THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

In September 2021, David was fired after New York state Attorney General Letitia James issued a report saying he had advised former Gov. Andrew Cuomo about dealing with sexual-harassment allegations, the organization's board said at the time. David was identified in the report as having been involved in efforts to undermine Cuomo's first accuser, Lindsey Boylan.

David, HRC's first Black leader, held the post for two years. In his lawsuit, filed in the Eastern District of New York, David contended that he was fired "because he is Black" and that the group "maintained discriminatory employment practices." David alleges that while discussing his contract renewal, HRC board members "acknowledged" that he was paid less than his white predecessor "because of his race," NBC News noted. (David's lawsuit is at docs.google.com/document/u/1/d/e/2PACX-1vS47Dl-CUtpFtLg5chDZZly1Be86nrd0xCSb6mY48-xNqPtKvHri8nsNhYqC3mUnSLx1oIcYjb5QUQP/pub .)

The terms of the settlement were confidential, the two sides said in a joint statement, adding they chose to "amicably resolve" the lawsuit, Reuters also noted. The joint statement is at www.hrc.org/press-releases/joint-statement-of-hrc-and-alphonso-david .

HRC named a new president, Kelley Robinson, in September—and she is the first Black woman to hold the post.