Susan Jester Forum

Susan is an active member and staff person at St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral. She shared her faith story testimony during worship on January 26, and she will return to present her forum on March 16 after worship.

Susan is a third generation Californian who grew up in Palm Springs and was raised in a strict evangelical home. Susan struggled with her sexuality until finally coming out at age 40 in 1983. Susan quickly immersed herself into LGBT rights issues, becoming a well-known lesbian activist, speaking frequently with other LGBT leaders at press conferences, debates, and LGBT rights demonstrations. In 1984, Susan created the first LGBT Police Liaison Committee and was the first openly gay person appointed as a San Diego City Commissioner.

When the HIV/AIDS epidemic struck the gay community in the early 80’s, Susan used her political experience to raise public awareness by mobilizing the LGBT community and its allies to produce the first San Diego AIDS Walk in 1986. Susan has been a fierce warrior and voice for all affected by the virus in San Diego and across the country. Susan moved to the east coast in 1991 to work for the Human Rights Campaign. In 1994 she was the Executive Director of New York city’s “Stonewall 25”, an international march celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, when over two million people marched past the United Nations Headquarters and into Central Park for AIDS/LGBT rights.

Susan currently works with St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral as their public relations and media director. She is also the City Commissioner of the Citizens Equal Opportunity Commission (CEOC), the Co-Chair on the Mayor’s LGBT Advisory Council, a member of the Sheriff’s LGBT Advisory Council, the San Diego AIDS Memorial Task Force, and the CA Advisory Committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission.