Metro Philadelphia LGBTQ+ Power Players 2023

Dave Jefferys founded the Altus Agency in 1988, an inclusive and integrated marketing communications firm that specializes in chemical, health, biotech, dental, insurance, and travel marketing using a combination of digital and traditional marketing techniques. Jefferys is the  executive director and founder of the LGBT Meeting Professionals Association, the first and only nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to facilitating connections, promoting progress, and empowering LGBTQ+ professionals in the meetings and events industry.

Adam Joseph, a meteorologist, joined Philadelphia’s ABC Network’s Action News weather team in April 2005. Currently, he serves as the weekday meteorologist for Action News. Adam has been involved in various station specials, including the 6abc Thanksgiving Parade, The Flower Show preview special, and more. Joseph fills in on ABC’s Good Morning America as needed. Joseph is devoted to making a difference in the community and is involved with Hospice and the American Cancer Society.

Christina Kallas-Saritsoglou is the co-founder and executive director of Philly AIDS Thrift. PAT uses its profits to fund organizations committed to supporting communities impacted by HIV — so far, $4.1 million in grants have been distributed. Kallas-Saritsoglou strives to make the store a community hub and cultural institution through collaborations. PAT has an annual block party every fall, and collaborates with local and regional artists and musicians. Kallas-Saritsoglou thinks it’s important to live her values, building strong community relationships, mutual aid, activism, creativity, and joy.

Which LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
I’ve been influenced by the lifelong work and dedication of some of Philadelphia’s LGBTQ+ community leaders such as Chris Bartlett, Heshie Zinman, David Acosta, Kiyoshi Kuromiya, Michael Hinson, ACT UP, and the thousands of people I’ve worked and volunteered with over three decades.

Representative Malcolm Kenyatta is a third-generation North Philadelphia native, thought leader, and legislator, currently serving in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Representative Kenyatta is a barrier-breaking public figure, becoming the first openly LGBTQ+ person of color and one of the youngest members elected to the PA General Assembly in 2018. In 2022, he became the first openly LGBTQ+ person of color to run for the U.S. Senate in American history. Representative Kenyatta has been a vocal proponent of protecting workers’ rights, enacting common-sense gun safety policies, and rooting out government corruption and waste.

Nicole Krecicki is stencil/spray paint artist, zine maker, South Street Art Mart co-owner and all-around retro TV enthusiast. A long time resident and patron of the area, she and her wife Nicole Wiegand couldn’t imagine planting roots for their storefront in any other neighborhood. In addition to her role at the Art Mart, Krecicki is also an active board member for Philly AIDS Thrift. She hopes that the Art Mart can continue the legacy of other neighborhood gems who have helped to keep South Street’s independent spirit alive for so long.

What makes you proud to be a part of the Philly LGBTQ+ community?
There would be no Taped Off TV or Night Owl Designs, and in turn, certainly no Art Mart, without the Philly LGBTQ+ Community. The two of us each got our start selling our wares at queer events in the city. Queer folks were our first supporters and we wouldn’t be doing what we’re doing without them. The love that the community has shown the Art Mart means the absolute world to us. Thank you!

What more can Philadelphia do for the LGBTQ+ community?
We would love to see the city of Philadelphia put more money and resources behind Pride month festivities. We’ve visited other towns and cities that go all out for Pride and it would be nice if the atmosphere stretched out city-wide. Philly is a major city with such a large queer population. Our visuals and messaging should reflect that more than it does currently. 

Stephen Kulp is the founder of Kulp Legal LLC, a Philadelphia-based law firm providing outside general counsel, litigation, and LGBTQ+ legal services. Stephen is the vice chair of the board of governors for the Philadelphia Bar Association and the immediate past chair of the Philadelphia LGBTQ Bar Association. Stephen also serves on the board of directors for the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Pennsylvania, the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association, and the Independence Business Alliance.  

What makes you proud to be a part of the Philly LGBTQ+ community?
I take pride in being part of an LGBTQ+ community that embodies tenacity and grit, persisting in the face of adversity, which is a testament to the rich LGBTQ+ history in Philly. Our community’s deep roots have fostered a vibrant LGBTQ+ legal community dedicated to fighting for equality and nurturing inclusivity for all. Together, we strive to build a society that embraces diversity and advocates for the rights of every individual.

Which LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
I am deeply grateful for the impactful work and dedication of Judges Daniel Anders, Idee Fox, Tiffany Palmer, Chris Mallios, Abbe Fletman, Barbara McDermott, Gregory Yorgey-Girdy, Ann Butchart, and incoming judge Chesley Lightsey. Additionally, the Hon. Jacqueline Romero, U.S. Attorney for the EDPA, serves as an inspiration through her exemplary leadership and historic appointment as the first openly LGBTQ+ U.S. Attorney.

