Pride Spotlight

Lindsay Church

6/16/2025

Lindsay Church is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Minority Veterans of America, a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for veterans of color, women, LGBTQ individuals, and religious minorities. In April of this year, they testified before the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on mental health support for underserved veterans and underlined the high suicide rates, particularly among transgender and nonbinary veterans. A third-generation U.S. Navy veteran, who served as a linguist, they hold a graduate degree focused on international conflict and extremism, as well as degrees in Near-Eastern civilization and Islamic studies and in Persian-Farsi from the Defense Language Institute. One of their most significant achievements is the creation of Q’mmunity House, the first transitional housing facility in the U.S. specifically for homeless LGBTQ+ veterans. As a trans lesbian individual, their leadership is speaking truth to power and bringing visibility to the struggles and triumphs of LGBTQ individuals in the military, especially amidst a new political climate.

Dustin Lance Black (born 1974) and Tom Daley (born 1994)

6/15/2025

On Father’s Day and every day, Dustin Lance Black and Tom Daley can be honored for their resilience and the loving family they have created. Black, an American Academy Award-winning filmmaker has grown a resume of exceptional film bios (Rustin, Milk and J. Edgar); documentaries (When We Rise); and tv series (Under the Banner of Heaven, and Big Love). His compelling storytelling and complementary activism have informed and inspired many. Daley, the celebrated English diver/swimmer, who has earned five Olympic medals and multiple World Championships titles, has used his platform to champion LGBTQ+ visibility in sports. His memoir, Coming Up for Air and documentary, Tom Daley: 1.6 Seconds recount his journey from child prodigy to world-class athlete and advocate. Married in 2017, Black and Daley welcomed their sons, Robbie and Phoenix, via surrogacy. They remain steadfast in their belief that every child deserves a nurturing environment, regardless of societal norms. As husbands, fathers, and advocates, Black and Daley continue to shape the future of LGBTQIA+ acceptance.

Keith Haring

6/14/2025

Keith Haring was a groundbreaking artist and a passionate advocate for children’s welfare and education, HIV/AIDS awareness and LGBTQ+ rights, whose bold, energetic pop art emerged from the New York City graffiti scene in the 1980s. First known for his chalk drawings in NYC subway stations, Haring went on to create an instantly- recognizable world of dancing figures, barking dogs and hearts that pulse with energy and social commentary. One of his most known pieces during the AIDS crisis was “Silence = Death”; which incorporated the pink triangle—a symbol of LGBTQ+ persecution during the Holocaust. Believing that art should be accessible to all, he painted large-scale murals, facilitated interactive outdoor sculptures and even opened a Pop Shop that sold t-shirts, posters with his images. One year before his death from AIDS in 1989, he established the Keith Haring Foundation to ensure that his philanthropic legacy would continue. The Foundation continues to provide grants that focus on education, AIDS prevention and underprivileged children, while protecting his legacy in contemporary art, activism and LGBTQIA+ representation.

Amazin LeThi

6/13/2025

Born in Saigon and left in an orphanage, Amazin LêThi is a dynamic example of resilience and success. Adopted by white Australian parents, LêThi faced bullying due to her ethnicity and sexuality during her childhood, but surprisingly discovered refuge in weightlifting at the age of six. Her later experiences as an adult overcoming homelessness, depression and suicidality have also shaped her tireless advocacy for the Asian and LGBTQ+ communities. Today, as a former competitive natural bodybuilder, entertainment executive and the first Vietnamese internationally published health and fitness author, she has become a leading sports activist around the goal. Identifying as a lesbian, LêThi has served as an ambassador for more than 30 organizations, including the United Nations, Human Rights Campaign, and Stonewall UK, Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ charity. Through the Amazin LêThi Foundation, she empowers Asian and LGBTQ+ youth, using sports as a tool for leadership and allyship. She consistently reinforces her motto, “Choose Challenge: Change the Game” during all her public appearances, podcast episodes, and collaborations with businesses, governments, and organizations.

Demi Lovato (born 1992)

6/12/2025

Demi Lovato is not only a musical and acting powerhouse, but a fierce advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and for mental health. Her identification as a non-binary person, who fluidly navigates between pronoun choices depending on what feels most authentic in the moment has sparked discussions about gender identity and the challenges of constantly having to explain one’s identity. Lovato’s career has including chart-topping recordings and numerous television appearances in a variety of formats from Barney and his Friends and Disney’s Camp Rock Series to Glee and The X-Factor. Her critical and commercial success has provided a fitting platform for her staunch advocacy. Lovato's openness about her mental health struggles have helped to break the stigma surrounding mental health. She has bravely shared her experiences with addiction, eating disorders, and bipolar disorder to encourage others to speak up and seek help. Her memoir Staying Strong: 365 Days a Year and a trio of documentaries have illuminated the roller-coaster of a journey she has both endured and overcome.

