Valerie Jarrett: Obama
Adviser; Gay Ally

Valerie Jarrett, a longtime friend to both Michelle and Barack Obama, is a straight ally who should be on every LGBT person's radar. Jarrett is now a senior adviser to President Obama and heads the Office of Public Liaison, which is charged with reaching out to constituency groups (LGBT and otherwise) and is where our community's own Brian Bond serves as deputy director.

What many don't know about Jarrett is that she made a handful of phone calls last fall to Illinois state legislators who were on the fence about the civil unions bill that is now on the march there -- it passed out of committee earlier this month, and Rick Garcia of Equality Illinois says chances are "very good" that it will pass both chambers this year. This little news nugget was first reported on Advocate.com but got swallowed up on Election Day.

Jarrett also spoke to several hundred attendees of a Human Rights Campaign luncheon on March 4 in Washington, D.C. "She made clear that her values and priorities and those of Brian Bond's are very much in line with the president's," said Joe Solmonese, president of HRC. "She's intent on advancing an agenda that's important to our community and very interested and committed to making sure that, no matter what the conversation is at the White House, we will be included." Solmonese and other LGBT leaders have already been invited to the White House on several occasions to participate in forums on business, health care, and other events. National Center for Transgender Equality executive director Mara Keisling attended the president's signing of an executive order last week that created a White House Council on Women and Girls, which will also be headed by Jarrett.

Solmonese says Jarrett spoke a great deal about the president's commitment to HIV/AIDS issues and she relayed a personal story about losing a family member to the disease (which is making a not-so-subtle resurgence across the nation as well as here in Washington, D.C. )

Although she heads the Public Liaison Office, Solmonese believes she will play a far greater role than her title and responsibilities suggest. "She holds what one might traditionally think of as the public liaison portfolio," explains Solmonese, "but her role is much more expansive than that. She will be working with Congress and then she'll be serving as a close personal adviser to the president."

The Washington Post published a lengthy profile of Valerie Jarrett Sunday that's worth the read.