Rea Carey

Rea Carey
Rea Carey speaking at the 2013 Decision Day Marriage Equality rally in Freedom Plaza
Born	(1966-12-22) December 22, 1966 (age 50)
Residence	Washington, D.C.
Alma mater	Smith College and Harvard University
Organization	National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Home town	Denver, Colorado
Title	Executive director
Predecessor	Matt Foreman
Movement	LGBT rights movement
Spouse(s)	Margaret Conway
Children	1

Rea Carey (born December 22, 1966) is an American lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights activist and the executive director of the National LGBTQ Task Force (previously the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force) since 2008. She previously served as the organization's deputy executive director and was the founding executive director of the National Youth Advocacy Coalition.

Carey grew up in Denver, Colorado and came out at the age of 16, near the start of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States, which prompted her early activism.

Carey graduated from Smith College in the 1980s and holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

She lives in Washington, DC with her wife and daughter.

Carey began her career working extensively in HIV/AIDS prevention and in the LGBT community as one of the co-founders of Gay Men and Lesbians Opposing Violence and the founding executive director of the National Youth Advocacy Coalition. She also served as an advisor to major donors and foundations, and has served on the advisory boards for such wide-ranging publications as Teen People magazine and the Georgetown University Journal of Gender and the Law.