Harlan Pruden (born 1967)

6/11/2025

Harlan Pruden, First Nations Cree scholar and activist, has dedicated his life to North American Indigenous communities. Hailing from Alberta, Pruden is recognized as a trailblazer in advocating for the rights of Two- Spirit people—Indigenous individuals who embody a gender identity beyond male or female and often serve as healers, visionaries, and ceremonial leaders for their tribes. Pruden co- founded the NorthEast Two- Spirit Society and the Two-Spirit Dry Lab, North America’s first research group focusing on the experiences of Two-spirit people. Before moving from New York to Vancouver, as a recovering alcoholic he led SpeakOUT: LGBT Voices for Recovery. He also served on several influential boards, including the NYC HIV Planning Group and the U.S. Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, and played an active role in multiple political campaigns. Currently, Pruden is Lead Knowledge Translator, transforming research into actionable public health policies for the BC Centre for Disease Control in Vancouver, where he now resides.

Ocean Vuong

6/10/2025

Ocean Vuong, a major voice in modern literature, is celebrated for his poignant explorations of identity, queerness, and the immigrant experience. His award-winning prose and poetry demonstrate a raw, lyrical voice that explores the complexities of love, loss, and the human condition. As a first-generation Vietnamese American immigrant, he gracefully infuses his work with ideas that challenge societal norms and offer a voice for the marginalized. Vuong’s acclaimed first novel On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to his mother, as they navigate trauma and a fractured relationship, while his second novel The Emperor of Gladness is an epic story about “chosen family, unexpected friendship and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive.” It is as an Oprah’s Book Club selection and a New York Times bestseller. Voung has taught at several institutions, including UMass and divides his time between Northampton and New York.

Nasreen Alkhateeb

6/9/2025

Award-winning visionary filmmaker, Nasreen Alkhateeb identifies as “BIPOC, multi-heritage, Black, Iraqi, Disabled, raised Muslim and 1st Generation.” She draws from her identities to create her art and to share voices of underrepresented communities through her work. Her storytelling has illuminated the challenges of racial injustice, marginalized genders, stigmatized sexual identities and even those of being the first female Vice President. Alkhateeb’s resume includes the Emmy Award-winning series, Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man, several Netflix series and professional campaigns for NASA, the United Nations, and the Women’s March, among others. She also founded All Media Storytellers, a production company that represents voices that have been historically excluded from film. Pineda has chronic pain and is neurodivergent and has helped campaign to introduce disabled writers and directors to Disney, Dreamworks and other Hollywood studios.

Michelangelo (1475-1564)

6/8/2025

Michelangelo Buonarroti, the Renaissance artist/sculptor/ architect/poet broke boundaries with his art by capturing the beauty and majesty of the human form. From the iconic statue of David to the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, his large body of work underlines his constant pursuit of artistic truth, execution and expression. Historians do not know how to substantiate Michelangelo’s sexual identity since there was no word for “homosexual” in the 16th Century. However, the homosocial culture of the day recognized that younger men often had intimate relationships with their mentors and people knew of his love for a young nobleman, who appeared in his drawings, his journals and poetry. Interestingly, the sculptors’ descendants attempted to obscure his sexuality as early as 1620 when the artist’s references to gender in his writings were changed from male to female. His innovative techniques, the psychological and emotional depth of his work and his influential vision make him one of the greatest artists of all time.

Keshav Suri

6/7/2025

Keshav Suri is a fierce advocate for equality and acceptance, both in India and throughout the world. As the Executive Director of the Lalit Suri Hospitality Group that owns luxury hotels throughout in India and in London, Suri has created a seat at the table as India grapples with discrimination. Together with four other activists, his 2018 petition of India’s Supreme Court ended in a landmark decision decriminalizing homosexuality. A distinguished scholar with law and business degree, he has championed an inclusive and safe space at his hotels and has established an acclaimed Hospitality School that utilizes a global holistic approach to education. His Keshav Suri Foundation promotes inclusive communities that honor and protect marginalized individuals and provides free mental health services and scholarships. Suri has garnered international recognition including three consecutive awards as one of Yahoo’s Top 100 LGBTQ+ Executives. He is a veritable model for business executives everywhere. He lives in New Delhi with his husband, Cyril Feuillebois, founder of Kronocare Cosmetics.

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