2024 LGBTQ+ Power Players

Leslie Gordon, president and CEO of Food Bank For New York City assumed the role in 2020, with a focus on addressing food insecurity in NYC. Under her leadership, the Food Bank’s annual food distribution increased from 70 million pounds to 150 million pounds. Thanks to Leslie’s unwavering commitment to protecting the dignity of all New Yorkers, countless families have been able to put food on their tables and feed their families. 

If you could give your younger self advice, what would it be?
You can’t fix the past. Trust your gut. Take risks. Don’t worry so much about what others think. Enjoy life’s moments – keep a journal. Self-care is never underrated. Spend more time with your parents.

Is there an LGBTQ+ icon or member of the community that you look up to?
Betty Berzon, now deceased. We owe it to her for leading the way in the 1970s to declassify homosexuality as a mental illness! Now therapists are not guided to convince people in the LGBTQ community that they aren’t gay or don’t have to be.

What can New York policymakers do to support members of the LGBTQ+ community?
When discussing food insecurity within the LGBTQ+ community, it is crucial to acknowledge how it intersects with barriers that hinder their ability to conduct a prosperous life such as workplace and housing discrimination. Additionally, LGBTQ+ individuals participate in programs like SNAP at higher rates compared to other groups. Therefore, we strongly urge policymakers to support greater access to safety net programs for this community and ensure better enforcement of anti-discrimination laws in service provision.

Is there anything you are working on that you wish more people knew about?
We help feed NY, but more importantly, we prioritize centering people in our work. People experiencing poverty and trauma need to be at the forefront of real and lasting change – we need to do this work with them, not to them or for them. Look for the Food Bank to lead the way in this critical movement to change the way we think about supporting others and driving lasting change.

Aundaray Guess has worked in the LGBTQ field for 25 years. His current tenure at GRIOT Circle includes enhancing GRIOT’s mission of lifting the life experiences of LGBTQ seniors and confronting ageism throughout various communities. Aundaray has two degrees from New York University. He holds a Bachelor of Science in media studies and a Master of Science in public relations and corporate communications.

If you could give your younger self advice, what would it be?
Although the storm you travel through makes your journey difficult and hard to imagine, whatever you do, don’t stop. On the other side, you’ll discover your purpose and it will look and feel so good. Embrace the fact that everything, including the negatives, happens for a reason. Don’t let the winds around you make you bitter. You are the author of your story and only you can define your purpose.

Is there an LGBTQ+ icon or member of the community that you look up to?
I look up to my Trans brother and sisters. As a cis-looking man, I can hide my true self as I navigate my day to day. It takes courage to live your truth and not hide one’s self. To ignore the hate, the rejections, and the judgements the Trans community experience. Another thing I admire is that when it comes to the LGBT community, they show up, despite us often not showing up for them.

What can New York policymakers do to support members of the LGBTQ+ community?
Create more equality in funding LGBTQ people of color organizations. Despite providing the same services, there are white-led organizations that will never have to do the begging and pleading for dollars that people of color organizations must do. This cycle of inequality can be broken and if provided the same resources, so many in our communities will be rewarded with so many opportunities that today remain denied. 

Is there anything you are working on that you wish more people knew about?
Working with LGBTQ older adults is not a job but a passion as so many made the paths we walk on today yet our stories and contributions become lost. I’m working on redefining how everyone looks at aging, to see it as a beautiful period of one’s life. Also having young people see aging as an investment in their future, whether it’s time, money, or involvement.

David has been executive director of NewFest since 2019. Under his leadership, NewFest has become the largest nonprofit LGBTQ+ film and media organization in the country. In the past five years, NewFest has dramatically raised the reach and profile of its marquee event, The New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival; added flagship festivals NewFest Pride and Queering the Canon; and launched the Black Filmmakers Initiative and New Voices Filmmaker Grant in partnership with Netflix. 

If you could give your younger self advice, what would it be?
Don’t be concerned if you don’t exactly know what your next step is. Follow your passion, show up, and do the work, and you’ll end up where you’re supposed to be.

