Follow Friday: Bisexual Activists

Bisexual Activists

In honor of #BiWeek, this #FollowFriday features eight amazing bisexual activists you should be following on twitter.

Heron Greenesmith

Heron Greenesmith
Heron Greenesmith

twitter.com/herong

Heron Greenesmith is a policy attorney and researcher for LGBT folks, and an advocate for bi-visibility. Heron is currently a senior policy analyst at the Movement Advancement Project.  They have written about employment discrimination and the legal invisibility of bisexuality. Heron is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire and American University, Washington College of Law and is admitted to the New York and Massachusetts bars. They are a board member of the National LGBT Bar Association, a fellow with the Rockwood Leadership Institute, and a returned Peace Corps Volunteer.

Robin Ochs

Robyn Ochs
Robyn Ochs

twitter.com/robynochs

Robyn Ochs is an educator, speaker, grassroots activist, and editor of the Bi Women Quarterlyand two anthologies: the 42-country collection Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals Around the World and RECOGNIZE: The Voices of Bisexual Men. Her writings have been published in numerous bi, women’s studies, multicultural, and LGBT anthologies.

 

Faith Cheltenham

Faith Cheltenham
Faith Cheltenham

twitter.com/thefayth

Past President and current Vice President of BiNet USA, Faith Cheltenham helps coordinate bisexual advocacy, outreach and networking efforts for the bisexual, pansexual and fluid communities in America. Faith has been involved in LGBT activism since 1999 and has spoken at locations as varied as San Diego Comic Con, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force’s Creating Change Conference, UCLA, and Yale University. In 2012, she was named one of Advocate magazine’s “Forty Under 40” and was appointed to the University of California’s LGBT Task Force.

Ron Suresha

twitter.com/rjsuresha

Ron Suresha
Ron Suresha

Ron Suresha is an editor, anthologist, and creative nonfiction writer. He is a three-time Lambda Literary Award finalist, and is considered an authority on emergent queer masculinities, focusing on the subcultures of gay and bisexual male Bears and of male bisexuality.

Suresha is the senior editor, with Pete Chvany, Ph.D, of Bi Men: Coming Out copublished as a double issue of the Journal of Bisexuality (5: 2/3), and solo editor of the 2006 fiction anthology Bi Guys: Firsthand Fiction, both named Finalists for the 2006 Lambda Literary Award in bisexual literature.

Lorraine Hutchins
Lorraine Hutchins

Loraine Hutchins

twitter.com/hutchinsloraine

Loraine Hutchins, Ph.D., is a founder and leader of the U.S. bisexual rights and liberation movement who has increasingly integrated issues of spirituality into her sexuality education work. She co-edited Bi Any Other Name: Bisexual People Speak Out, the anthology that catalyzed the bi movement and is still in print and well-beloved in college courses thirteen years later. A native Washingtonian, Hutchins has always emphasized the inter-connecting issues of race, gender and class in her work and sexual liberation’s connection to overall issues of social justice and human rights.

Yesenia Chavez
Yesenia Chavez

Yesenia Chavez

twitter.com/msyeseniachavez

Yesenia Chavez is the Legislative Assistant for U.S. Representative Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-03).  A progressive Latina and voice for Queer People of Color on the hill, she also serves on the Board of Directors of the LGBT Congressional Staff Association.   The Association is an official, non-partisan Congressional staff organization whose mission is to advance the interests of current as well as prospective members and the LGBT community at large.

H Sharif Herukhuti Williams

Sharif Herukhuti Williams
Sharif Herukhuti Williams

twitter.com/DrHerukhuti

H. Sharif “Herukhuti” Williams, PhD, MEd, is a liberatory sociologist, cultural studies scholar, sex educator, playwright/poet and award-winning author.   Dr. Herukhuti holds a doctoral concentration in transformative learning for social justice and specializations in sexuality and cross-cultural studies of knowledge. He held a Lambda Literary Foundation inaugural playwriting fellowship and National Endowment of the Humanities fellowship in the Black Aesthetics and African-Centered Cultural Expressions Summer Institute at Emory University. He is a member of the editorial boards of Journal of Bisexuality and Journal of Black Sexuality and Relationships.  He co-edited the award-winning anthology Recognize: The Voices of Bisexual Men.

