2023 LGBTQ+ Power Players

Ron Poole-Dayan is the founder and executive director of Men Having Babies. Ron and his husband were among the first same-sex couples in the nation to father children through gestational surrogacy. MHB was founded in 2012 out of a preexisting peer support network for future biological gay fathers at the NYC LGBT Center. MHB has since expanded to support thousands of couples and singles from across the globe with guidance, financial assistance and advocacy.

Which LGBTQ+ icons do you look up to?
Edith Windsor

What actions do you hope to see the government taking to support the LGBTQ+ community?
Removing legal and financial barriers to LGBTQ+ family building, such as discriminatory taxation, insurance and parental leave policies. We feel that such discrimination is tolerated, and sometimes even initiated, due to society’s lingering perceptions of gender roles and the feeling that parenting is not as innately important to men as it is for women. 

What do you wish people outside of the community knew about the LGBTQ+ community?
That the anguish and yearning that same sex couples and singles feel due to their inability to reproduce without medical intervention is equal to the anguish of heterosexual couples who suffer from “medical infertility.”

Founded by Leo Preziosi, Jr., Live Out Loud is built on a singular premise –to embrace and  inspire Queer youth to live out and proud. Live Out Loud’s mission is to partner with families, schools, and communities to provide LGBTQ+ youth with resources, role models, and opportunities that help them discover their voice and become leaders of change. 

Which LGBTQ+ icons do you look up to?
Alan Turing because of his genius and passion for his work; Eric Marcus because of the brilliance in weaving a story together when interviewing his subjects; Paul Rudnick for his wicked sense of humor; Sandra Bernhard for her boldness; Billy Porter for his hard work and dedication to his craft

What actions do you hope to see the government taking to support the LGBTQ+ community?
The United States Government needs to take the lead in the LGBTQ+ narrative. We are Americans and should be valued for our contributions and commitment to the growth of the United States. The Queer community has a rich history. That history needs to be told and it needs to be mandatory in all schools across the nation. That’s a good first step – let’s start there.

What do you wish people outside of the community knew about the LGBTQ+ community?
I think the people of this country need to know the LGBTQ+ communities contribution in dollars – that would make them pay attention and sit up straight. I believe it’s in the billions each year. Like everyone, we are on a journey, looking for friends, relationships, joy and family. We want to be happy and contribute our special talents. Period.

Can you recommend any top book, film, or TV shows that represent the LGBTQ+ experience?
Love Heartstopper; Smiley is brilliant; Young Royals has many twists and turns, but is incredibly romantic

Brittany Anderson (she/her) is co-president of Pride At Work, the AFL-CIO constituency group for LGBTQIA+ workers. In 2011 Brittany met union organizers who took her under their wings at Occupy Wall Street and she hasn’t stopped fighting for social and economic justice since. She has previously worked for UFCW/RWDSU Local 338, RWDSU, the Southeast Minnesota Area Labor Council, the Machinists Union and a variety of progressive political campaigns.

Which LGBTQ+ icons do you look up to?
Starbucks workers unionizing their workplaces, Bayard Rustin, Randi Weingarten, Donna Cartwright, Audre Lorde, Bowen Yang, Cleve Jones, Megan Rapinoe

What actions do you hope to see the government taking to support the LGBTQ+ community?
The U.S. Senate needs to pass the PRO Act, which would level the playing field for workers to freely and fairly unionize our workplaces and collectively bargain. There are no stronger protections for LGBTQ+ workers than a union contract and the solidarity of our co-workers! Queer and trans workers also need Medicare for All. Under the current system, too many people in our community simply can’t afford the care and prescriptions we need.

What do you wish people outside of the community knew about the LGBTQ+ community?
LGBTQ+ rights are actually not complicated. Everyone deserves respect, safety, health care, and the freedom to be true to themselves. Stay grounded in those principles and everything you need to know will make sense.

Can you recommend any top book, film, or TV shows that represent the LGBTQ+ experience?
I’ve been watching the new Peacock show Swedish Death Cleaning, and I was pleasantly surprised at how queer it is! It’s heartwarming and upbeat, but so moving some episodes had me sobbing. And Amy Poehler narrates! I especially recommend episode 4.

