Nellie Fitzpatrick

Nellie Fitzpatrick is a founding board member of Collective Liberty and an attorney with the law firm of Laffey, Bucci and Kent LLP. Fitzpatrick’s career has centered on helping crime victims navigate the civil justice system and obtain monetary compensation against perpetrators, business entities, and other individuals. The majority of her career as a prosecutor has been spent in the Family Violence and Sexual Assault Unit, prosecuting rape, intimate partner violence, sexual assaults, and child abuse cases. For six and a half years, Fitzpatrick served as an Assistant District Attorney for the City of Philadelphia, three of which she was also the LGBTQ Liaison to the DA’s Office. In addition, Fitzpatrick is/was a subject matter expert on LGBTQ issues for the Department of Justice (Obama Administration). In January 2015, Mayor Michael A. Nutter appointed Fitzpatrick to serve as the second Director of LGBTQ Affairs for the City—a position she held for two terms, working directly with officials, departments, and agencies at the federal, state, and local level to develop government systems that protect underserved and often marginalized populations. In 2015 and 2016, she was appointed to the Board of Trustees for the Philadelphia Prison System and the advisory board for the Center City Crime Victims Services where she worked to establish LGBTQ victim services throughout the city of Philadelphia.

Outside of her government appointments, Fitzpatrick remains a strong advocate for gender-based rights and freedoms. She has successfully shifted systems and culture to make them more LGBT affirming. Notable initiatives she has spearheaded include creation of The Gotta Go! Guide—an interactive, Google Maps-based guide to gender-neutral bathrooms across Philadelphia which helps trans and gender non-conforming people locate bathrooms they can use without fear of gender policing or violence. In October 2015, Fitzgerald was instrumental in creating and championing legislation that requires all single-stall bathrooms in Philadelphia to be gender-neutral.