Alphonso David (born 1970) is an American lawyer,
LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term i ...
civil rights activist,
former president of the
Human Rights Campaign
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for LGB ...
, and current president and CEO of the Global Black Economic Forum. In August 2019, he became the president of the Human Rights Campaign. He was the first civil rights lawyer and first
person of color
The term "person of color" ( : people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is primarily used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is primarily associated with, the U ...
to serve as president of the organization, but was fired from his role as president on September 6, 2021 after it was revealed that he advised former New York Governor
Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Mark Cuomo ( ; ; born December 6, 1957) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to the same position that his father, Mario Cu ...
when he was accused of
sexually assaulting women. He made national headlines in 2022 for bringing litigation against the Human Rights Campaign alleging racial bias in his firing. On March 15, 2023, the Human Rights Campaign said it had settled the lawsuit and stated that the terms of the settlement were confidential.
On June 30, 2022, David was announced as the president and CEO of the Global Black Economic Forum, an organization working "to serve and advocate on behalf of the economic needs of the Black community."
Early life
David, who is of
Americo-Liberian
Americo-Liberian people or Congo people or Congau people in Liberian English,Cooper, Helene, ''The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood'' (United States: Simon and Schuster, 2008), p. 6 are a Liberian ethnic group of Afric ...
heritage, was born in
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially Unincorporated area, unincorporated, in practice it is an edge cit ...
. His family moved back to
Monrovia, Liberia
Monrovia () is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2008 census had 1,010,970 residents, home to 29% of Liberia’s total population. As the ...
, when he was one year old. In 1977, David's father was elected mayor of his city while his great uncle
William Tolbert
William Richard Tolbert Jr. (13 May 1913 – 12 April 1980) was a Liberian politician who served as the 20th president of Liberia from 1971 until 1980.
Tolbert was an Americo-Liberian and trained as a civil servant before entering the House o ...
was
President of Liberia
The president of the Republic of Liberia is the head of state and government of Liberia. The president serves as the leader of the executive branch and as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia.
Prior to the independence of Liberi ...
.
During the
1980 Liberian coup d'état
The 1980 Liberian coup d'état happened on April 12, 1980, when President of Liberia, President William Tolbert was overthrown and murdered in a violent coup d'état, coup. The coup was staged by an indigenous Liberian faction of the Armed Force ...
, Tolbert was assassinated and David's father was incarcerated. His family lived under house arrest for 18 months and sought
political asylum
The right of asylum (sometimes called right of political asylum; ) is an ancient juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereign authority, like a second country or another ent ...
in the United States when he was 10 years old.
Education
David graduated from the
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of ...
in 1992 and
Temple University Law School
The Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law is the law school of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1895 and enrolls about 530 students.
Student body
Admission for fall 2019 entering class was highly compe ...
in 2000. While at Temple, David was a member of the university's national trial team and the Political and Civil Rights Law Review.
Career
Early career
After graduation David worked as a judicial law clerk for the
Clifford Scott Green
Clifford Scott Green (April 2, 1923 – May 31, 2007) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Green was the eighteenth African-American Article III judge appointed in the Un ...
, a Judge of the
known for issuing a decision finding racial discrimination in the Philadelphia Police Department.
Next, David joined
Blank Rome LLP
Blank Rome (formerly known as Blank Rome Comisky & McCauley) is an Am Law 100 firm (ranked 81st in the 2019 AmLaw 100 Survey) with 14 offices and more than 600 attorneys and principals who provide legal and advocacy services to clients in the Un ...
, a national law firm based in Philadelphia, to work as a litigation associate. He also got heavily involved in pro bono work, such as helping victims of domestic violence.
Civil rights litigation
David served as a staff attorney at the
Lambda Legal
Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, better known as Lambda Legal, is an American civil rights organization that focuses on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender ( LGBT) communities as well as people living with HIV/AIDS ( PWAs) through ...
Defense and Educational Fund from 2004–2007.
He worked on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender-centered cases around the country involving issues like HIV, employment and housing accommodations.
David worked on New York's first marriage equality case,
Hernandez v. Robles
Same-sex marriage has been legally recognized in the U.S. state of New York since July 24, 2011 under the '' Marriage Equality Act''. The Act does not have a residency restriction, as some similar laws in other states do. It allows religious orga ...
. They won at the trial court but lost on appeal.
