2023 LGBTQ+ Power Players

Erik Bottcher is a dedicated public servant and activist who has devoted his life to progressive causes and to the betterment of the community he loves. In 2021, he was elected to represent City Council District 3, which includes the neighborhoods of Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, Hudson Square, Flatiron, Times Square, the Theater District, and the Garment District.

Which LGBTQ+ icons do you look up to?
Harvey Milk and Cher

What actions do you hope to see the government taking to support the LGBTQ+ community?
We must stop the spread of vile LGBTQ+ legislation that is being passed in states around the country. New York must be a sanctuary state for trans people and their families who are seeking gender-affirming care. This means putting real resources behind programs that serve the trans community, particularly trans women of color who have been marginalized and left behind for too long.

What do you wish people outside of the community knew about the LGBTQ+ community?
We are your children, your sisters, your brothers, your next door neighbors and co-workers. There is no “other”. We are all one human family.

Can you recommend any top book, film, or TV shows that represent the LGBTQ+ experience?
Rupaul’s Drag Race

Until becoming the first openly gay person of color to serve in New York’s legislature, Senator Jabari Brisport was a math teacher at a public middle school in Brooklyn. He initially got involved in political activism through fighting to legalize same-sex marriage, and through organizing rallies and protests in the early Black Lives Matter movement. Now the chair of the Committee on Children and Families, he’s fought particularly hard for queer, homeless, and foster youth.

Which LGBTQ+ icons do you look up to?
Marsha P. Johnson, Harvey Milk, and Cecilia Gentili have all been guiding lights for me in their fearless pursuit of justice for LGBTQ+ people.

What actions do you hope to see the government taking to support the LGBTQ+ community?
Under a government that says basic needs like health care and housing are not rights but economic privileges, queer people’s literal survival is conditional on the acceptance of our society. Acceptance is great, but as long as our human rights depend on it we won’t truly be free. Government can best support the LGBTQ+ community by ensuring universal access to basic needs. In New York, passing the New York Health Act would be a great start.

What do you wish people outside of the community knew about the LGBTQ+ community?
The news sometimes covers the tragic suicides or violent killings of young LGBTQ+ people. What doesn’t ever seem to be covered are the long, slow, painful deaths of poverty that are so common in our community. Queer people are disproportionately homeless, impoverished, and targeted by our carceral system – marginalization is fatal under capitalism. 

Can you recommend any top book, film, or TV shows that represent the LGBTQ+ experience?
Heartstopper and Everything Everywhere All at Once

Carol Bullock became the executive director of the Pride Center in December of 2017. At the Pride Center, Carol focuses on relationship building and development, as she leads the staff in living up to the values of the Pride Center.  She has been instrumental in creating visibility and community support for the Center, as well as advocating federally, state-wide and locally. She  also serves on several boards in the nonprofit sector.

Which LGBTQ+ icons do you look up to?

Edie Windsor – a fierce advocate, who helped pave the way for same sex marriage; James Baldwin – brilliant writer and advocate; Lavern Cox – breaking all barriers for Transgender women of color; Marsha P, Sylvia and Storme – starting the movement

What actions do you hope to see the government taking to support the LGBTQ+ community?
With over 400 anti LGBTQ+ bills being introduced so far this year alone, there is a need for those in power to stop them from passing. Bills that are aimed at harming transgender individuals need to be reversed – they are literally harming humans. Bills focused on equal and affirming care need to outweigh harmful bills.

What do you wish people outside of the community knew about the LGBTQ+ community?
That we are your sons, daughters, neighbors, friends, etc. We are no different than others and deserve to be treated with inherent dignity. Suicide rates and other alarming statistics are much higher in the LGBTQ+ community due to be treated differently and the challenges we face. Supporting those who are different or unique will only help a community thrive.

Can you recommend any top book, film, or TV shows that represent the LGBTQ+ experience?
Anything by James Baldwin. The movie Philadelphia, The Color Purple, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, Under the Udala Trees, Boy Erased, The Women’s House of Detention, Let the Record Show

Yvette C. Burton, Ph.D. is a senior partner at Korn Ferry and professor emeritus of the Master of Science in Human Capital Management program at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies. Prior to her current role, she served as vice president, Workforce Solutions and Intelligence, for Lockheed Martin and leadership roles at Deloitte Consulting, the Arcus Foundation, IBM, and Ernst and Young.

