LGBTQ+ Power Players

Mustafa Sullivan (he/him or anything respectful) started his movement work in 1999 at an environmental justice program in Van Cortlandt Park. As a youth organizer and director of Sistas and Brothas United in 2001, he built city wide and Bronx-based campaigns. He collaborated with nation-wide youth organizing groups and started the Alliance for Educational Justice where he served as the National Campaign Organizer in 2010. In 2014, he joined Gay Straight Alliance Network as director of national programs. He was excited to join FIERCE in 2016 as board co-chair then as executive director.

What is your favorite Pride Month event or celebration?
Bronx Pride.

What LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
Sylvia Rivera; James Baldwin; Audre Lorde; Marsha P. Johnson.

What can people and corporations do to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, not just during Pride Month?
Donate to smaller orgs that work with LGBTQ youth, those who are incarcerated, those who are poor or on public assistance. Look outside the mainstream to find those groups doing work in communities that often get overlooked.

How can businesses create more inclusive environments for their employees and patrons?
Involve LGBTQ employees in creating spaces that aren’t just safe for folks, but also create bravery and authenticity — spaces that allow people to really be who they are and create community amongst their other co-workers and patrons.

Nicholas Tamborra (he/him) is the co-president of Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn. Nicholas is a mental health professional based in Staten Island and Brooklyn. Prior to joining Lambda Independent Democrats, he was the organizer for the largest LGBTQ+ young adult support group in New York City: 20Something NYC.

What is your favorite Pride Month event or celebration?
Brooklyn Pride.

What LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
I am often inspired by the LGBTQ young people I work with in my professional career as a mental health professional. Their personal journeys to create more authentic meaning into their lives, their community, and their support and care for each other is remarkable. I have often looked to them for strength in my leadership of Lambda Independent Democrats — and it has shaped how I want the club to empower the next generation of leaders.

What can people and corporations do to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, not just during Pride Month?
Corporations will update their brands in rainbow colors for June but do not do the internal restructuring necessary for reducing barriers in hiring LGBTQ+ people, creating safe and inclusive environments, paying fair living wages, and promoting LGBTQ+ individuals to positions of leadership. Meaningful allyship comes from a comprehensive redistribution of power to LGBTQ+ individuals. It’s not enough to see a rainbow flag in a boardroom. Nor is it enough for LGBTQ+ folks to have a seat in the boardroom. They need the opportunity to run the board room.

How can businesses create more inclusive environments for their employees and patrons?
Managers, supervisors, and others in positions of significant administrative power need to prioritize introspection into the topic of unconscious and conscious harm. That is asking, “Have I or how do I currently play a role in contributing to an exclusive and unwelcoming environment?” and “In what ways have I/do I perpetuate an environment of harm for LGBTQ employees and patrons?” and “In what ways can my support for LGBTQ employees/patrons be more impactful and meaningful?”

Glennda Testone (she/her) joined The Center in 2009. She has strengthened its existing services and launched groundbreaking programs, including the RiseOut statewide advocacy initiative and economic advancement opportunities for LGBTQ+ youth, immigrants, and trans folx. She also guided the introduction of virtual services during the COVID-19 pandemic and oversaw a $9.2 million capital building renovation to update The Center’s historic space in 2015. Though she’ll always be a New Yorker at heart — extra love for Brooklyn — she currently lives in Asbury Park, New Jersey, with her spouse, Jama; daughter, Frankie; and dog, Gus.

Daniel W. Tietz (he/him) leads the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, an agency charged with oversight of support programs and economic assistance for low-income New Yorkers. He has long-advocated on behalf of LGBTQI+ rights and social justice concerns. Previously, he served as CEO of Bailey House, which provides housing and supportive services to individuals and families with HIV/AIDS and other chronic conditions; as chief special services officer for the New York City Department of Social Services; as executive director of ACRIA, a national HIV research, education, and advocacy organization; and in leadership roles for Housing Works, among other positions.

What is your favorite Pride Month event or celebration?
As a proud Brooklynite, it is definitely the evening Brooklyn Pride Parade up Fifth Avenue in Park Slope. It brings together all of the beautiful diversity, individuality, and funkiness that make Brooklyn the wonderful and welcoming place it is for so many in our community. Seeing so many friends and colleagues, as well as our local, state, and federal elected officials, having fun and celebrating, and just being who they are, is always inspiring.

What LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
There are many, particularly those brave, early leaders in our community who pushed and struggled for the recognition of the basic humanity of LGBTQ+ people when it was anything but safe and comfortable to do so. Audre Lorde comes to mind, as does Urvashi Vaid, who recently died, each of whom recognized that the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, dignity, and justice can’t be separated from the fight for racial, gender, and economic justice. My dear friend Melissa Sklarz also inspires me with her courage and deep commitment to our community, particularly our transgender family and friends.

