UNSUNG QUEEROES

(Inspired by their bold, brave and authentic selves)

Below you’ll find the biographies of unsung QUEEROES (LGBTQIA+ Hero) in the Global community who inspire the work of our Board of Directors. We think it is critical to have LGBTQ voice at the table where important designs on social services, policy and public good are being made. Please read through these inspiring BIOGRAPHIES.



Matt’s Inspiration & Unsung LGBTQIA+ Queero:

Alok Vaid-Menon


Alok Vaid-Menon - ALOK (they/them) is an internationally acclaimed writer, performer, and public speaker. As a mixed-media artist their work explores themes of trauma, belonging, and the human condition. They are the author of Femme in Public (2017), Beyond the Gender Binary (2020), and Your Wound/My Garden (2021). They are the creator of #DeGenderFashion: a movement to de-gender fashion and beauty industries and have been honored as one of HuffPo’s Culture Shifters, NBC’s Pride 50, and Business Insider’s Doers. Over the past decade they have presented at more than 600 venues in 40 countries, most recently headlining the 2021 New York Comedy Festival.




Shay’s Inspiration & Unsung LGBTQIA+ Queero:

Brendalynn Goodall


Brendalynn Goodall is an out and proud Oakland native, who is passionate about social justice, civil rights and equality. She has a dedication to public service particularly with deep commitment to and engagement with aging services and policy issues, centered on principles of equity, has spanned many years. She served six years as President of East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club, one the oldest LGBTQ community organizations in the East Bay, and is an appointed delegate and Executive Board member of the CA Democratic Party LGBT Caucus, and an appointed Member of the State Democratic Party Affirmative Action Standing Committee. 

She is an accomplished Administrator and Social Worker with more than 30 years in the field of aging, mental health, and workforce development. Professionally retired nine years ago as the City of Oakland’s, Aging & Adult Services Division Manager, she oversaw programs for older adults and adults with disabilities and provided services to 4,000 vulnerable older adults annually.



Ryan’s Inspiration & Unsung LGBTQIA+ Queero:

George Littlechild


George Littlechild, nanekawâsis is a Plains Cree, born in Alberta, Canada, a survivor of the sixties scoop and renowned mixed-media Two-Spirit artist/painter. His mixed-media paintings are often socially charged in response to political movements, societal concerns such as reconciliation and reclamation, as well as personal history.In 1984 he received a diploma in art and design from Red Deer College and rose to commercial success after obtaining a B.F.A from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in 1988. His book This Land Is My Land, intimately and honestly shares with readers how he discovered his Native heritage after having it taken away by the Government and what it means to him. Littlechild lives in Comox, on Vancouver Island, Canada with his husband John Powell.



James' Inspiration & Unsung LGBTQIA+ Queero:

James Baldwin


James Baldwin was a gay, African American essayist, playwright and novelist who was born in Harlem, who found the freedom to express himself living in exile in Paris. When he returned to America to cover the Civil Rights movement, he became an activist and controversial spokesman for the movement, writing books that became bestsellers and made him a celebrity, landing him on the cover of Time. James Baldwin was an and voice of the American civil rights movement known for works including 'Notes of a Native Son,' 'The Fire Next Time' and 'Go Tell It on the Mountain.'


Brent's Inspiration & Unsung LGBTQIA+ Queero:

Senator Tammy Baldwin



Tammy Baldwin was the first woman elected to Congress from Wisconsin. She was also the first openly gay non-incumbent elected to the House of Representatives, and the first openly lesbian elected to Congress. She and Representative Barney Frank co-founded the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus in 2008.

In 2012, Tammy Baldwin ran for Senate and Wisconsin made history again. Tammy became the first woman Wisconsin sent to the Senate and the first openly LGBTQ+ Senator in history.





Alfred's Inspiration & Unsung LGBTQIA+ Queero:

Anjali Rimi


A San Francisco-based advocate belonging to the South Asian diasporic Kinnar Hindu transgender community, Anjali Rimi is president and co-founder of Parivar Bay Area. It’s the country’s only South Asian trans-led and trans-centering organization that strives to cultivate the trans community and foster economic justice, intersectional unity, and social inclusion. They also lead the California Coalition of Transgender Immigrants, serve as an advisor to the Center for Immigrant Protection, and are the first South Asian transgender person to be recognized as an LGBTQ+ champion in the California Legislative Assembly and the Senate. Parivar’s current initiative SITAL, the largest pan-India grassroots initiative is saving Trans Hijra lives across 26 states, with over 1 crore ( 10 million rupees (₹1,00,00,000)) of funds disbursed.



Avery's Inspiration & Unsung LGBTQIA+ Queero:

Frances Perkins


Frances Perkins was the first woman and first semi-openly bisexual member of the U.S. Cabinet. As Labor Secretary for Franklin Roosevelt, she overcame prejudice to write large portions of the New Deal, and is considered the "Mother of Social Security."






Austin's Inspiration & Unsung LGBTQIA+ Queero:

Marsha P. Johnson


Marsha P. Johnson was an outspoken LGBTQ rights activist and advocate for transgender people of color like herself. After moving to New York City in 1963, she embraced her identity as a Black trans woman, drag queen, and activist. Johnson was a key figure in the 1969 Stonewall riots. The next year, she andSylvia Rivera established the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), a group committed to helping homeless transgender youth in New York City. She later began advocating for resources to combat the AIDS epidemic.





Chantel's Inspiration & Unsung LGBTQIA+ Queero:

Barbara Gittings


Barbara Gittings is widely regarded as the mother of the LGBT civil rights movement. Although Gittings lived in Philadelphia, in 1958 she started the New York chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis (DOB). Founded in San Francisco, the DOB was the first lesbian civil rights organization in the United States. From 1963 to 1966, Gittings was the editor of the DOB’s publication, The Ladder, the first national lesbian magazine.

She played a key role in challenging the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) classification that homosexuality was a mental disorder. Her advocacy was instrumental in its removal from the APA’s list of mental illnesses in 1973.




Jordan's Inspiration & Unsung LGBTQIA+ Queero:

Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray


The Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray was a twentieth-century human rights activist, legal scholar, feminist, poet, author, Episcopal priest, labor organizer, multiracial Black, LGBTQ+ Durhamite who lived one of the most remarkable lives of the 20th century. S/he was the first Black person to earn a JSD (Doctor of the Science of Law) degree from Yale Law School, a founder of the National Organization for Women and the first Black person perceived as a woman to be ordained an Episcopal priest. 






Lorrel's Inspiration & Unsung LGBTQIA+ Queero:

Dana Goldberg


Dana Goldberg is a comedian, host, writer and actress. She uses her talents to raise millions of dollars for LGBTQ+ causes, is doggedly supportive of the trans community, and brings a smile to my face as she delivers daily political news as co-host of the Daily Beans podcast.

East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club. P.O. Box 10996, Oakland, CA 94610                    Contact us at: eastbaystonewalldems@gmail.com     

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