LGBTQ+ Power Players

The AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power (ACT UP) is a diverse, non-partisan group of individuals, united in anger and committed to direct action to end the AIDS crisis. We meet with government officials, we distribute the latest medical information, we protest and demonstrate. We are not silent. ACT UP was formed in response to social neglect, government negligence, and the complacency of the medical establishment during the 1980s. Soon it found itself needing to fight corporate greed, lack of solidarity, and various forms of stigma and discrimination at home and abroad.

What is your favorite Pride month event or celebration?
Our favorite Pride Month event is the Queer Liberation March, which is organized by the Reclaim Pride Coalition. It is a rejection of the commodification and commercialization of Pride. This year, the Queer Liberation March is also marching for trans and BIPOC (black, indigenous, and people of color) freedom, reproductive justice, and bodily autonomy. It reflects our view that Pride is about a collective political struggle as well as personal expression and self-discovery. Also, none of the corporate sponsors at Queer Liberation March have contributed to anti-LGBTQ policies like Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, which can’t be said of every Pride event. 

What LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
We are inspired by countless LGBTQ+ icons and activists, but we are most inspired by all of the people, iconic and ordinary, that were lost to AIDS. This year, we are especially inspired by the lifelong activism of our late friends Tim Lunceford and Elizabeth Meixell.

What can people and corporations do to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, not just during Pride month?
People and corporations can support LGBTQ+ organizations materially on a year-round basis instead of just for marketing during Pride, as well as support policies that improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people in terms of both social and economic justice. LGBTQ+ people also want free public healthcare, a living wage, and the right to collectively bargain. That’s why official ACT UP merchandise comes from suppliers who are living with HIV/AIDS and whose products are union-made in the United States.  

How can businesses create more inclusive environments for their employees and patrons?
Businesses should ensure employees are trained and educated on HIV to prevent HIV stigma. They should also stand against misgendering and other forms of bigotry and discrimination on their premises. They should create a safe work environment with strict accountability for harassment. They should also advocate for a more inclusive culture in the communities they are part of. 

How does ACT UP plan to participate in Pride 2022?
ACT UP will be participating in the Queer Liberation March on June 26 and the Health Fair on Washington Square Park South and Third Street the same day. 

When and why did ACT UP form?
ACT UP formed in 1987 in response to the mounting number of AIDS deaths and the inadequacy of both public policy and medical research in addressing AIDS. The first ACT UP meeting was galvanized by a speech given by Larry Kramer at the Center in which he told half the audience to stand up and said “you are all going to be dead in five years.”

What are some current actions supported by ACT UP?
Some of the current actions supported by ACT UP are efforts to expand and improve the deployment of overdose prevention centers in the City, to legalize new treatments for methamphetamine addiction, to improve the accuracy of HIV information across public resources in the City, to end vaccine monopolies for global vaccine access, and more.

What is the best part of volunteering with ACT UP?
As we are united in anger, the best part of being an ACT UP member is directing our collective anger to precise targets and effecting change to increase HIV prevention, treatment, education and care, as we fight against stigma and for the cure. Being able to contribute to the continuity of ACT UP’s historic work and purpose is a deep motivation for volunteering.

Mariam Adams (she/her) is a financial advisor at Merrill Lynch, leading The Adams Group — the largest LGBTQ-dedicated wealth management practice in the U.S. Many of her clients are household names in the LGBTQ+ community. She has long been a staunch advocate for LGBTQ+ rights within corporate America and the larger community, serving on the boards of local non-profits, including homeless youth organization The Ali Forney Center and the Gender and Family Project. Mariam lives in Brooklyn with her wife and two daughters.

Follow Mariam on IG @mariamrox

What is your favorite Pride Month event or celebration?
Some of my best memories have been at the NYC March, from my own amazement at that first parade I attended as a teenager, to the joy and wonder on the faces of my rainbow-clad kids at their first parades. It’s unmatched. But lately, I’ve really been appreciating the more local events: Brooklyn Pride Festival in Park Slope, the first GayRidge Pride in Bay Ridge.

What LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
I did not know a single out LGBTQ person growing up. It wasn’t until Ellen DeGeneres came out that I learned that there are others like me, so she holds the most sacred “icon” spot in my book. Today, I’m continually inspired by the grassroots activists who I’ve had the privilege of working with over the years. Most recently, as executive producer of the Lesbian Bar Project documentary, I was so grateful to the team of artists and activists that brought attention and support to our dwindling safe spaces.

