Charlene D. Strong (born May 6, 1963) is an American civil rights advocate and a former member of the Washington State Human Rights Commission.

Biography

Strong began her advocacy career in 2006. In December of that year, Strong's partner of nine years,

Kate Fleming Kathryn Ann Fleming (October 6, 1965 – December 14, 2006) was an American actress, artist, singer, and award-winning audiobook narrator and producer. She was the owner and executive producer at Cedar House Audio, an audio production company ...

, died suddenly when a flash flood trapped her inside her

Madison Valley, Seattle Madison Valley is a neighborhood in Seattle located east of Capitol Hill; west of Washington Park; south of Montlake; and north of Madrona. According to the Madison Valley Community Council, the neighborhood is "bounded to the north by East H ...

, basement recording studio during the Hanukkah Eve Wind Storm. Arriving at the hospital, Strong was initially prevented from joining Fleming, despite their long partnership, because Washington State did not recognize domestic partners. In January 2007, she testified before the

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

State Senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

Committee in support of a bill creating a statewide Domestic Partnership Registry. In April 2007, she stood beside Governor

Christine Gregoire Christine Gregoire (; née O'Grady; born March 24, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 22nd governor of Washington from 2005 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, she defeated Republican candidate Dino Rossi in 2004, and aga ...

as that domestic partnership bill was signed into law. The Governor opened her remarks by retelling Strong's story. In February 2009, Gregoire appointed Strong to the Washington State Human Rights Commission. Strong's second term expired in 2017. Strong is also a co-producer of the film ''For My Wife...'', which tells the story of how Strong became an advocate for equality following Fleming's death. The film won the Best Documentary prize at the 2008 Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. Strong works closely with

Equal Rights Washington Equal Rights Washington (ERW) is Washington’s largest statewide LGBT advocacy and community outreach organization. ERW's mission is to ensure and promote dignity, safety, and equality for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Washingtoni ...

and has endowed a fellowship at the

National Gay and Lesbian Task force The National LGBTQ Task Force is an American social justice advocacy non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

References

External links

*
All Things Gay Interview with Charlene Strong
''All Things Gay'', August 1, 2011
LFB Advocacy Group
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strong, Charlene Living people 1963 births 20th-century American LGBT people 21st-century American LGBT people