Brittani Murray is co-president of the AFL-CIO Constituency Group, Pride at Work. There, she works to build worker coalitions and empower member engagement toward the betterment of LGBTQ+ union members. She also works for the United Steelworkers Union in its Civil and Human Rights Department as staff and facilitates conversations surrounding racial justice, intersectionality, LGBTQ+ issues, language, and education. Brittani is a member of the United Steelworkers LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee and Local Union 3657.

Which LGBTQ+ icons do you look up to?
Moranda Smith, Audre Lorde, Bayard Rustin, James Baldwin, Marsha P Johnson, Miss Major, Griffin-Gracy, Keturah Johnson, Ciora Thomas, Celeste Scott and Disney workers fighting for a fair contract!

What actions do you hope to see the government taking to support the LGBTQ+ community?
Housing security as a human right: Generations have been lost due to a lack of safe and hygienic shelters; national job/workforce training: Pride at Work is currently stewarding a half-a-million workforce development program in NYC; Green New Deal; Bathrooms Rights Act: Access to safe and hygienic facilities for all workers, regardless of gender; LGBTQ+ Bill of Rights: Also known as the Equality Act

What do you wish people outside of the community knew about the LGBTQ+ community?
That we’re everywhere. We’ve existed in every civilization since the dawn of people living communally. We have contributed to unionization and worker mobilization since the foundation of the workers’ movement. Lavender people have always been organizers and have fought for the rights of others for decades. We understand what it means to navigate oppression, to have to live in the shadows of respectability and discrimination, and we want to eradicate that for all working people.

Can you recommend any top book, film, or TV shows that represent the LGBTQ+ experience?
Books: Semi Queer, Steel Closets, The Color Purple
Shows: POSE, Steven Universe, RuPaul’s Drag Race
Movies: Milk, Bohemian Rhapsody, But I’m a Cheerleader, Love Simon

Kristin Richardson Jordan (KRJ) is a third generation Harlemite who has known Harlem since she was 4 months old. Kristin is a book printing poet, teaching artist, author, and activist in the Harlem community. KRJ has presented at Circle of Voices, the Kennedy Center, Hostos Community College, and Montclair State University. She has also been featured on a number of podcasts including Mind Over Melanin.

Which LGBTQ+ icons do you look up to?
As a poet reading the work of Audre Lorde has had a great impact on me and when I look at history she is definitely one of my heroes. Also on my icons who are now ancestors list I would add Marsha P. Johnson, Langston Hughes, Bayard Rustin, Sylvia Rivera, and James Baldwin. For icons alive today I would say Angela Davis (my fellow abolitionist!) and Billy Porter.

What actions do you hope to see the government taking to support the LGBTQ+ community?
In terms of specific actions our government has to work to address LGBTQ youth homelessness and economic exploitation. More generally we need to work towards queering politics I.e. profoundly changing the way it is structured to be less adversarial and more humane and human-focused.

What do you wish people outside of the community knew about the LGBTQ+ community?
I wish people knew how affirming and validating it is to celebrate our LGBTQ community. I often think folks miss the point of events like pride which are rooted in our fight for liberation. It is not humane to simply tolerate differences and not be homophobic. It is important to celebrate the complete humanity of each and every human being.

Can you recommend any top book, film, or TV shows that represent the LGBTQ+ experience?
Moonlight, The Color Purple, The L Word, POSE

PJ Rivera is a principal at Deloitte Consulting who serves as the government and public services futures leader, as well as a national DEI leader in Deloitte’s Latino and LGBTQ+ communities. For nearly 20 years, PJ has been making an impact that matters as a trusted advisor to clients and a respected DEI champion who sponsors and leads efforts to promote the recruitment, retention, and advancement of LGBTQ+ professionals both inside and outside of Deloitte.

Which LGBTQ+ icons do you look up to?
Dolly Parton – because she has used her art and voice for decades to promote equality, authenticity, and inclusion. I particularly appreciate this quote from Dolly as it speaks to the importance of resilience and courage in our community: “The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”

What actions do you hope to see the government taking to support the LGBTQ+ community?
Expanded support and protection for our most vulnerable LGBTQ+ populations that face hate, violence, and discrimination in any and all aspects of life.

What do you wish people outside of the community knew about the LGBTQ+ community?
“Ally” is a title that is given, not self-proclaimed; it requires showing up consistently, starting with inquiry, and sharing the challenges and lessons from the journey of our LGBTQ+ community.