Which LGBTQ+ icons do you look up to?
Audre Lorde, James Baldwin, and Sally Ride

What actions do you hope to see the government taking to support the LGBTQ+ community?
Continued progression of policies and practices that protect the equal rights of LGBT+ and their families.

What do you wish people outside of the community knew about the LGBTQ+ community?
There is so much love, fun, and acceptance that exists within the community.

Can you recommend any top book, film, or TV shows that represent the LGBTQ+ experience?
The Color Purple, The Grey Gardens, and Bound

Rob Byrnes has been president of the East Midtown Partnership since 2002, working to support the district’s economy and quality of life and developing multicultural programming. He is also a Lambda Literary Award-winning author, an inductee into the Saints & Sinners LGBTQ Literary Festival Hall of Fame, and serves on the boards of directors of The Publishing Triangle, Big Apple Performing Arts, and The Other Side of Silence (TOSOS), the city’s oldest LGBTQ theater company.

Which LGBTQ+ icons do you look up to?
I continue to look up to those of earlier generations whose bravery and advocacy for LGBTQ+ visibility and acceptance brought us to the point we’re at today. Increasingly, though, I also admire those who are on the frontlines today, challenging orthodoxy and traditional gender roles and expression.

What actions do you hope to see the government taking to support the LGBTQ+ community?
Given that our community is under attack by many levels of government, it’s tempting to simply wish to be left alone. But there is a real need for public officials to step up on issues related to LGBTQ+ health care, safety, and education, even in the most progressive communities.

What do you wish people outside of the community knew about the LGBTQ+ community?
Far too many people with far too little knowledge of LGBTQ+ people have an overly simplified view of our community. Whether that tunnel vision is based in religion or a basic lack of curiosity about anything that’s different from them is immaterial. It would be great if they could take the time to see LGBTQ+ people as complex individuals, not a singular mass, but it’s also not our job to educate them.

Can you recommend any top book, film, or TV shows that represent the LGBTQ+ experience?
No single work of art can represent the LGBTQ+ “experience,” since that experience is unique to each of us. That said, there are books like James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room and films like Bill Sherwood’s Parting Glances that do a particularly good job representing the complexity of LGBTQ+ people and our lives.

A Queens native, Tiffany (she/her) spent years as a public defender fighting the brutal system of mass incarceration before running for office. In 2019, she lost a long shot race for Queens District Attorney by just 55 votes, and two years later became the city council member representing District 22, including Astoria, Rikers Island, and parts of Jackson Heights, Woodside, and East Elmhurst.

Which LGBTQ+ icons do you look up to?
Some of my icons are famous, like Barbara Smith or Cecilia Gentili, but so many are everyday people. There’s a barista in my neighborhood who recently both came out as non-binary and received a diagnosis of lupus, who has been beautifully chronicling their experiences with both changes on Instagram. I’m really inspired by that, even though they aren’t famous. Icons are all around us, all the time.

What actions do you hope to see the government taking to support the LGBTQ+ community?
Clearly, our municipalities, state, and country need to do whatever is necessary to ensure queer people are safe – especially trans folks, trans kid, queer BIPOC folks, and others who are especially marginalized – but it’s just as important that we direct financial resources into the hands of directly impacted people and the organizations who work with them: groups like Red Canary Song, VOCAL NY’s Trans Justice Project, New Pride Agenda, and more.

What do you wish people outside of the community knew about the LGBTQ+ community?
Queer people, especially Black and Brown trans people, have always been on the front lines of liberation and civil rights struggles, across history. None of us would enjoy the protections, freedoms, and markers of dignity we do if there weren’t a whole community of queer folks who put their bodies on the line, despite the fact that it’s ultimately other folks who have benefited most from those struggles.

Can you recommend any top book, film, or TV shows that represent the LGBTQ+ experience?
There is no singular “the LGBTQ+ experience” because LGBTQ+ people are extremely diverse. That said, three favorite queer books are:  Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz and Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

Renee Campion was appointed in 2019 as the first woman labor commissioner in New York City. Campion has worked for the city for over 20 years and has worked 31 years as a professional in labor relations. She represents the mayor in labor negotiations between the city of NY and over 150 labor unions, associations, or other organizations representing civilians, teachers and uniformed employees.Campion is responsible for administering all city employee contracts, prevailing wage agreements, health insurance for over 1.2M individuals including active employees, pre-medicare retirees, retirees, all spouses and dependents, and various pre-tax programs. 