Angel Dallara
Angel Dallara

Angela Dallara

twitter.com/angeladallara

Angela Dallara is the director of external communications at Freedom for All Americans, where she manages the organization’s day-to-day communications operations and media presence. She has more than five years’ experience cultivating relationships with reporters and securing media coverage in prestigious outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press, Bloomberg, Los Angeles Times, NPR, MSNBC, and more. She has ghostwritten op-eds for leading LGBT advocates in diverse outlets such as Reuters, CNN.com, USA Today, Boston Globe, Philadelphia Inquirer, Miami Herald, Huffington Post, and more. She has hosted press conferences on key legislative votes, judicial hearings, and town halls on LGBT issues.  As part of her role, for nearly two years she has driven media strategy for the Freedom Massachusetts campaign which in 2016 successfully updated the state’s nondiscrimination law to include explicit protections for transgender people in public places. Prior to her current position, she served as deputy communications director at Freedom to Marry, the campaign that won marriage for same-sex couples.

Bisexual Activists
Bisexual Activists

 

 

 

 

Arson Destroys Home of LGBT Activist in Likely Hate Crime.

Nikki Joly

LGBT activism is alive and well in Jackson, Michigan.  This year saw the launch of the Jackson Pride Center, which opened their first space in the basement of John’s United Church of Christ.   Following this success Nikki Joly, Director of the Jackson Pride Center, and the growing LGBTQ community in Jackson, set their sites on organizing their first ever Jackson Pride Event.

Nikki is a nurse, a veteran, and a respected employee of the local Red Cross; the perfect candidate to lead the effort alongside many local activists in Jackson.  A small but vocal opposition, however, was determined to stand against this progress, and that opposition included threats of violence.   PrideSource.com reports that Jackson Area Landlord Association’s President Robert Tulloch warned members of the city council via e-mail stating: “I saw something on a site about marching to Blackman Park and raising a flag? I hope they are not planning to raise a gay flag. That is an in your face declaration of war and will be met with a violent response. This IS the queer agenda.”

Despite the threats, Jackson Pride took place on August 5th.  Just a few days after, however, an act of arson destroyed the home of Nikki Joly and his partner Chris Moore.  Accelerants were used in the arson which caused the house to quickly go up in flames, claiming the lives of their two dogs and three cats.  Their home and their belongings were completely destroyed in what is now being investigated as a hate crime.

I had the opportunity to meet Nikki at the recent CenterLink Summit, an annual gathering of LGBT community center leaders from around the country.    I was truly inspired by the work Nikki is doing.   Nikki is tenacious, and I know beyond all doubt that he will continue this incredibly important work.

A fund has been established to help Nikki and his partner Chris rebuild their lives.   I just made a donation to support them, and I ask you to do the same.  Just follow the link below:

Click here to visit the youcaring page for Nikki and Chris and make a donation.

 

Arson
Arson

 

 

David J. Johns Named Executive Director of the National Black Justice Coalition

David J. Johns Named Executive Director of the National Black Justice Coalition

Washington, DC—The leadership of the National Black Justice Coalition announced today that David J. Johns has assumed the role of Executive Director as of September 1, 2017. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) is a civil rights organization dedicated to the empowerment of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people, including people living with HIV/AIDS. NBJC’s mission is to end racism, homophobia, and LGBTQ bias and stigma.

“Growing up as a little Black boy in Inglewood, California, I did not meet or see people who showed up in the world like me—strong Black men who are equally proud about their Blackness as they are about being same gender loving (SGL),” stated David J. Johns. “I want people to see me, to know that I exist—that we, as a community, refuse to hide or check parts of who we are at the door, shrink or otherwise fail to show up in our fullness—knowing who we are and whose we are. I assume this responsibility, in part, because it’s important for me to show up for younger people the way I wish adults had shown up for me—fully, honestly and without apology.”

In 2013, Johns was appointed as the first executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans by President Barack H. Obama and served until the last day of the Obama Administration in January, 2017. The Initiative worked across federal agencies, and with partners and communities nationwide, to produce a more effective continuum of education and workforce development programs for African American students of all ages.

Prior to his White House appointment, Johns was a senior education and workforce development policy advisor to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) under the leadership of U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). Before working for the Senate HELP Committee, under the leadership of Tom Harkin, Johns served under the leadership of the late U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA). In addition, Johns has been a Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Fellow in the office of Congressman Charles Rangel (D-NY). Johns has worked on issues affecting low-income and minority students, neglected youth, early childhood and k-12 education, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) among others. His research as an Andrew W. Mellon Fellow served as a catalyst to identify, disrupt and supplant negative perceptions of black males—both within academia and society.

Johns has been featured as an influential politico and advocate by several publications and outlets, including TheRoot.com, CNN, NBC, BET, EBONY and The Washington Post.

