Darlene Garner

Who is Darlene Garner?

Darlene Garner is an American clergyperson and LGBT activist, and a co-founder of the National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays. She was the first African-American elder in the Metropolitan Community Church and she helped create the denomination's biannual Conference for People of African Descent. In 2008 and 2009, she served as MCC Vice-Moderator. She is a nationally recognized speaker on LGBT religious issues; for instance, she was invited to join several other nationally known speakers to announce the "American Prayer Hour", an gay-affirming alternative to the "National Prayer Breakfast". For her work in the LGBT community, Garner was credited in The African American Almanac as "contributing to the visible image of gays in society" and in 2010 was named a "Capital Pride Hero" by Capital Pride.

A native of Columbus, Ohio, Garner was brought up in the National Baptist Convention; she later attended the Episcopal Church and eventually joined the Metropolitan Community Church in 1976.

Before entering the professional ministry, Garner worked as the Executive Director of the Philadelphia Mayor's Commission on Sexual Minorities, beginning in 1987.