John,

David Mixner was a dear friend and mentor of mine. I was able to see him just before he passed, to be able to connect with him and laugh together one more time. I will always treasure the stories David shared - they reminded me not only of the hard fights he had fought and won for our community, but of how much work was still to be done.

But with David’s help, I was never overwhelmed by the hard road we face to move our community forward. I knew that because of pioneers like him that laid the groundwork, we could keep forging ahead.

Founding Victory Fund wasn’t enough for David, but really what was? Shortly after David helped in getting President Clinton elected, he worked with the President to sign an executive order barring the Federal Government from denying security clearances to gay people simply on the basis of their sexual orientation.

With this win, David launched Victory Institute’s Political Appointees Program, pushing the administration to appoint LGBTQ+ people to key political positions, including Robert Achtenberg, the first ever out federally appointed LGBTQ+ person in history, as Assistant Secretary for the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.

David launched Victory Institute’s Political Appointments Program – and today I’m honored to share with you that moving forward Victory Institute has renamed this program the David Mixner Political Appointments Program.

This will acknowledge David’s role in getting U.S. Presidents to appoint more LGBTQ+ people to positions in federal government and his legacy in creating a government made up of all of us.

Victory Institute is building a tribute wall in David’s honor as we work to launch the David Mixner Memorial Fund, which will support this program. This tribute wall will only be complete with your help. Do you have a “David Story” you’d like to share? If you knew David, then I know you have a special David Story. Please share your David story because we’d love to add it to our tribute wall!

He was a titan in our movement, pushing for change and inclusion while risking his livelihood. His memory will continue to inspire me - and so many across the world. If you would like to share a memory of David, you can do so here. I look forward to reading them.

Thank you,

Seth Schermer
Pronouns: he - they
Chief Operating Officer & Chief Development Officer
LGBTQ+ Victory Institute