What can people and corporations do to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, not just during Pride Month?
I think a lot of companies have a knee-jerk response: write a check to some of the most recognizable national LGBTQ organizations and call it a day. I would love to see more money and action funneled to local organizations that know too well what our communities need in a particular moment. Specifically, groups that have a direct impact on children/teens who are struggling, like the Ali Forney Center and the Gender and Family Project, whose doors must stay open year round and can’t shut down even during a global pandemic.

How can businesses create more inclusive environments for their employees and patrons?
Invest in your LGBTQ network. Support them year round. And while this seems obvious, ask exactly what’s needed because needs evolve. For example, when expanding my family, insurance rejected IVF costs because there was an infertility requirement which we couldn’t prove as lesbians (vs a hetero couple). To the company’s credit, they created a $20K benefit for those seeking to expand their family through adoption, surrogacy, IVF — the costs insurance companies often still reject.

Michael Adams (he/him) is the CEO of SAGE — Advocacy and Services for LGBT Elders, the world’s largest and oldest organization dedicated to transforming LGBTQ+ aging. In partnership with affiliates, SAGE serves countless LGBT older people nationally via technical assistance, trainings, and services, as well as performing advocacy at every level of government. Adams, a graduate of Stanford Law School and Harvard College, previously was the director of education and public affairs and deputy legal director for Lambda Legal and litigation director for the ACLU LGBT Rights Project.

What is your favorite Pride Month event or celebration?
My favorite Pride activity is to march in NYC Pride with the SAGE bus that every year transports a passionate group of LGBTQ+ elders, who on that day get to bask in the appreciation, celebration and attention that they deserve every day of the year.

What LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
So many LGBTQ+ icons and activists have inspired me. Bayard Rustin, Urvashi Vaid, and Edie Windsor immediately come to mind. Each of them was visionary in their unique way and each of them understood that vision and values matter a lot more if they get translated into action that builds justice and improves people’s lives. And of course there is Ken Dawson, a path-breaking early executive director of SAGE and passionate community leader who we lost to AIDS in the early 90s. Ken has been a role model since my first day at SAGE.

What can people and corporations do to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, not just during Pride Month?
There’s so much change that needs to happen to build equality and equity for LGBTQ+ people and to improve the lives of our elder pioneers. Change only happens through hard work and resources that can match everything that the forces of hate bring to bear. So our movement and community needs huge amounts of volunteerism and activism — we need people’s time and elbow grease, and funds to support our community’s work. Many corporations still need to step up to the plate, and only 3% of LGBTQ+ people give to LGBTQ+ causes, so there is lots of room for growth!

How can businesses create more inclusive environments for their employees and patrons?
SAGE provides training and support to elder care and service providers and companies to help them be more welcoming to LGBTQ+ older customers. Support is out there for companies of good will that want to serve everybody equally and respectfully. LGBTQ+ employees want what other workers want — fair pay and benefits, the opportunity to advance, and protection from discrimination and mistreatment. Businesses who deliver on these promises do right by their LGBTQ+ employees.

Born in Venezuela, Jesus (he/him) moved to NYC in 1989, and soon after joined the Latino Caucus of ACT UP NY, an international direct action advocacy group centered on ending the AIDS epidemic. In 1993, he founded the first LGBT Venezuelan organization outside that country: the Venezuelan Gay and Lesbian Association, which led to be the organization of many Latin American LGBT grupos in the city. In 1996, he founded AID FOR AIDS International.

What is your favorite Pride Month event or celebration?
My favorite event is the Pride March because it displays how far we have come and how diverse our community is. At the same time, it is a reminder that we have a responsibility to make sure that the next generations understand what it has taken to get where we are today. LGBTQ+ rights cannot be taken for granted, as they can be taken away by the most conservative part of the country anytime if we don’t participate. So Pride is a reminder that we have always had to stay vigilant.

What LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
Many fantastic human beings have inspired me, starting with members of ACT UP NY in the late 80s early 90s. Mark Harrington, Peter Staley, Gregg Goncalves and Mike Barr — to name a few — represent an incredible group of LGBTQ individuals that transformed the world through activism in the face of the AIDS epidemic. Members of the Latino caucus of ACT UP NY, Gonzalo Augusto, Luis Vera Vidal, and Jairo Pedraza, were among a long list of Latino gay men fighting on the front line for the right and survival of all people with HIV. 

What can people and corporations do to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, not just during Pride Month?
I believe that corporations can support the LGBTQ+ community by integrating them into their ecosystems. Corporations will reach excellence when they start seeing LGBTQ+ people as people and focus on the talent they add to the company. As long as the LGBTQ+ community is perceived as a threat, nothing will change. So, let’s start seeing each other as people, and we will see a real difference.