Is there an LGBTQ+ icon or member of the community that you look up to?
Visibility and authentic representation can change lives and even save lives, so I am in awe of the talented queer filmmakers who are telling our stories in such interesting ways. Artists like Zackary Drucker, Andrew Ahn, Elegance Bratton, Emma Seligman, Julio Torres, Aitch Alberto, Sam Feder, and D. Smith are all absolutely brilliant. I also think Sav Rogers, founder of the Transgender Film Center, is going to change the world.

What can New York policymakers do to support members of the LGBTQ+ community?
Provide funding to organizations like NewFest that sit at the intersection of the cultural and community service spaces, and are uplifting marginalized voices. The pipeline is broken – queer people, particularly trans folks and people of color, are often denied access to the resources they need to get their work made and seen. Organizations like NewFest and Brown Girls Doc Mafia and Ghetto Film School can help bridge these gaps, so give us money!

Is there anything you are working on that you wish more people knew about?
I want the community to know how joyful it can be to experience an LGBTQ+ film in a theater space that was intentionally and explicitly designed to center queer audiences. Yes, NewFest shows movies, but we also are a place of connection that can be both electric and healing. You can’t help but feel a part of something bigger than yourself. And you are always going to see some killer looks!

Anthony Hayes has spent more than 20 years working in communications, crisis, and issue management. In 2017 he founded The Hayes Initiative (THI), an award-winning, certified LGBTQ-owned and operated public affairs firm. With Anthony as president, THI operates at the crossroads of communications, government relations, and stakeholder management and delivers top-tier service to every client. He manages a seven-figure firm with a team of eight employees.

If you could give your younger self advice, what would it be?
Enjoy the ride and control what you can. I have tried to enjoy the ride as much as possible, but when you are young, you want to “make your mark.” I encourage everyone to realize that just because it is hard or uncomfortable doesn’t mean it is bad. Being uncomfortable means you are growing – it won’t be easy, but that doesn’t make it “bad” or something to be avoided. Be ok with being uncomfortable.

Is there an LGBTQ+ icon or member of the community that you look up to?
My friend Cecilia Gentili sadly left us this year. She was unrelentingly herself, and most of all, she made me laugh. I miss her. 

What can New York policymakers do to support members of the LGBTQ+ community?
Make it easier for LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs to start businesses in NY. Starting a business in NY is cumbersome and expensive, and policymakers leave antiquated rules and regulations on the books that don’t reflect our nimble economy. LGBTQ+ should be included in the minority and women-owned business category. As we have done with other policy areas, policymakers should simply include LGBTQ+ when offering support to marginalized communities. 

Is there anything you are working on that you wish more people knew about?
As we navigate an increasingly hostile world, it’s crucial that the LGBTQ+ community promotes our vision of who we are rather than engaging in divisive rhetoric. This is my primary focus in all my work – stating a vision vs the problem. The LGBTQ+ community has a rich history of educating individuals who may need help understanding our community. However, our progress is under threat, and we must unite, educate, and remain open to dialogue.

As newly appointed CEO, Amy Harclerode has guided Hetrick-Martin Institute through expansion and innovation in response to the mental health crisis affecting queer and trans youth of color. Prior to this appointment, Amy served as HMI’s chief development officer, driving remarkable revenue growth, providing essential support for youth services and programming, as well as advocacy and capacity-building initiatives. Her leadership and dedication to LGBTQIA+ youth advocacy have garnered recognition from various New York-based publications.

If you could give your younger self advice, what would it be?
Hang in there!  You will find your purpose over and over again, and each time will lead you to more and more of your people. 

Is there an LGBTQ+ icon or member of the community that you look up to?
I look up to the young people at HMI.  Despite challenges that face them every day they continue to show up with joy and compassion for our community. 

What can New York policymakers do to support members of the LGBTQ+ community?
Pass the proposed expansions to the NYS Gender Affirming Care Shield Bill to make sure our young people are able to access care, and that providers and families are protected in ensuring that care.

Is there anything you are working on that you wish more people knew about?
HMI has been working for 45 years to reshape systems of care to be more inclusive for queer and trans youth, and this year – we will start to undertake one of our largest challenges ever – re-defining and expanding access to best-in-class mental health services for LGBTQIA+ youth of color, and ensuring more organizations around NY State and beyond are resourced to implement that care. 

