The Charlie Clark Center for Local History features a new collection of archival materials donated by Jay Fisette, RG 387: Personal Papers of Jay Fisette, 1992-2018.
In 1997, Fisette became the first openly LGBTQ+ person elected to office in the state of Virginia when he won a seat on the Arlington County Board. He served for six terms on the Board between 1998 and 2017 and served as Board Chair five times, making him the second-longest-serving board member in Arlington County’s history after Ellen Bozman (in office 1974-1997).
Headshot of Jay Fisette, newly elected to the Arlington County Board in 1997. All images included in this post are from RG 387: Personal Papers of Jay Fisette.
After moving to Arlington in 1983 to pursue a career in the federal government, Fisette became involved in community service. He joined the Arlington Gay and Lesbian Alliance (now Equality NoVA) in 1988 and successfully advocated for the inclusion of sexual orientation protections in the county’s human rights ordinance. In 1989, he joined the Ashton Heights Civic Association, which helped spark his interest in local politics. From 1990 to 1998, Fisette served as the director of the Whitman-Walker Clinic of Northern Virginia, a non-profit community health center that specialized in HIV/AIDS care.
Fisette first ran for a vacant County Board seat in the 1993 special election. His candidacy and primary victory came as a surprise given that he was open about his sexuality throughout the campaign. Although Fisette lost the general election in 1993, he ran again in 1997 and won 62% of the votes.
Front and back of a postcard from the 2009 County Board election urging Arlingtonians to vote for Fisette, featuring his dogs Cassie and Chocco.
During his time in office, he continued to dedicate himself to supporting various local and regional organizations including the Arlington Arts Center (now the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington), Arlingtonians for a Better County, the Arlington Committee of 100, the Virginia Partisans Gay & Lesbian Democratic Club, and many more.
A pamphlet from 1996 created by the Human Rights Campaign entitled “A Manual for Candidates: Questions you will be asked about lesbian and gay issues during your campaign.”
One of Fisette’s first acts as a County Board member was to write and pass a hate crimes resolution immediately following the death of Matthew Shepard in 1998. He was recognized for his exceptional service as Board Chair while helping guide Arlington County’s response to the September 11th terrorist attack on the Pentagon.
A flyer for Arlington’s Day of Remembrance and Appreciation on October 7, 2001.
During his tenure, Fisette prioritized environmental sustainability and fiscal responsibility. A bicycling enthusiast in his personal life, he was a major contributor to Capital BikeShare’s establishment and success in the Washington Metropolitan region.
Jay Fisette riding his bicycle, 1997.
To learn more about Jay Fisette and his impact on Arlington County, you can listen to his oral history interview or contact us to see the Jay Fisette Papers.