Anybody can be a leader, and nobody embodies the everyday qualities of a leader quite like Roger Rutkowski. If you’re involved in LGBTQ Atlanta, chances are you know him — or, at the very least, recognize his face. From work to socializing to community involvement, Rutkowski is spreading his infectious positivity and lust for life throughout his favorite city.
Originally from Trinidad, Rutkowski moved to London 25 years ago before finally finding a home in what he calls the “greatest city in the world.”
“I love Atlanta,” he told Georgia Voice. “I was skeptical at first, but it’s the greatest city in the world, I think. I love it, it’s so young, so great and dynamic.”
In his five years spent in Atlanta, he’s spent four at Mercedes-Benz HQ, where he currently works as Manager of Legal Services. At Mercedes-Benz, he also serves as chair of the LGBTQ Unity Group, where he works to increase visibility for the LGBTQ community.
“[The LGBTQ Unity Group] is a fairly new group for MBUSA. We’re putting together a calendar of events that’s going to rotate around Pride month,” he said. “We do a Pride reception. And then we’re going to have a series of lunch-and-learns … [O]ne of the most important things about being an out gay person in [the auto industry], which historically is not a very progressive environment, is visibility. If you’re able to give your story to people, it gives them some buy-in, and they’re able to see themselves through you. I couldn’t imagine, coming from Trinidad, that I would be part of the legal team for Mercedes-Benz. As it turns out, the head of Warranty and Recall is also Trinidadian!”
It’s not only in the workplace where Rutkowski employs his skills to help the LGBTQ community. Rutkowski also serves on the board of Lost-n-Found Youth, an organization working to end homelessness among LGBTQ youth. He is also the Director of Marketing for the organization, helping to give LNFY the attention he feels it deserves.
“I’m trying to help them get organized, get all the positions formalized, do some governance,” he said. “I’m taking over their marketing, budget, working with their marketing partners to get them the publicity they deserve. People don’t know about them as much as they should.”
Rutkowski says his goal with the organization is to start up a patrons committee to increase visibility with celebrity endorsements.
Rutkowski also fundraises for LNFY through Atlanta Socializers, a group he founded to socially connect the LGBTQ community and allies.
“I like Atlanta because it’s a very young population, but it has a self-imposed segregation in it: either you go to a group with old people, or a group with white people, a group with Black people. There was no mix of people,” he said. “I just got tired of it. So, when we started getting vaccinated, I said, ‘You know what? I’m going to start my own group.’”
The group meets monthly with a variety of activities appealing to everyone. When the group first started, back in April 2021, it was made up of 150 members, and the first meetup attracted 20. Now, the group has almost 3,000 members, and 300 attended the last event at Woofs.
“What I love about it is that we have 85-year-old people in it, and we have 21-year-old people in it,” Rutkowski said. “We do things at the opera, and we do things at BJ Roosters. We’ve done lesbian bars, we’ve done gay bars, we’ve done straight bars.”
As if that wasn’t enough, Rutkowski also founded another social group serving the LGBTQ community: Mountain Men of North Georgia, a group for gay men and allies in North Georgia and beyond to socialize over hikes, dinner, and drinks. More than 1,000 people are a part of the group.
“People drive hours to come to it, people fly in to it!” he said. “There’s a bunch of guys that do hikes every week, we do a meetup once a month. It’s a closer community, lots of the guys have become friends. I think that’s great.”
While his name is attached to a multitude of avenues spanning Atlanta’s corporate, nonprofit, and social scenes, it’s his charm and vibrancy that cement him as a pillar of the community. Upon meeting Rutkowski, his dedication to connecting with others is clear — and it’s contagious. All in all, Rutkowski is leading the way in LGBTQ Atlanta.
You can join Atlanta Socializers Club and Mountain Men of North Georgia through Facebook. Learn more about Lost-n-Found Youth at lnfy.org.