Today, HRC announces that on Thursday, HRC President Alphonso David will embark on a national tour of seven key cities to meet with and rally HRC members, advocates, voters and pro-equality candidates ahead of the 2019 and 2020 elections.

David officially began his tenure at HRC on August 7th. His appointment was previously announced in late June. An accomplished and nationally-recognized LGBTQ civil rights lawyer and advocate, David is the first civil rights lawyer and the first person of color to serve as President of HRC in the organization’s nearly 40-year history.

The #WeAreHRC tour marks David’s first official act as the head of the nation’s largest LGBTQ civil rights group and will highlight his priorities for the coming years, including passing the Equality Act, stopping the disturbing trend of anti-trans violence, expanding access to inclusive health care, ending the HIV and AIDS epidemic and electing pro-equality candidates up and down the ballot.

“Our vibrant, diverse community is the fuel that drives our movement and our progress,” said HRC President Alphonso David. “From ending violence against transgender women of color to electing more pro-equality champions at every level of government, many of our biggest battles remain ahead of us. Our work and priorities must always be informed by those who are living these issues and challenges every day, which is why I’m proud to begin my tenure by traveling the country to hear from many of the advocates and activists doing lifesaving work around the country.”

Over the next two weeks, David will travel to Richmond, Virginia; Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio; Dallas, Texas; Los Angeles; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Wilmington, Delaware. In coming months, David will also travel to additional destinations to meet with other HRC members and supporters, activists and elected officials.

David most recently made history as the first openly gay Counsel to the Governor of the State of New York and, before that, served as the first Deputy Secretary and Counsel for Civil Rights in New York. In these roles, he played an integral role in securing marriage equality in New York in 2011, banning the abusive practice of so-called “conversion therapy” on minors, establishing non-discrimination protections for transgender New Yorkers, expanding Medicaid coverage to cover transition-related care, making it easier to amend gender markers on birth certificates, and enacting policies and regulations to support people living with HIV and drive new diagnoses to an all-time low statewide.

WATCH: HRC Introduces Alphonso David in New Video, Difference is Our Strength. 

He has also helped lead efforts to expand access to reproductive healthcare, restore voting rights to New Yorkers, advance workplace protections for disadvantaged communities, and require access to free translation services in essential state services. Prior to his work for New York State, David served as a staff attorney at Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund.

With more than three million members, the Human Rights Campaign is the largest LGBTQ civil rights organization in the U.S. and around the globe. Founded in 1980, HRC has grown into one of the most effective advocacy organizations in America, leading the way to expand LGBTQ protections at every level of government, elect pro-equality lawmakers, defend the fundamental civil rights of LGBTQ people, and work through groundbreaking Foundation programs to enhance the lived experiences of LGBTQ people at school, work and in every community. HRC has played a pivotal role in sweeping progress for LGBTQ people over the last several decades, from winning marriage equality and passing federal hate crimes legislation, to advancing comprehensive LGBTQ non-discrimination legislation through Congress, to working with thousands of companies to expand workplace protections, to repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ and banning so-called ‘conversion therapy’ in a growing number of states.

David is the seventh president of the Human Rights Campaign, succeeding Chad Griffin, who had served since 2012.

To learn more about HRC President Alphonso David, click here.