What can people or corporations do to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, not just during Pride Month?
They can help by genuinely investing (financial and in-kind) in the community organizations serving LGBTQ+ people in need, and those advocating for justice for all who face discrimination and marginalization. Again, I look to those community leaders who recognize that we’re all in this together; you can’t really separate reproductive rights and justice, for example, from racial, gender, and LGTBQ+ justice. We’re seeing an explosion of anti-LGBTQ+ bills and laws across the country. Corporations and allies must do more than engage in empty sloganeering in June; rather, they must end support for candidates and elected officials who do us harm.

How can businesses create more inclusive environments for their employees and patrons?
For starters, they can reward employees with equitable pay and benefits. And they can fully follow the law in New York, which requires LGBTQ+ non-discrimination in hiring, conditions of employment, etc. Employers could also fully celebrate our diversity and create inviting work environments that honor the talent and skills LGBTQ+ people bring. We’ll commit to employers that fully honor and commit to us, and which demonstrate the same in large and small ways every day.

Beverly Tillery (she/her) is the executive director of the New York City Anti-Violence Project, an organization that works to address and end all forms of violence through organizing and education and supports survivors through counseling and advocacy. She is an experienced thought leader, advocate, and national organizer with over three decades of experience working in social justice movements. AVP runs a 24-hour bilingual (English/Spanish) hotline for LGBTQ and HIV-affected survivors of violence. Call or text 212-714-1141.

What is your favorite Pride Month event or celebration?
I love AVP’s Pride party, FUSION! We are back-in-person this year, providing a safe and exciting night of performers, dancing, and the opportunity to be together. The event includes performances by Richard JMV, Kenya KeepUp, and Jackie Dupree. We invite folks to join us on Wednesday, June 22, at the Jane Ballroom from 6 to 9 PM. More information here.

I also love being out at Pride festivals! I’ll be tabling with AVP at Harlem and Manhattan Prides, talking to people about AVP’s vision for community-led safety and ways we can all keep each other safer. Volunteers are welcome!

What LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
I’m inspired by individuals who experience violence or discrimination and then become engaged and organize with others to work for systemic changes that benefit our larger communities. For instance, the members of AVP’s TGNC Leadership Academy, all survivors of violence, come together to gain skills and advocate for better conditions to make our communities safer. I also think about Melania Brown, the sister of Layleen Polanco, an Afro-Latinx trans woman who died while being held at Rikers. Out of the loss of her sister, she has become an activist fighting for the rights of trans people and others incarcerated.

What can people and corporations do to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, not just during Pride Month?
The LGBTQ community needs allies to join us in demanding to be seen, respected, valued, and treated with dignity. In my recent Advocate commentary responding to the racist mass shooting in Buffalo, I urged community members and allies to call out and stand against hate, and get involved with community-based organizations in your area working on violence prevention. AVP holds Upstander Intervention trainings, which give participants practical tools to safely intervene when they see violence occurring. Our very lives depend on all of us taking small and large steps every day to stand up for each other.

How can businesses create more inclusive environments for their employees and patrons?
Hire and promote diverse employees. Figure out who’s not represented and why? Support LGBTQ and other Employee Resource Groups or Affinity Groups and invite them to engage with management about how to make the workplace more affirming. Institutionalize changes in our policies and manuals, and share those publicly. And find ways to invest in long-term partnerships with LGBTQ and other organizations. Doing so will be enriching for your business, your employees and the larger community.

Representative Ritchie Torres (he/him) is a fighter from the Bronx who has spent his entire life working for the community he calls home. Ritchie’s mother single-handedly raised him, his twin brother, and his sister in a public-housing project. In 2013, at the age of 25, Ritchie became New York City’s youngest elected official and the first openly LGBTQ person elected to office in the Bronx. Ritchie currently lives in the South Bronx and represents NY-15 in the South Bronx. He’s a member of the Committee on Financial Services and Homeland Security. 

What is your favorite Pride Month event or celebration?
New York City has served as a home for acceptance and equality for the LGBTQ+ community for decades. New York City’s Pride events hold these same values. NYC Pride has been a tradition of self-acceptance for me and serves as a beacon of hope for LGBTQ+ Americans nationwide. The event reminds Americans not to take these celebrations for granted and serves as a reminder that the fight for equality is long from over.  

What LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
New York City is known for the LGBTQ+ activists who built the city’s reputation for LGBTQ+ acceptance. Activists like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera symbolize this long-fought acceptance and inspire future activists, including myself, to live with integrity and hope for a future of LGBTQ+ inclusion. Likewise, politicians like Harvey Milk, who created groundbreaking change while overcoming identity barriers, have inspired me to lead with the same determination for the most vulnerable communities I represent.  

