LGBTQ+ Power Players

Sharon Callahan (she/her) is CEO of CDM and also serves as chief client officer of Omnicom Health Group. A frequent speaker on the power of women’s authentic leadership, Sharon was recognized as Woman of the Year by the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association in 2019. Sharon is an active board member of several corporate and philanthropic institutions, including the LGBTQ Victory Fund and GLAAD. Sharon co-founded and continues to champion Omniwomen and OpenPride, Omnicom’s employee resource groups designed to help women and LGBTQ+ people realize their full potential within the company.

What is your favorite Pride Month event or celebration?
The New York City Pride Parade. I’ve lived in the city for 37 years and I’ve watched the parade grow bigger and better each year. The Pride Parade has indeed become an international event. The reason I love it so much is because it’s not just the LGBTQ+ community that shows up; the whole city joins in the celebration. There’s this fun, anything-goes, everyone-is-invited party environment. Everyone is so happy and, well, full of pride.

What LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
I was inspired by Urvashi Vaid, who was the former executive director of the National LGBTQ Task Force, and one of the most deeply committed leaders in the LGBTQ+ and social justice movement. Unfortunately, she lost her battle with cancer some weeks ago. Urvashi had this light about her, which shined brightly on her many friends, including me.

Urvashi talked about how the fight for equality isn’t enough — it’s about acceptance. A fine distinction, but it matters. Her point was, it’s not enough to be included in the mainstream, it’s the right to be authentically ourselves that’s essential.

What can people and corporations do to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, not just during Pride Month?
I’d love to see a new level of empathy in the workplace for transgender and gender-fluid people, so they can show up as their authentic selves. This takes education. Here at Omnicom Health Group, we found that our employees, especially our senior executives, had little direct experience with trans people, so we’re introducing a panel of trans individuals during Pride Month. I know that love and acceptance create an environment for everyone to thrive, and when people thrive, the business thrives, too. When you love people, there is space for them to excel and have a better future.

How can businesses create more inclusive environments for their employees and patrons?
It’s about doing what you believe in every day, and not just for Pride Month or Juneteenth. As a business, it’s about tying your commitment to a more inclusive environment to your financial goals; companies with inclusive talent practices generate up to 30% more revenue, according to a Deloitte report. We need to attract diverse candidates and incentivize managers to hire teams that don’t just look like them, but reflect the world we live in.

Renee Campion is the commissioner for the New York City Office of Labor Relations. Reappointed by Mayor Adams in February of 2022, she had previously held the position during the former mayoral administration. Prior to becoming the first woman to hold the commissioner role, Campion had served in the Office of Labor Relations in numerous positions throughout the entire span of the Bloomberg administration. As the city’s chief labor negotiator, Campion draws on her own union experience working for the Doctors Council of the City of New York.

Lisa Cannistraci is the owner of Henrietta Hudson, the country’s longest-running lesbian-centric bars. Today, Henrietta Hudson considers itself a “queer human bar built by lesbians.” Cannistraci has owned and operated the bar for the past 31 years since opening it with her business partner Minnie Rivera in 1991. Under her guidance, the bar has long been a safe haven of both activism and celebration for the LGBTQ community.

Donald Capoccia (he/him) is an urban developer in the fullest sense, combining his career of building in New York City with civic activities devoted to public arts and architecture initiatives. As the managing principal of BFC Partners, Capoccia spearheads the firm’s focus on constructing affordable housing in emerging neighborhoods. Under his guidance, BFC Partners was the first developer in New York City to mix low- and middle-income restricted apartments with market-rate rentals. To further encourage this building trend, Capoccia was a founding member in 1998 of the New York State Affordable Housing Association. Today, his association works to increase affordable housing programs and subsidies.

What is your favorite Pride Month event or celebration?
My favorite is when my husband and I open a bottle of champagne at the end of Pride Month, and celebrate together. 

What LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
Jeff Soref. He and I worked together for years on a number of different equity issues facing the LGBTQ+ community. He is a brilliant strategist and successful in every pursuit he undertakes. Also Louis Bradbury of The Calamus Foundation, whose integral role supported extremely important projects including Stonewall House, which BFC Partners developed along with SAGE to become NYC’s first senior living environment to promote diversity and safety for LGBTQ+ elders, their friends and allies. His involvement was invaluable to the entire LGBTQ+ community. I also have to mention composer and writer Michael R. Jackson, a Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner, for his incredible production of The Strange Loop. His unique perspective, which finds its way onto NYC’s Lyceum Theatre stage, is reflective of so many African American gay men’s experiences, which many in the LGBTQ+ community are not fully aware of.

What can people and corporations do to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, not just during Pride Month?
That’s easy. There is extreme struggle at the opposite ends of the age spectrum of the LGBTQ+ community. Younger people as well as senior citizens need an extra amount of support, as both suffer from one form of discrimination or another. Supporting organizations that help young LGBTQ+ people is something there is never enough of. Attention should be paid every day of the year. The same goes for our senior citizens who fought for the rights we have today, but still find themselves fighting in their later years.

How can businesses create more inclusive environments for their employees and patrons?
If all companies celebrated the diversity of their organizations during Pride Month, it would go a long way toward supporting their colleagues and employees in the LGBTQ+ community. Recognition is key toward acknowledging that the LGBTQ+ men and women who are dedicated to their career and your business are seen and valued.

David Carr is the New York City councilmember 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.

Originally from Chicago, John D. Carrion (he/him) earned a B.A. and a M.P.A. degree from New York University and a Master of Science in Sociology, awarded with distinction, from the London School of Economics. John’s career has spanned working in education and nonprofits for over 15 years. John has been part of the LGBTQ+ choral movement since 2011 where he was first a singer in the London Gay Men’s Chorus and then served as its chairman from 2013-2017. John joined the NYCGMC team in 2021.

What is your favorite Pride Month event or celebration?
My favorite Pride Month event is the Manhattan Pride March simply because I still very much see it as a march. While undoubtedly a celebration, it is the most visible opportunity for LGBTQ+ people and allies to demonstrate to the whole world that we are a part of every section of society. Crucially, this march demonstrates that we may not look the same and we may express our sexualities and genders differently, but ultimately we are more alike than we are different. I also revel in the spectacle of people dressing in ways that make them feel prideful, joyous, and free.

What LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
I have always been inspired by Harvey Milk and the ways in which he was able to truly transform the LGBTQ+ movement at the government level. His tragic story has always resonated with me as both a cautionary and galvanizing story about how the LGBTQ+ movement forces necessary discomfort in order to provide essential change. I have also been truly inspired by the indomitable Billy Porter. His ability to stand as a true activist for LGBTQ+ people of all races, ethnicities, and nationalities helps to guide my own practice and quest to be both an activist and an ally.

What can people and corporations do to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, not just during Pride Month?
People and corporations can support the LGBTQ+ community by understanding that people are LGBTQ+ for 12 months of every year, by hosting Pride events outside of June, and by providing safe spaces for LGBTQ+ people, families, and identities. People and corporations can do some personal research about the struggles LGBTQ+ people face — from youth to the elderly. Additionally, people can do more than attach a rainbow to a logo and more than use a catchphrase from their favorite LGBTQ+ stereotype. Instead, people and corporations can financially support LGBTQ+ organizations and provide the means and platforms to showcase their work.

How can businesses create more inclusive environments for their employees and patrons?
Businesses can create more inclusive environments by educating people about LGBTQ+ topics, history, and culture, by showcasing LGBTQ+ people and events outside of June, and by promoting LGBTQ+ people, primarily those of color, to executive spaces and projects. This demonstrates true allyship and an ability to ensure that LGBTQ+ support is more than a carefully curated social media campaign that does more for the bottom line than for true activism.