“During my tenure, I plan to focus deeply on the empowerment of the Black family, which includes the families we are born into as well as those we create—while honoring the opportunity to remain a central repository for advocating for and responding to the needs of Black LGBTQ/SGL individuals and communities. Critical to this work is engaging all Black people in transformative dialogues that honor the diversity of Black families and the roles that Black LGBTQ/SGL people continue to play—in both family and community—and advancing policies that ensure civil rights for Black LGBTQ/SGL people,” Johns continued.

Johns succeeds Sharon J. Lettman-Hicks, who led NBJC for eight years. Lettman-Hicks will continue her role as the Chief Executive Officer of NBJC and focus on board development, infrastructure and long-term sustainability.

“I had the pleasure of working directly with David Johns when I was appointed to serve on the Commission of the White House Initiative on Education Excellence for African Americans, where David served as the Executive Director,” Lettman-Hicks said. “David’s mere presence fills a room. His intellectual prowess, compassionate heart, and deeply-rooted knowledge of public policy and the plight of underserved and marginalized communities—especially the African American experience—gives me more than hope for our work and future leadership in Black America. He defines excellence and leaves no challenge unanswered. Johns is exactly the right person to articulate our needs and understand our connectedness to our families.”

Johns added, “As the Executive Director of NBJC, I will lead aggressive campaigns that disrupt and supplant deleterious stereotypes about Black LGBTQ and same gender loving people.  These campaigns and related activations will, among other things, highlight more of the diversity that exists within and makes our community strong.

 

David J. Johns Named Executive Director of the National Black Justice Coalition
David J. Johns Named Executive Director of the National Black Justice Coalition

Help Gay Russian Asylum Seeker Pursue His Art

Support Andrey Nasanov

Please read this message from my friend and Russian Asylum seeker Andrey Nasonov.  Visit his gofundme page to read the complete story and support his dream of becoming an artist.

As many of you already know, three years ago I moved to the US. Political asylum. You can read about it here Beaten for Being Gay in Russia – Andrey’s Story , here Gay asylum seeker flees violence in Putin’s Russia or here Escape from Russia: My Independence Day

Now I look back and try to examine the first three years that I’ve spent in the USA. Certainly, these were some of the most difficult and interesting years in my life. I can talk about them a lot … But I’ll go straight to the main point.

I do not regret that I chose this path. But I still look at the years I’ve spent in the United States with a serious amount of regret. I have not lived these three years as I could have. I did not do what I could have done. Life difficulties forced me to include a “self-preservation regime”, which was based solely on my fear. On a fear of being without money, on a fear of being without a roof over my head or a piece of bread, on a fear of being without friends or even without my husband. On a fear of losing myself or losing my life. I found a job, which was extremely hard for me, for a very small amount of money (by American standards). I could not find other options. Of course, because of that, I was very unhappy. And, slowly but surely, it was killing me. For a year and a half, I lived in an endless cycle of “work-house-tears at night and fatigue”.

At some point, I realized that this work almost broke me. And now I am in the process of making perhaps one of the most important decisions of recent years. The kinds of decisions that turn life into a different direction. I hope that it will not be a mistake and that in due time I will remember this time with a pleasant smile on my face.

I love to draw. I really love to draw. Moreover, almost everything I’ve drawn in the US over these three years has already been sold. I will not be too modest now. I finally realized that my drawings are something that people really like, that can be sold. They give me not only moral satisfaction but also money. And this really can become my life’s work.

I’ve had enough of living with the permanent feeling of «I hope very soon everything will change!». It will not happen until I do something about it. My strengths and my ambitions for this are quite enough. I know.

I’m quitting my job. This is a very serious decision, despite all the emotionality of the text you read now. And despite all the sadness in my life now. In August of this year, I will open my business and will start working as a full-time artist.

I have an incredible opportunity to open my own art studio. Yes, I will be the happiest person in the world. I will finally start doing what I really like. I will become an independent and confident person.

Why am I writing to you about this? I want to ask you for support. Informational or financial. I ask you to tell your friends about the Artist Who Dreams. I ask you to support me at this initial stage of my work. The opening of the art studio is a very costly undertaking both in terms of the efforts made and financially. Any $5 of yours brings me closer to my dream. To everyone that makes a donation, I promise a personal surprise – something very, very interesting! Yes, yes, it’s certainly about my drawings 😉

Click here to make a donation and support Andrey’s Dreams







Click here to make a donation and support Andrey’s Dream.