What can people and corporations do to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, not just during Pride Month?
The LGBTQ+ community is at a vulnerable point. LGBTQ+ Americans have a supportive and affirming President, but an anti-LGBTQ state agenda has hurt LGBTQ+ Americans nationwide. Anti-LGBTQ+ legislation is passed year-round, and corporations as well as individual allies should speak out against this legislation even after Pride month is over.

Jeffrey Trachtman (he/him) is a partner in the New York law firm of Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP, where he long headed the pro bono program. He has participated in pro bono LGBTQ rights work since the 1990s, serving as co-counsel in Hernandez v. Robles, the New York marriage equality case, and submitting briefs in the Dale, Lawrence, Windsor, Obergefell, and Bostock cases, among others. Jeff has received multiple pro bono awards and has written on LGBTQ rights for Huffington Post and other publications.

What is your favorite Pride Month event or celebration?
I love the big Pride march — but my most powerful memories are when it was smaller, less corporate, and more spontaneous. I loved marching as an ally before I came out, and the most moving part was always when it would turn right and head through Greenwich Village, where the streets were lined with cheering queer kids who had come from all over to cut loose and feel part of a community.

What LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
I was honored to work with and know both Larry Kramer and Edie Windsor, and their feisty activism and love for queer people inspire me to this day. The Normal Heart is, in part, about my firm, so I’ve been delighted to carry forward an involvement in LGBTQ rights that predates even my joining the firm in 1986. I also salute the memory of Bayard Rustin, who was one of the key architects of the Black civil rights movement but kept out of the spotlight because of his queerness.

What can people and corporations do to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, not just during Pride Month?
Corporations should publicly denounce current attempts to demonize and make invisible queer and trans youth and make it clear that hate is bad for business and bad for the states doing this harm.

How can businesses create more inclusive environments for their employees and patrons?
Businesses need to make clear that all are welcome and supported in the workplace, especially trans and nonbinary people who still face barriers in situations where cisgender lesbians and gay men are accepted. Educational programs can help — a “trans 101” presentation where folks who are not used to the idea can learn to share their pronouns, etc., can be helpful.

TS Candii (she/her) is the founder of Black Trans Nation. On February 2nd, 2021, TS Candii was one of the leading organizers, along with many others, who defected to repeal the Walking While Trans law. She has been awarded a citation of merit certificate from the Bronx borough president; a citation of honor certificate from the office of the Queens borough president; as well as an award from the office of the Brooklyn borough president.

What is your favorite Pride Month event or celebration?
Learning the history of pride?

What LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
Marsha P. Johnson; Sylvia Rivera; Alice Nkom; Laverne Cox; Alexya Salvador; Lena Waithe; Arsham Parsi.

What can people and corporations do to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, not just during Pride Month?
DONATE TO BLACK TRANS SEX WORK ORGANIZATIONS ON A RECURRING BASIS.

How can businesses create more inclusive environments for their employees and patrons?
Reduce bias in interviews with skills-based interview questions, guides, and training. Structured interviews. Eliminate bias. Interview transcription. Made for hiring teams.

Alan van Capelle (he/him) is an innovative leader who has dedicated his strategic thinking and community organizing skills in service of the greater good. Alan’s career spans several sectors and industries, but is motivated by a common cause: to advance the goals of people on the margins and improve life for all. His diverse experience makes him a sought-after advisor by elected officials, business leaders, and nonprofit professionals. As president and CEO of Educational Alliance, Alan leads a network of community centers in Lower Manhattan, offering high-quality, multi-generational programs and services.

What is your favorite Pride Month event or celebration?
The Garden Party at the LGBT Center, which does an extraordinary job of blending direct service with public policy, all while creating a welcoming space for our community to convene.

What LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
David Mixner is one of my greatest inspirations. He has managed to move elegantly between multiple social justice movements, including the Civil Rights, antiwar, anti-nuclear, and queer rights movements. He demonstrates that LGBTQ+ people can be powerful voices for change both within and outside of our community.

What can people and corporations do to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, not just during Pride Month?
It is important for corporations to take stock of how many queer people are being promoted into management, director, and partner-level positions. Unfortunately, those numbers don’t show progress and we need to stop giving companies 100% ratings until they do. In addition, straight elected officials should not be using Pride Month as a fundraising opportunity. Instead, they should be using this time to take public action in support of the causes our community is leading and advocating for.

How can businesses create more inclusive environments for their employees and patrons?
Business leaders from outside of the LGBTQ+ community need to learn to be “upstanders”: how to identify, interrupt, and stop discrimination against queer and gender nonconforming people. We’re exhausted having to always be the ones to educate and disrupt homophobia, transphobia, and other systems of oppression.

Tom Viola is the executive director of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS — “the philanthropic heart of Broadway” — and the largest financial supporter of the countless social services provided by The Actors Fund to members of the performing arts community. Having been with the organization since its inception in 1988, he has served as executive director since 1996. Mr. Viola received a special Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre in 2010.