SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – The president of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation announced Jan. 28 that he will step down later this year to complete his memoirs and pursue other personal interests.

Neil Giuliano, 52, said he probably would stay on the job he’s held since September 2005 until the end of the summer, long enough to ensure a smooth transition at GLAAD. Giuliano had just extended his contract for another three years in October, but said he decided recently that he wanted to move on.

GLAAD, which has offices in Los Angeles and New York, promotes fair and inclusive portrayals of gay men and lesbians in the media. It honors the publishing and entertainment industries each year with star-studded awards shows modeled after the Academy Awards.

In 2007, the organization played a prominent role in the public furor surrounding former “Grey’s Anatomy” star Isaiah Washington’s alleged use of an anti-gay slur.

“It’s a balance of a lot of fun, but the fun is also work,” Giuliano said. “You have to attend a lot of events, and yes you get to be around high-profile and famous people. But sometimes that means having to tell some of our friends that we think they are wrong.”

Before taking the top post at GLAAD, Giuliano spent a decade from 1994 to 2004 as the Republican mayor of Tempe, Ariz. He came out as gay in 1996 and in 2001 survived a recall election that grew out of his advocating against an employee fundraising drive that benefited the Boy Scouts. The Boy Scouts does not accept gay members.