages a little differently. Former president Bill Clinton assigned specific liaisons to interface with certain populations, whereas the Bush administration closed the door to many constituencies, including LGBT people, according to Hirsch. As deputy director of the entire office, Bond will be one of Obama's key conduits with LGBT groups, plus a range of other constituencies. "While he's a gay man and has a knowledge and understanding of issues facing LGBT people, he does not have blinders on," Hirsch says. "He sees his constituency as all Americans, not just gay Americans."

The New Kings of the Hill View profiles of President Obama's LGBT appointees Brad Kiley Fred Hochberg John Berry Mike Perriello Michael Camunez Nancy Sutley