José Albino (he/him) is the executive director of GRIOT Circle — a direct service organization that centers the lives of LGBTQ elders of color. José has been working in the aging field for over 20 years and has been responsible for guiding a diverse number of departments within the aging field, including meals on wheels, senior centers, case management, health wellness, and supportive housing programs. He holds a bachelor’s in Psychology from the University at Albany, and a master’s in Education and Human Development from The George Washington University.

What is your favorite Pride month event or celebration? 
When I was younger, my favorite Pride activity was meeting friends at the end of the parade route — at Christopher Street — bar hop, privately read and praise costumes, and crazy, erratic behaviors — a rite of passage for queer people finding their identity and voice. This was over 25 years ago. Now I don’t do much for Pride — except for the requisite work events. I stay home and comb through news items tied to Pride across the world. And if on occasion, I am receiving out of town guests, we would have a nice dinner at a NYC gay neighborhood.

What LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
Normal people are my icons. People like many GRIOT Circle members who are elders now — who, when young, couldn’t live in their truth — but now are living unapologetically. Also, trans kids who are living out loud and proud, and as a result are changing the minds and hearts of many. And the parents that support them. Lastly, many leaders in the nonprofit queer movement — this is hard work — that are centering race in their work, and are giving TGNC folks career opportunities that translate into upward mobility.

What can people and corporations do to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, not just during Pride month?
I think what many nonprofits need, particularly BIPOC-led and -serving, are dollars to increase their capacity, strengthen their mission, and serve more people. Corporations can create queer resource groups (if they don’t have them) to help organizations raise money all year. This includes initiatives like National GIVE OUT Day, Giving Tuesday in November, as well as other individualized giving initiatives that many organizations have. Lastly, create a matching program where, if an employee makes a donation to their cause or organization of choice, the company matches it. It’s a win/win for all.

How can businesses create more inclusive environments for their employees and patrons?
I think the obvious of communicating that the establishment is a safe space — by stating that in a visible place in the establishment — or on the company website. Having the rainbow flag visible certainly doesn’t hurt. But more deeply — be intentional about hiring more queer folks.

Representation and inclusion matters. And lastly, if you have openly gay patrons and/or employees, it’s simple. Just ask them. 9 times out of 10, they will gladly tell you.

Mohamed Q. Amin (he/him or they/them) is an Indo-Caribbean, queer, and Muslim immigrant rights activist based in Richmond Hill, Queens, New York. In response to anti-LGBTQ hate violence, in 2015 he founded the Caribbean Equality Project, a community-based organization that advocates for Caribbean LGBTQ+ immigrant rights in New York City. His transnational advocacy and organizing are rooted in gender equity, racial justice, healing, and building political power. Amin is a cultural producer, director of “My Truth, My Story,” and curator of two interdisciplinary exhibitions: “Queer Caribbeans of NYC” and “Live Pridefully: Love and Resilience within Pandemics.”

What is your favorite Pride Month event or celebration?
June is Pride Month and Caribbean-American Heritage Month. My favorite Pride Month celebrations are the Queens Pride Parade and NYC Pride March. In 1998, Colin Robinson co-founded the “Big Truck,” the first Caribbean LGBTQ+ carnival-inspired contingent to have participated in the NYC Pride March. The tradition highlights the racial and culturally diverse intersectionality of Caribbeaness and LGBTQ+ identities. Since then, to uplift Colin’s legacy and the pioneers who have paved the way before me, I’ve had the honor to lead and continue this history to create an affirming space, representation, and visibility of the prideful Caribbean LGBTQ+ community in NYC.

What LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
Against the backdrop of criminalization, I am inspired by the fearless Black and Brown Caribbean LGBTQ+ organizers, writers, activists, and sex workers who dared to speak out against LGBTQ+ phobias in the Caribbean and diaspora, including Colin Robinson, Audre Lorde, Rajiv Mohabir, Dominique Jackson, Ceyenne Doroshow, Staceyann Chin, Qween Jean, Jason Jones, and Kenita Placide.

What can people and corporations do to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, not just during Pride Month?
Pride will always be a protest. Pride is an act of defiance and resilience of the LGBTQI+ community. Year-round, people and corporations can use their power and privileges to love, protect, and support the marginalized LGBTQ+ community who live at the intersections of outdated immigration laws, racism, xenophobia, and family abandonment, including asylum seekers, undocumented LGBTQ+ people, and trans people. Being an ally to the LGBTQ+ community also includes supporting the work of community-based organizations like the Caribbean Equality Project, which centers on the sustainability and economic empowerment of the Caribbean LGBTQ+ community it serves in NYC.

How can businesses create more inclusive environments for their employees and patrons?
Businesses create more inclusive environments for their employees and patrons by hiring LGBTQ+ people, instituting pay equity, establishing policies to protect against gender identity and anti-LGBTQ discrimination, and providing healthcare.