 

 

GetEQUAL Announces New Staff Leadership

Get Equal

Over the last few months, GetEQUAL’s Board of Directors and Staff have gone through a process of self-reflections, strategic evaluation, and connecting with leaders across intersecting movements. The goal was to identify individuals with the talent, vision, passion, and skill to lead GetEQUAL into the future of this current political moment. With the culmination of this process, the GetEQUAL family is excited to announce that Gaby Garcia-Vera has been selected to serve as Executive Director, and Aaryn Lang as our Movement Building and Campaigns Manager.

Aaryn hails from Columbus, Ohio and got her start organizing with the Transwomen of Color Collective in the spring of 2014. She has been working to build power for Black and LGBTQIA liberation, and to uplift the leadership of Black trans women ever since. Aaryn said, “I am honored and excited to add my vision to GetEQUAL’s legacy of intentional action for the most marginalized bodies within our LGBTQIA movement. The road has been long, and struggle shall persist, but we will not be bought or swayed. Our goal is liberation, and I have nothing but confidence in the work our team and community partners will continue to do to combat the violence we are facing in this moment of intense political and ideological difference.”

Gaby Garcia-Vera has been a part of the GetEQUAL family since 2012 and brings a wealth of experience fighting for immigrant rights, reproductive justice and Queer & Trans liberation across the state of Florida and around the country. In 2016 he cofounded the Coqui Language Collective a Florida based collective working to create language justice in Florida through interpretation and translation services. Before joining the staff of GetEQUAL Gaby served as the Field and Advocacy Manager at the Florida Latina Advocacy Network an extension of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health where he oversaw organizing LatinX communities around Reproductive Justice. Formerly he’s served as Programs and Development Coordinator at Pridelines, and served on the Trevor Project’s National Youth Advisory Council in 2013 to combat stigma surrounding mental health and suicide prevention amongst LGBTQ youth.

Vera Garcia said, “I am excited and honored to have been selected to steward the organizing and vision of this amazing organization. The road that lay before us with the current political climate is one filled with violence, hatred, and fascism but in the wake of those things I know that our community is resilient, strong, and unwavering in its commitment to liberation. My dream is that together we can create sustainable communities where we are all free to create and construct our families in the way we see fit, free of violence and policing.”

Outgoing Executive Director, Angela Peoples, said “this transition marks the beginning of an important and exciting time for GetEQUAL and our movements’ collective fight for liberation. Our community needs strong leadership that can fight the threat of fascist, racist, and political ideology while also carrying a bold, aspirational vision for liberation. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Gaby and Aaryn over the last few years and I’m confident that they will unite our movement and continue GetEQUAL’s work to build a grassroots movement toward liberation that reflects the values, experiences and needs of community.”

Get Equal
Get Equal
Get Equal
Get Equal

National Mentoring Campaign for Black Male Students

In an effort to strengthen a community and build up a new generation of achievers; the Black, Gifted and Whole Foundation aims to inspire social change with the launch of their HBCU Scholarship Ambassador Program, where selected students will receive financial support and mentoring throughout their college matriculation.

The goal of this program is to create a structure equipped with strategies that assist with the elimination of systematic barriers for the Black gay/ queer men in their pursuit of obtaining life skills before entering the workforce. Thus creating ambassadors who will, in turn, pay it forward and uplift their fellow brethren, completing the vision of what it means to be Black, Gifted & Whole.

“I wish that I had a mentor that was like me so that I didn’t have to struggle through that journey alone,” says Johnson. Similarly, Anthony tells NewsOne, “The reason we started BGW was to celebrate Black Gay and Queer men by affirming their whole selves. Not often do we see ourselves as whole people in media, in relationships, at work, or in family life. Black, Gifted & Whole is the organization I wish was around when I was learning how to love myself as a young man.”

The foundation will award $10K to 5 students (Ramon Johnson, Derrell Richardson, Torres Savage, Michael Moore, Denzel Cammon) across the United States, who have been accepted to a Historically Black College or University, with their Presidential Scholarship. This payment will be made directly to the university/institution to help offset the tuition cost, money for books, and a yearly stipend for food. The 2017-2018 scholarship recipients will be announced at the 2nd Annual Scholarship Gala to be held this summer.

“This generation of students regardless of sexual orientation deserves the same opportunities, a chance to learn, to explore, and to know what’s at their reach. In the end, the passions and skills they develop through higher education will only serve us all for years to come.”

Interested in learning more about the Scholarship Ambassador Program and how to get involved please visit BlackGiftedWhole.Org.

Black, Gifted and WHole
Black, Gifted, and Whole