Can you recommend any top book, film, or TV shows that represent the LGBTQ+ experience?
I belong to a Gay Latino Book Club, “Los Bookis.” Some of the most powerful books we’ve read share the stories of Gay people of color, such as The Prince of los Cocuyos by Richard Blanco and Hood Criatura by Féi Hernandez. These are two powerful books about the intersections these brilliant Gay LGBTQ+ authors exist in and learn from.

Kelley Robinson brings 15 years of experience as a leader in the progressive movement to the Human Rights Campaign and Human Rights Foundation. As the organization’s ninth president and the first Black, queer woman in her role, Robinson sits at the helm of the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ rights advocacy group. She previously spent more than a decade leading grassroots efforts with Planned Parenthood and began her activist career in Missouri with the Obama presidential campaign.

Which LGBTQ+ icons do you look up to?
I’m inspired by every young trans person. They are the strongest examples of how we can live with authentic, radical joy. I stand on the shoulders of pioneers like Urvashi Vaid. The writer James Baldwin gave me permission to love this country fiercely and protect the right to critique the systems of oppression within it. Audre Lorde’s revolutionary, Black feminism inspires me. And we can’t talk about living out loud without mentioning Big Freedia.

What actions do you hope to see the government taking to support the LGBTQ+ community?
The beauty of this country is our ability to envision possibilities that were never known by our ancestors. Passing legislation that gives 100% protection to every member of the LGBTQ+ community gets us even closer to creating a world where everyone can have systemic equality, equity, and liberation. Right now, we need more laws that keep the trans community safe and secure, while also expanding equitable access for gender and reproductive rights across our country.

What do you wish people outside of the community knew about the LGBTQ+ community?
It is important that every member of the LGBTQ+ community has the space and the freedom to live a life filled with radical joy. Our community is in a constant fight for equality. The war being waged against transgender people requires that we celebrate the lives and unique stories of triumph for every member of our community. There are challenges, but there are also many incredible success stories that can fill us with hope.

Can you recommend any top book, film, or TV shows that represent the LGBTQ+ experience?
I LOVE stories about queer families, so I was a huge fan of the Freeform series The Fosters. A multi-ethnic, blended family with two moms is exactly the kind of representation we need more of. Queer Eye is my go-to when I crave stories about resilience and joy. I’m also in love with 9-1-1: Lone Star. I’ve admired Brian Michael Smith and Rafael Silva in other series, but I really like them in these roles.

Therese R. Rodriguez is the chief executive officer of Apicha Community Health Center, an organization focused on increasing access to healthcare. The organization has extensive experience working with Asians and Pacific Islanders, Latinos, African Americans and other people of color, specifically with members of the LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS+ communities. Therese Rodriguez has been a leader of Apicha since 1997. Born and raised in the Philippines, Rodriguez is a longtime advocate of civil rights and increased access to health and social services for Asian and Pacific Islanders.

Alexander Roque is the president and executive director of the Ali Forney Center (AFC) the world’s largest and most comprehensive organization dedicated to housing and caring for homeless LGBTQ youth who are rejected by their families. Under his leadership, AFC has expanded its advocacy and enhanced its services and its international footprint. He is also the board secretary of Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation supporting the mental health needs of youth around the globe.

Which LGBTQ+ icons do you look up to?
Cecilia Gentili, Elisa Crespo, Tabytha Gonzalez, Andy Marra, Sean Coleman, Raquel Willis – all trans leaders of color who embody courage, compassion, and conviction. They are supporting communities, committed to change, and leading a movement in varying sectors that our world desperately needs. People I am humbled to know and call partners in caring for our homeless youth.

What actions do you hope to see the government taking to support the LGBTQ+ community?
Tragically, LGBTQ youth rejection does not make headlines and is not treated as we treat other forms of abuse. I’d like to see our government acknowledge that family rejection is child neglect and that homophobia and transphobia is child abuse. In doing so, we will be able to start building systems that address family rejection and provide new layers of support and family-based interventions. I believe this will one day decrease LGBTQ youth homelessness.

What do you wish people outside of the community knew about the LGBTQ+ community?
Yes, LGBTQ individuals are different, but being different and being marginalized are two separate things. We should not be marginalized because we are different.

Can you recommend any top book, film, or TV shows that represent the LGBTQ+ experience?
Kicked Out by Sassafras Lowery. The book provides a firsthand account of the experiences of homeless youth and makes a call for social/community and government transformation to better support the most vulnerable members of the LGBTQ community – our homeless youth.