What more can Philadelphia do for the LGBTQ+ community?
Philadelphia has made significant strides in supporting the LGBTQ+ community, including its work with the Independence Business Alliance, which provides opportunities, access, and resources to LGBTQ+ professionals in Philly. However, increased access to LGBTQ+ inclusive healthcare, mental health resources, and support for homeless LGBTQ+ youth are crucial focus areas. More broadly, we need to strengthen anti-discrimination laws and reinforce protections against the onslaught of anti-trans legislation being introduced in state houses nationwide.  

Rue Landau is a civil rights and housing attorney, a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, and a public school parent. Following success in the Democratic primary where she received the most votes of any non-incumbent, Rue is poised to become Philadelphia’s first-ever openly LGBTQ+ member of City Council. For more than 10 years, Rue worked as an attorney at Community Legal Services helping thousands of low-income renters avoid eviction. She later served for 12 years as the director of both the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations and the Fair Housing Commission.

What makes you proud to be a part of the Philly LGBTQ+ community?
Our community’s resilience. Philly has always had a strong and vibrant LGBTQ+ community. After years of experiencing legal and social gains, LGBTQ+ people are now facing significant backlash and a rollback of our rights throughout the country, especially against our transgender and nonbinary communities. While the strength of our community is being tested, I believe we will overcome these challenges and continue to build on our successes in Philadelphia.   

Which LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
There are so many, but two I would like to highlight are my friends Gloria Casarez and Michael Hinson, who collectively built the Mayor’s Office of LGBT Affairs. Before their untimely passing, I was proud to work with each of them, especially through my role in the City, to witness Philadelphia adopt some of the broadest LGBTQ+ rights protections in the nation. Gloria and Michael were unstoppable forces for good, and in Council I hope to advocate as fiercely as they did for LGBTQ+ Philadelphians. 

What more can Philadelphia do for the LGBTQ+ community?
Without a doubt, violence against the LGBTQ+ community — specifically Black and Brown Trans women — must be prioritized in the City’s public safety plan. As our City’s first openly LGBTQ+ Councilmember, I am committed to using my position and platform to address Transphobia and broader LGBTQ+ discrimination through community outreach and legislation. Additionally, Philadelphia must focus resources to provide opportunities to communities that have faced disinvestment — especially our LGBTQ+ youth. A focus on affordability is a must — we must do everything possible to keep Philadelphians from falling through the cracks.

Malcolm Lazin is the executive director of Equality Forum, which oversees LGBTQ+ History Month and coordinates the installation of nationally significant LGBTQ+ historic markers. Malcolm is a former federal prosecutor, Pennsylvania Crime Commission chair, and law firm litigation partner. He is credited with the idea of lighting the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. His company built the first major project on Philadelphia’s waterfront. Malcolm has received numerous local, state, and national honors.

Marion Leary is the Director of Innovation at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Nursing, where she works to amplify and educate nurses as leaders in health and healthcare innovation. Ms. Leary is a member of the American Nurses Association’s Innovation and the University Science Center’s Advisory Committees, and a founding member of the Society of Nurse Scientists, Innovators, Entrepreneurs, and Leaders. She is a host of the Penn Nursing podcast, “Amplify Nursing.”

What makes you proud to be a part of the Philly LGBTQ+ community?
I grew up in the Philly LGBTQ+ community and have grown and flourished with it. Philly is an incredibly diverse city, and because of that, I would not want to live anywhere else!

Which LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
As a young person coming out, I volunteered at several AIDS Service Organizations, but most especially at From All Walks of Life (which is now the AIDS Fund). The staff and volunteers of the FAWOL were some of the most dedicated organizers and activists I had ever met. They inspired me to do good and made me the person I am today. I am forever grateful for everything that I learned from them. 

What more can Philadelphia do for the LGBTQ+ community?
Protecting the transgender community is one of the biggest priorities for the LGBTQ+ community in Philly.

Kevin Lessard drives federal, state, and local government initiatives across PIDC’s services and products, including The Navy Yard, a 1200-acre urban development and waterfront business campus. Kevin also leads communications strategies for financing and real estate programs, and services at the economic development corporation, which, to date, has settled over 13,000 transactions, including more than $19 billion of financing. Kevin previously served as the City’s highest-ranking spokesperson and a strategic advisor in the Kenney Administration.

What makes you proud to be a part of the Philly LGBTQ+ community?
There are many working to make Philadelphia a better place and fulfill our city’s mantra of being welcoming to all. Everyone has a responsibility to take part in helping create a more inclusive, better city that promotes acceptance and understanding. I’m proud to be part of a community that helps make sure that every person is seen, respected, and loved. But we must continue to fight for social justice for those who have been marginalized.

Which LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
So many nameless, faceless people have fought to move us all forward in ways that we’ll never know, see, or be able to fully appreciate. I admire the people throughout history that overcame incredible challenges, like Philadelphia-born Edie Windsor. Her perseverance for decades — including up to and winning her case that brought down the Defense of Marriage Act at the Supreme Court, bringing proper legal recognition to all couples — was nothing short of amazing.