By Lauren C. Ostberg

A Somerville resident has been tapped to head the state’s leading gay advocacy group.

Kara Suffredini is the new executive director of MassEquality, a non-profit organization committed to marriage equality and the advancement of gay, lesbian and transgender  rights. Suffredini has been a queer activist for more than 16 years, ever since she came out in college.  Today, she believes that Massachusetts is uniquely positioned to lead the nation in the pursuit of full equality, not just marriage equality, for gay citizens.

Massachusetts legalized gay marriage in 2004, and five other states have followed suit. As executive director of MassEquality, Suffredini will support other states efforts to protect and advance gay marriage.  She will also continue the push for a federal law guaranteeing the right.  Suffredini said she  is passionately opposed to the majority’s ability to determine a minority’s rights, which partly motivated her to became an attorney .

When she came out, during her sophomore year of college at Berkeley, Suffredini had lived a fairly privilege life — white, educated, middle-class. So her sudden status as what she called a “second-class citizen” – came as a shock.

“It really hit me then that the way that power, access, and opportunity is doled out is random, and determined by the people in power.  I went to law school, to be honest, to become one of those people in power,” she said.

Now, with two years as a litigator and six years as a policy advocate under her belt, Suffredini wants Massachusetts to take the lead in the post-marriage-equality equality agenda.  “We have the opportunity to define thoughtful, strategic campaigns that cut across identities, issues, and promote social justice for everyone,” she said.

More specifically, Suffredini seeks the state’s protection of transgendered indivuduals by including the words “and gender expression” in the states’ non-discrimination policy – protecting transgender citizens. She would also like to open a dialogue and programs with long-term care facilities, as GLBT seniors allegedly experience discrimination there, as well.

According to MassEquality, 90 percent of gay, lesbian and transgender youth in Massachusetts say they experienced discrimination or harassment at school because of their sexual orientation and that population is more than 40 times likely to commit suicide than their peers. Suffredini said she will work to add specific language and regulations to the Safe Schools Bill to protect those children.

“Kara is a seasoned movement leader who knows how to build diverse coalitions,” said Sue Hyde, chair of the board of directors of MassEquality’s Education Fund, in a prepared statement.  MassEquality plans to partner with existing organizations, such as the Transgender Political Coalition, to draw on their expertise, and serve constituencies that are too small to effect major legislative change on their own.

“It’s a significant moment in the movement,” she said.  “Some people say, after we get marriage equality, what else is there to do?  We can lead the way.”

Suffredini first moved to Somerville in 1998, when she began law school at Boston College; she returned in 2008, and enjoys the city’s urban and suburban feel and visible gay community.  It keeps her close to her constituency, as well — more than 4,000 Somerville residents are members of MassEquality.