ENVIRONMENTAL EQUITY ADVISOR SEATTLE CITY LIGHT
PRONOUNS: HE/HIM
Christopher Peguero has a Bachelor of Science in Sociology degree from the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point, 1999. After completing his degree, relocated to the PNW to teach environmental education with the YMCA at Camp Orkila.
In September 2004, after the passing of Christopher’s partner of 5 years to HIV/AIDS, Christopherchanged his professional direction to focus on Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) and race and social justice issues. Christopher became more involved in the gay community - helping to raise money for GSBA (Greater Seattle Business Association), Bailey-Boushay House – AIDS and Cancer hospice and counseling and Life Long AIDS Alliance. Christopher is also a formerrugby player with the Seattle Quake Rugby Football Club, Seattle’s only gay rugby team and member of Emerald City Gay Softball Association. Christopher also sang with the Seattle Men’s Chorus. Christopher has continued his relationship with the YMCA – volunteering in Northern Thailand in 2005 to build an elementary school library for a small village and in Oct 2011 and May 2012 co-led trips to Miyako andSendai Japan with tsunami relief volunteers to assist with clean up, recovery and community re-development and additional trips to Nicaragua, Haiti and Ecuador.
2008-2010, Christopher was a commissioner and elected Co-Chair of the City of Seattle LGBT Commission and helped to organize a community “census” or snapshot to determine what gaps of city service existed for the LGBTQ community. In 2009, Christopher established SEqual, the City ofSeattle LGBTQ Employees for Equality resource group. The group has assisted the Seattle Office of Civil Rights with their LGBTQ civil rights training for city employees and in October 2012 filmed an “It Gets Better” video targeted to LGBTQ youth who have been bullied in efforts to curb suicide. SEqual continues to grow as a resource for LGBTQ employees at the City ofSeattle. In 2011, Christopher became a member of the City ofSeattle’s Race and Social Justice Initiative Core Team IV. That same year, Christopher aligned with The City of Seattle Alternative Dispute Resolution Team and Office of Civil Rights to start a lunchtime “conversation café” with city employees called “Building Bridges – a conversation about the intersection of Race, Gender and Sexual Orientation”. Building Bridges recently held its se conversation with city employees about the complex issues surrounding this intersection, continuing a path to “collective liberation”.