Charlotte Clymer


Charlotte Anora Elizabeth Clymer is an American activist and writer. She is the former press secretary for rapid response at the Human Rights Campaign, an American LGBTQ civil rights organization.

Life and career

Clymer was raised in central Texas, after moving with her mother from Utah at a young age. She joined the United States Army in 2005, and later enrolled in the United States Military Academy. She served in the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, based at Arlington National Cemetery, until 2012, when she was honorably discharged. After leaving the Army, she moved to Washington, D.C. and took a job as a visitor services representative at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. After working there for a year, she enrolled at Georgetown University and finished her bachelor's degree.
In 2017, Clymer began working at the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ advocacy group and political lobbying organization in the United States. In November 2017, she came out as a transgender woman.
A Twitter thread about Kathryn Joosten's life by Clymer went viral.
Clymer is an outspoken activist on issues including LGBTQ rights, feminism, and veterans' affairs. She has written articles for publications including Glamour, The Independent, NBC News, Vice, and The Huffington Post, and has appeared as a guest commentator on CBS News Sunday Morning.
In 2018, staff and later a manager at the D.C. restaurant Cuba Libre demanded Clymer provide an ID prior to using the restroom, incorrectly saying she was legally required to; Clymer refused and provided a transcript of the D.C. Human Rights Act which makes it illegal for public accommodations to discriminate based on gender identity. Clymer was removed from the restaurant and police were contacted. The D.C. Attorney General fined Cuba Libre $7,000 for violating the aforementioned D.C. Human Rights Act and required the staff to undergo training in anti-discrimination practices; Cuba Libre later removed the 2 employees involved and denounced their conduct. The restaurant reached an out of court settlement with Clymer, and made a separate donation to LGBTQ homeless shelter Casa Ruby.