Which LGBTQ+ icons do you look up to?

Barbara Jordan (1936-1996) was the first African American to serve in the Texas senate and the first African American woman from a southern state to serve in Congress in 1973. In 1976, the Democratic party asked her to deliver the keynote address at their national convention, being both the first woman and the first African American to do so. She was a fierce advocate for voting rights, minimum wage laws, immigration reform and the civil rights movement.  Jordan used a wheelchair for much of her later years due to multiple sclerosis. She was survived by her partner Nancy Earl. 

 Can you recommend any top book, film, or TV shows that represent the LGBTQ+ experience?
POSE  is a drama spotlighting the legends, icons and ferocious house mothers of New York’s underground ball culture, a movement that gained notice in the 1980’s. Pose features the largest cast of transgender actors in series regular roles, as well as the largest recurring cast of LGBTQ+ actors ever for a scripted series.

TS Candii is a daughter of the south, hailing from Nashville, Tennessee. In her early 20s she moved to New York in search of a supportive community and more robust set of resources for TNGC community members. Unfortunately, she faced the status quo, housing and employment discrimination, spending three years in the NYC shelter system where she suffered anti-transgender and sex worker discrimination, physical, verbal, and mental abuse.

Which LGBTQ+ icons do you look up to?
Harvey Milk, Marsha P. Johnson, Ellen DeGeneres, RuPaul, Laverne Cox, Bayard Rustin, Audre Lorde

What actions do you hope to see the government taking to support the LGBTQ+ community?
Some actions governments can take to support the LGBTQ+ community include enacting anti-discrimination laws, supporting safe and inclusive schools, providing funding for LGBTQ+ health programs, supporting LGBTQ+ families, addressing violence and harassment, promoting visibility and representation, and investing in LGBTQ+ organizations and advocacy groups.

What do you wish people outside of the community knew about the LGBTQ+ community?
To make a safe and inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ individuals, it’s important to understand and accept the diversity of gender and sexuality. This means celebrating and respecting the different forms of identities instead of focusing on binary definitions. We should also recognize the struggles that they face such as discrimination, harassment, and mental health issues. Through awareness and education, we can create a world that values and upholds their rights.

Can you recommend any top book, film, or TV shows that represent the LGBTQ+ experience?
The bestselling LGBT book on Amazon, Becoming Candii

David Carr is the New York City council member currently representing District 50. David Carr is a member of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer Caucus. Carr was elected to this office in 2021. He had previously served as chief of staff to former City Council Minority Leader Steven Matteo for eight years, before which he held the same role for former state Assemblyman Joseph Borelli. Carr is the former president of the Richmond County Young Republicans, and is an active member of the Staten Island Republican Party’s County Committee, and has served on its Executive Committee since 2012.

Genie is an attorney and sustainability executive who’s worked as both outside and in-house counsel in the financial services industry for over 20 years. She has held the positions of general counsel, chief compliance officer, and head of ESG and sustainability at firms serving both private and public equities markets. She has been recognized through industry awards for her work in ESG, DEI, and as an effective advocate for empowering women in the industry.

Which LGBTQ+ icons do you look up to?
I am deeply inspired by Marsha P. Johnson, Audre Lorde, Bayard Rustin, Freddie Mercury, and Oscar Wilde. Having come out in the mid-1990s, Melissa Etheridge and the Indigo Girls were very influential and inspiring. Today, RuPaul and Tammy Baldwin are both influential icons I look to for inspiration.

What actions do you hope to see the government taking to support the LGBTQ+ community?
I hope the rhetoric surrounding issues affecting our community becomes more humane. It is beyond infuriating to see public discussion around legal issues affecting our community play out through language intentionally used to dehumanize us. I hope at some point our elected officials begin to lead in these areas, recognizing for example that trans kids are kids. Gay families are families. Drag artists and trans folks are just people, trying to live their lives.

What do you wish people outside of the community knew about the LGBTQ+ community?
That we are much more alike than we are different.

Can you recommend any top book, film, or TV shows that represent the LGBTQ+ experience?
Two of my favorite LGBTQ+ movies would be When Night Is Falling and Big Eden.Highly recommend both of them. On TV, I love the portrayal of Mitch and Cam on Modern Family. Regarding books – anything by David Sedaris. He is a genius.