Pride Month: APB's Speakers Continue to Fight for Equality & Change

01 Jun 2022

June marks the beginning of LGBTQ+ Pride Month! As we honor this month by celebrating diversity and individuality, we invite you to check out some of our leading voices from the LGBTQ+ community:

CLEVE JONES is an activist whose work began in the 1970s during the gay liberation movement. A mentee of groundbreaking LGBTQ+ activist Harvey Milk, Jones has gone on to co-found the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, create the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt and publish the memoir, When We Rise.

RYAN JAMAAL SWAIN rose to fame from his role on FX’s Golden Globe-nominated series, Pose. A triple-threat actor, dancer, and singer, he is also a racial and social justice activist who was named to Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list for his LGBTQ+ activism.

ELLE SIMONE SCOTT is executive editor and founder of the diversity council at America's Test Kitchen. One of the few queer women of color to work as a chef in the culinary world, she navigated a career and life full of extreme highs and lows, including an ovarian cancer diagnosis and losing everything in the 2008 recession, before reinventing herself and finding success.

CHLOE DAVIS is author of The Queens’ English, The Dictionary for LGBTQIA+ Lingo and Colloquial Phrases. A Broadway performer who works in the entertainment industry in New York, she has centered her creative platform on amplifying the narratives of Black culture and heightening the awareness of the LGBTQIA+ community.

WADE DAVIS is a former NFL player, thought leader and consultant on diversity. The NFL’s first LGBTQ+ inclusion consultant, Davis educates professional sports leagues about such issues as intersectionality, sexism, racism and homophobia.

RABBI SANDRA LAWSON is the director of Racial Diversity Equity and Inclusion for Reconstructing Judaism. Black, Jewish and Queer, she sees her multiple identities as an asset and uses them as a bridge builder to connect with others.

GREG LOUGANIS holds 47 national championship titles and multiple Olympic medals. In 1988, although he made Olympic history by winning two gold medals in diving, he also tested positive for HIV. Since his diagnosis, he has written the autobiography, Breaking the Surface and become a staunch advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.

KATHY NAJIMY is an actress and advocate for many social causes. Outspoken, energizing and inspirational, she is passionately committed to equality and is a strong voice for LGBTQ+ rights, as well as the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements.

SHANE ORTEGA is the first actively and openly serving transgender United States military member. Also a DEI consultant, he/they empowers organizations and communities with measurable skills of knowledge, compassion, and equity, thus broadening opportunities for marginalized voices.