Bridget Hughes is chief program officer for the Hetrick-Martin Institute. Her work with LGBTQ youth spans more than 30 years and includes the development of the YES program of the LGBT Community Center (1989-2007). In 2007, Hughes was recognized with a PASEsetter Award and was awarded a Charles H. Revson Fellowship at Columbia University. She was named Outstanding Community Advocate by the NYC Administration for Children’s Services in 2019.

If you could give your younger self advice, what would it be?
Find your people. 

Is there an LGBTQ+ icon or member of the community that you look up to?
When I was a kid in the closet, I read the work of queer poets to help get me through. I go back to those same poets now for strength and wisdom, and when I need to zero in on what matters.  They never disappoint: Mark Doty, Audre Lorde, Adrienne Rich, Essex Hemphill, Mary Oliver, June Jordan, Sapphire, Nikki Giovanni, Emanuel Xavier…

What can New York policymakers do to support members of the LGBTQ+ community?
Increase funding for LGBT health and human services.

Is there anything you are working on that you wish more people knew about?
The Hetrick-Martin Institute is developing programs to support the healing of bereaved LGBTQIA+ youth. Because of the many layers of grief and loss that youth in our community have to deal with, often from a young age, when they experience the death of a loved one it can be a complicated experience. We want to create more space for youth to grieve as a community, and make sure no LGBTQ young person grieves alone.

Brad Hoylman-Sigal, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, represents New York’s 47th State Senate District on Manhattan’s West Side (or as he likes to say, “from the gay bars to Zabar’s”). Brad has championed most of the major LGBTQ bills in NYS since the Democrats took control in 2019. This includes the transgender human rights law (GENDA), banning conversion therapy, legalizing gestational surrogacy, and, most recently, establishing NYS as a safe haven for transgender youth.

If you could give your younger self advice, what would it be?
Be out and proud! Come out to your friends and family. And if you’re queer, don’t ever change your career goals because you’re afraid of how you might be perceived at work. Being LGBTQ is a superpower. Finally, if you want children, have them sooner rather than later. As a 50-something dad of 13 and 6-year-olds, my back is killing me! 

Is there an LGBTQ+ icon or member of the community that you look up to?
I have so many LGBTQ heroes, ranging from Audre Lorde and James Baldwin; to the transgender women on the frontlines of the Stonewall Rebellion, Marsha P. Johnson and Silvia Rivera; to queer civil rights activists Urvashi Vaid and Larry Kramer; and the queer elected officials in NYC who came before me. Currently, the real heroes are the parents of LGBTQ children, who are fighting the fusillade of laws and directives directed at their kids.

What can New York policymakers do to support members of the LGBTQ+ community?
Policymakers need to listen and be responsive to their LGBTQ constituency, including parents of queer children, who feel their schools and public spaces are increasingly unsafe given the anti-transgender sentiment that has hijacked elements of our body politic. Also, while the LGBTQ community spans socioeconomic strata, in totality it has one the highest rates of poverty and joblessness among any minority group. If we address income inequality, we will help LGBTQ people disproportionally.

Is there anything you are working on that you wish more people knew about?
I’m working on legislation to develop anti-discrimination policies for trans and nonbinary students, end the criminalization of people living with HIV, and give pharmacists the authority to dispense PrEP and PEP. Also, in time for the opening of the Stonewall National Monument this summer, I’m working with Assembly Member Glick to name the Christopher Street subway stop after the historic Stonewall Inn. Out, proud and on a subway map. Wouldn’t that be something to celebrate?

Crystal represents the neighborhoods of Prospect Heights, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, and Crown Heights in the New York City Council. She was elected in 2021 and made history as one of the first out gay Black women ever elected in New York City. Crystal is committed to making government more accessible for more people and delivering a just recovery for all New Yorkers in the wake of a global pandemic, economic crisis, and racial reckoning.

Qween Jean founded Black Trans Liberation, an organization that aims to provide access and employment resources for the TGNC community. She organizes community events, protests and weekly mutual aid drives. In 2022 Qween wrote, “Revolution is Love”. In 2023 she joined the board for the Theatre Communications Group (TCG) and received an Obie Award for excellence in costume design. This year Qween was a finalist for The David Prize, which gives a $250,000 award to transform the city. She received an MFA from New York University, Tisch.