Guillermo Chacón is the president of the Latino Commission on AIDS, a nonprofit organization dedicated to HIV prevention and care for the Latino community, where social stigma, immigration, status, and language barriers, among other things, often deter testing and increase positivity rates. Mr. Chacón was formerly the vice president of the organization before being named president by the Board of Directors in November 2009. He is also the founder of the Hispanic Health Network, and was appointed by Governor Cuomo to serve in the New York State Vaccine Equity Task Force in 2020. He also serves on the New York State AIDS Advisory Council and the New York State Minority Health Council.

Rose Christ (she/her) was recently elevated to serve as co-chair of Cozen O’Connor, one of the top 10 New York lobbying practices. For over a decade, Rose has been immersed in New York’s government and political arenas, particularly distinguishing herself by advancing priorities of the LGBTQ+ community through organizing with political club Stonewall Democrats of New York City, where she served as president for two years. In her personal life as a new mom, Rose advocates for LGBTQ+ family rights, and in her professional field she secures substantial government funding for organizations serving the LGBTQ+ community.

What is your favorite Pride Month event or celebration?
I am a particular fan of Drag Story Hour NYC’s reading events for children. They teach participants all about celebrating our diversity and ourselves. I think it is so powerful to engage the youngest audiences in these important messages.

What can people and corporations do to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, not just during Pride Month?
Talk to your elected officials about the importance of reaching LGBTQ+ communities, especially those who are most often underrepresented: trans women of color and LGBT immigrants (particularly those who are seeking asylum in the USA) come to mind immediately.

How can businesses create more inclusive environments for their employees and patrons?
Create LGBTQ affinity groups within your organizational structure and listen to the needs and desires of your LGBTQ+ employees. Make sure your HR team is prepared to discuss family planning and healthcare needs that are specific to the LGBTQ+ community.

Andrew Coamey is the executive director of Bailey House, the Housing Works-operated shelter providing housing and supportive services to people living with HIV/AIDS. Mr. Coamey has been with Housing Works since 1991. He previously managed the intake department before moving to the senior management team in roles including deputy director of Adult Day Health Care, chief financial officer, and senior vice president. A longtime AIDS activist, Mr. Coamey was also previously manager of consulting services for Hudson Planning Group. 

Daryl Cochrane (he/him) is the LGBTQIA+ communities lead advisor with the NYC Commission on Human Rights. Previously, Daryl worked in public policy, government relations, and communications at GMHC, the New York AIDS Coalition, and ALS Association, working on LGBT and HIV/AIDS issues, and on behalf of people living with Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Prior, Daryl served as community representative and LGBT community liaison for Congressman Jerrold Nadler. He holds an M.P.A. from NYU. Originally from Akron, Ohio, he’s resided in Washington Heights for over 20 years. He’s been with the Commission since summer 2015.

What is your favorite Pride Month event or celebration?
The Center’s Garden Party and Broadway Bares, hosted by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

What LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
Billie Jean King, Bayard Rustin, Elton John, Edie Windsor, Sylvia Rivera, Jim Obergefell, Tom Duane, Oscar Wilde, RuPaul.

What can people and corporations do to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, not just during Pride Month?
Promote active allyship and demonstrate that in every aspect of your business. Go beyond the rainbow flags and look at where your corporate money is going — from political candidates to third party vendors to charitable gifts — and if it’s directly or indirectly harming the LGBTQ+ community. Use your platform and stature to change public policies on the federal, state, and local levels. Proactively question your own internal policies to ensure equity is being achieved and don’t be afraid to revisit them as circumstances evolve.

How can businesses create more inclusive environments for their employees and patrons?
Incorporate LGBTQ+ support across various intersectionalities of race, ethnicity, and other identities within your company. Actively seek to reach those in the “+” — gender non-conforming, non-binary, and intersex individuals, as well as those who identity as other sexual orientations outside the LGB. Be sure to include LGBTQ+ people in every aspect of your business — from outreach and hiring of entry level and executive management, to charitable and political giving, to advertising, and more.