CEO of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, Neil Giuliano, who formerly served as mayor of Tempe, Arizona and as President of GLAAD, released his memoir, The Campaign Within: A Mayor's Private Journey to Public Leadership, earlier this month.
On Tuesday, July 31, Giuliano will participate in a conversation and book-signing event at the New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. The conversation will be moderated by openly gay country music singer, Chely Wright, and is hosted by David Mixner, Richard Socarides and Richard Pérez-Feria. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the event begins at 7 p.m. More details may be found here.
Giuliano's accolades during his time in office between 1994 and 2004 include being the first openly gay mayor of a U.S. city with a population over 150,000 (he came out two years into his time as mayor), and the youngest person to be elected mayor of Tempe. In a recall election brought on by anti-gay activists, he won with 68% of the votes. Widely respected for his bipartisan efforts (he is now a Democrat, though he was a Republican until 2008), he won his final term with an astonishing 70% of the votes.
After leaving public office, he spent four years as president of GLAAD. During that time, he was named one of the Top 25 of 2005 by Instinct Magazine and one of Out Magazine's Out 100. During his tenure at the organization, he expanded GLAAD's anti-defamation work to include religious and faith-based communities, sports, and advertising media.
In the press release for his new book, Giuliano says of his time with GLAAD, "One of the many lessons I learned while leading GLAAD was the importance of telling our individual stories as a way to move and change our culture toward one embracing full equality." This lesson motivated him greatly as he wrote The Campaign Within. "I hope my story will help others understand their story is important too, and inspire them to speak out, enhance their own activism for causes dear to them, and embrace the opportunity to make a difference." Giuliano also invites others to share their individual stores with him.
USA Book News refers to The Campaign Within, which it "highly recommends," as "a powerful and moving memoir," and "a testament that all individuals have within themselves a reservoir of power and strength to face life's toughest challenges and critics."
The Campaign Within can be purchased through Amazon or from Tempe's own Changing Hands Bookstore. A portion of the proceeds will benefit GLAAD, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation (among the world's oldest and largest AIDS organizations), the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, the ASU Leadership Program, and the Friends of Tempe Center for the Arts.