Stuart Appelbaum is the president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. Since first stepping into the role in May of 1998, Mr. Appelbaum has been reelected in 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018. He is also an executive vice president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, and a vice president of both the national and New York State AFL-CIO. Mr. Appelbaum is a member of the Democratic National Committee, where he serves on the Executive Committee and co-chairs the Resolutions Committee. He is president of the Jewish Labor Committee, a vice president of the Consortium for Worker Education, and is president of Union Network International Global Commerce.

Amanda Babine (she/her) is the executive director of Equality New York, a statewide advocacy organization focused on improving the lives of all LGBTQI New Yorkers and their families. She has been working in the social sector for the last 10 years, focusing on leading impactful campaigns and programs using an equity lens. She has been committed to improving policies and programs that will impact communities, and believes that accomplishing this goal is dependent on developing strong research findings, transferring knowledge, and shaping sound policies.

What is your favorite Pride Month event or celebration?
I always look forward to attending Harlem Pride. It is by far my favorite celebration during Pride Month. If you haven’t been yet, make sure to this year. 

What LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
I have had the privilege of being mentored by so many LGBTQI activists. They have empowered me to become the advocate I am today. A few of them include: Desma Holcomb, Gabriel Blau, Tanya Asapansa-Johsnon Walker, Cathy Marino-Thomas and so many more. 

What can people and corporations do to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, not just during Pride Month?
Vote and volunteer. As an advocacy organization, we focus on making sure we have elected officials who support the LGBTQI community. Make sure to know who is running in your district and if they support what is important to you (like LGBTQI rights). Then show up and vote. Nonprofits and community groups rely heavily on volunteers. I would suggest finding a smaller organization or group to support since your time and effort will go a longer way.  

How can businesses create more inclusive environments for their employees and patrons?
They can focus on hiring more LGBTQI individuals, especially our transegnder, non-binary, Black, POC, and disabled community members. It is also important to make sure these individuals are hired at all levels. Often, we see a lack of diversity in leadership. 

Kate Barnhart (she/her) is a long-time AIDS activist and member of ACT UP NY who has been arrested multiple times for civil disobedience while protesting issues related to AIDS, healthcare, police brutality, immigration and as part of the anti-Trump resistance. She has worked with at-risk youth since 1994, including with young felons at CASES, an alternative-to-incarceration program. Since 2001, she has worked with homeless LGBT youth. She spent five years serving as director of Sylvia’s Place, an emergency shelter for LGBT homeless youth, and is currently the executive director of New Alternatives.

What is your favorite Pride Month event or celebration?
My favorite Pride event is the Queer Liberation March because Pride should be about community, not corporations.

What LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
Bob Kohler
Robert Rafsky
Marsha P. Johnson
Sylvia Rivera
All the homeless LGBTQ youth from past and present

What can people and corporations do to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, not just during Pride Month?
People and corporations can make a commitment to ongoing support. Community organizations need resources year-round, not just in June.

How can businesses create more inclusive environments for their employees and patrons?
Businesses can create more inclusive environments by hiring a wider range of people. Hire LGBTQ youth! What they lack in experience or education, they will make up in energy and enthusiasm.

Valerie Berlin (she/her) is a co-founder and principal at BerlinRosen, providing counsel across the firm’s practice areas, with an emphasis on public affairs, social impact, philanthropy, and campaigns. From racial and criminal justice to women’s health, immigration reform and more, Valerie has helped manage complicated communications campaigns leading to groundbreaking victories. Her expertise has also helped elect Democrats across 21 states. Prior to BerlinRosen, Valerie spent 20 years as an organizer, campaign manager, and senior communications director.

What is your favorite Pride Month event or celebration?
The Dyke March!

What LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
There are so many, but a few standouts: Audre Lorde, James Baldwin, Marsha P. Johnson, Billie Jean King.

What can people and corporations do to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, not just during Pride Month?
The most critical step is to create an inclusive culture where people can truly show up as who they are, one where people can see themselves reflected in all parts of the work and at all levels of the company. It’s crucial to take an intersectional approach to our culture — we must create space that honors both the similarities we share and the many ways each community is diverse. Our actions must demonstrate our values and commitments to the communities who make up our company.

How can businesses create more inclusive environments for their employees and patrons?
We have to look inward and be willing to take apart the systems that exclude so many, and that we all uphold to some extent. We have to talk openly and build trust. This requires deep personal work on everyone’s part — and talking to each other about it a lot. An inclusive environment requires diverse perspectives and people who have space and opportunity to lead and showing through our actions that we value lived experiences.