After three years with Lambda Legal, he joined Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's Office as Bureau Chief for Civil Rights where he managed and prosecuted cases statewide ranging from deceptive business practices to immigration fraud
Counsel to New York Governor Cuomo
David served for four years in the Governor's cabinet as the Deputy Secretary and Counsel for Civil Rights, the first position of its kind in New York State. In this capacity, he was responsible for a full range of legal, policy, legislative and operational matters affecting civil rights and labor throughout the State.
In 2015, David was appointed by Governor
Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Mark Cuomo ( ; ; born December 6, 1957) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to the same position that his father, Mario Cu ...
to serve as Counsel to the Governor. In this role, he functioned as the Governor's chief counsel and principal legal advisor, and oversaw all significant legal and policy deliberations affecting New York State, including evaluating proposed legislation; implementing laws and policies and formulating the State's posture in both affirmative and defensive litigation.
During this tenure in the Governor's Office, David worked on landmark legislation and policy including the Marriage Equality Act, which removed legal barriers permitting same-sex couples to marry, the Workers Compensation Reform Act, which modernized key components of the program to ensure greater accountability and functionality, the Paid Family Leave Act, which ensures individuals leave to care for a sick family member, and the Minority and Women Business Program, which expanded contracting opportunities for MWBEs throughout the state.
In New York Attorney General
Letitia James
Letitia Ann James (born October 18, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician. She is a member of the Democratic Party and the current Attorney General of New York, having won the 2018 election to succeed appointed Attorney General Barbara Und ...
's independent investigation of allegations of sexual harassment by Cuomo, released in August 2021, David's role in providing the personnel files of former Cuomo advisor
Lindsey Boylan
Andrew Cuomo, the 56th governor of New York, was accused of sexual harassment by multiple women starting in December 2020, with the accusations covering a range of alleged behavior. He denied all allegations and has apologized for his comments b ...
to the governor's office, which were then leaked to the press in an attempt to discredit her, is discussed. The report also states that David helped to draft a letter in defense of Cuomo and which questioned Boylan's motivations. The letter was not published.
President of the Human Rights Campaign

In August 2019, after 12 years with the New York state government, David became president of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). A report released in August 2021 following an independent investigation led by
New York Attorney General
The attorney general of New York is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of New York and head of the Department of Law of the state government. The office has been in existence in some form since 1626, under the Dutch colonial government ...
Letitia "Tish" James described David's efforts to cover up sexual harassment claims against Governor Andrew Cuomo and undermine the credibility of accusers. On September 6, 2021, David was fired as president of HRC. In February 2022, David filed a lawsuit against the HRC, alleging discrimination. On March 15, 2023, HRC and David issued a joint statement that both parties had "chosen to amicably resolve" the lawsuit and that the terms of the settlement were confidential.
Personal life
David has worked as an adjunct professor of law.
He is openly gay.
Awards and honors
In May 2017, David received the Public Servant of the Year Award from the Metropolitan Black Bar Association for his advocacy. In February 2018, the Asian American Bar Association bestowed its public service award on David. In September 2019, David received a public appreciation recognition from the Chief Judge of New York State, on behalf of the Indigent Legal Services Board, for his "extraordinary contributions to improving the quality of mandated representation in New York State. In June 2020, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the first LGBTQ
Pride parade
A pride parade (also known as pride march, pride event, or pride festival) is an outdoor event celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer culture, queer (LGBTQ) social and self-acceptance, achievements, LGBT rights by country o ...
, ''
Queerty
''Queerty'' is an online magazine and newspaper covering gay-oriented lifestyle and news, founded in 2005 by David Hauslaib. As of June 2015, the site had more than five million monthly unique visitors.
History
''Queerty'' was founded by David ...
'' named him among the fifty heroes "leading the nation toward equality, acceptance, and dignity for all people". In February 2023, David was named one of 50 Notable Black Leaders by Crain's New York Business in part for his work "reimagining equity and inclusion in corporate America."
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:David, Alphonso
1970 births
2020 United States presidential electors
Activists from Maryland
African-American lawyers
American people of Liberian descent
LGBT African Americans
LGBT people from Maryland
American LGBT rights activists
Living people
New York (state) Democrats
People from Silver Spring, Maryland
Temple University Beasley School of Law alumni
University System of Maryland alumni
African-American activists
LGBT lawyers
Maryland Democrats
21st-century American LGBT people