Metro Philadelphia LGBTQ+ Power Players 2022

Stephen Kulp (he/him) is an associate attorney at Tucker Law Group, where he specializes in complex civil matters across various sectors. He has shown tremendous success in his career while providing support for the communities he represents. He is the first openly LGBTQ+ attorney of color to serve on the Board of Governors of the Philadelphia Bar Association, the first AAPI chair of the Philadelphia LGBTQ Bar Association, a board member of the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association, and co-chair of the adoptee network of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.

What is your favorite Pride month event or celebration?
Hard to pick a favorite, but I would be remiss if I didn’t credit the Philadelphia Pride Collective for this year’s Pride March and Pride Festival as being my favorite event of 2022. The Philadelphia LGBTQ Bar Association thanks the Philadelphia Pride Collective for the tremendous amount of work that went into a wonderful day, for all.

What LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you? 
My mentors inspire me every day: Judge Daniel Anders, supervising judge of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, Civil Division; Jacqueline Romero, the next US attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; Wesley Bizzell, the past president of the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association; Judi O’Kelly, the chief program officer of the National LGBTQ Bar Assocation, and Mark Segal, founder of Philadelphia Gay News.

What can people and corporations do to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, not just during Pride month?
This is a complicated question I ask myself every year, especially at the close of Pride. My answer: do more, and when you think you’ve done enough, do even more. Be more inclusive, compassionate, charitable, and committed. Allyship is year round. Why? one in four trans people experience hate crimes over their lifetime (compared to one in five lesbian, gay, and bi people). Those at the intersection of homophobia, transphobia, and racism are at the most risk. In 2020, two Black trans women were murdered in Philadelphia. Their names are Dominique “Rem’mie” Fells and Mia Green.

How can businesses create more inclusive environments for their employees and patrons?
Number one: education (see e.g. Bostock, Fulton, Obergefell, and the “so called” LGBTQ+ panic defense). Number two: hire (e.g. LGBTQ+ people, DEI consultants, and DEI leaders). Number three: donate (e.g. Lambda, Philadelphia LGBTQ Bar Association, Mazzoni Center, etc.). Number four: Make a commitment. 

Rue Landau (she/her) is a lawyer and a civil rights and social justice advocate. As the Director of Law and Policy for the Philadelphia Bar Association, she oversees the policy, legal services, and public interest programs of the association. She recently served as the Beck Chair at Temple Law School where she taught Housing Law. Prior to that, Landau served as the Executive Director of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations and the Fair Housing Commission, where she expanded the city’s civil rights and housing laws, adding significant protections for LGBTQ and other marginalized communities. 

What is your favorite Pride month event or celebration?
I loved this year’s Pride Reimagined March and Festival by the PHL Pride Collective. They succeeded in their mission to lift up the Black and brown queer and trans communities, and to highlight the stories of LGBTQ+ Philadelphians fighting for equality. The day was community-led, inspiring, and a lot of fun!

What LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
There are too many to list! We stand on the shoulders of giants who risked so much fighting for our rights and paving the way before us. Our community is rich with leaders who work every day to increase our visibility and fight for our civil rights and social justice. At this time when our rights are under attack, we must learn from our past to fight for our future.

What can people and corporations do to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, not just during Pride month?
People and corporations should use their money and influence to support LGBTQ+ community-based organizations that are working to advance civil rights and social justice. The needs for marginalized communities exist throughout the year, not just during Pride month. Consistent funding and support would lead to more sustainable organizations, real equity, and a stronger, more vibrant LGBTQ+ community. Also, big businesses need to dedicate a portion of their lobbying budgets to ensuring state and federal legal protections for the LGBTQ+ community.

How can businesses create more inclusive environments for their employees and patrons?
Creating inclusive environments for the LGBTQ+ community is an intentional act that requires planning, development, and sustained implementation. Businesses and employers should start by creating a DEI plan that covers everything from hiring to training to creating a supportive work environment. An essential part of the plan must be to train leadership and staff on the anti-discrimination laws and enforce them consistently and equitably. Hiring members of the LGBTQ+ community, especially people of color, is a key component of a strong DEI plan.

Malcolm Lazin (he/him) 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. He chaired the successful initiative to include Washington Square into Independence National Historical Park, and is the president of Society Hill Civic Association. His company built the first major project on Philadelphia’s waterfront. Malcolm has received numerous local, state, and national honors.

What is your favorite Pride month event or celebration?
LGBTQ+ History Month in October.

What LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
Barbara Gittings, Frank Kameny, and John Fryer.

What can people and corporations do to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, not just during Pride month?
Volunteer and financially support those LGBTQ+ organizations that resonate for you.

How can businesses create more inclusive environments for their employees and patrons?
Equality and respect for patrons and employees.

As the City of Philadelphia’s highest-ranking spokesperson, Kevin Lessard (he/him) serves as a strategic advisor in the Kenney administration and oversees communications efforts across nearly 50 departments—including the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Office of LGBT Affairs—helping expand access to and keep the public informed about government programs and resources. Kevin manages the city’s crisis communications across COVID-19 recovery, violence prevention, and other issues that influence Philadelphia’s civic landscape. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Rowan University and a master’s degree in Strategic Communications from Villanova University.

What is your favorite Pride month event or celebration?
I always look forward to the unofficial kick off, when the city and community partners come together to raise the More Color, More Pride flag at City Hall. That moment represents a powerful symbol, not just that Philadelphia is welcoming and inclusive—but that everyone from every background is welcome to take part, recognize how far we’ve come as a society, and celebrate what Pride means to them in their own way.

What 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’ve always been inspired by the journeys like those of Philadelphia-born Edie Windsor. I truly can’t imagine the challenges LGBTQ+ people went through historically, and her perseverance for decades—including up to and winning her case to bring down the Defense of Marriage Act at the Supreme Court and bring proper legal recognition to all couples—was nothing short of amazing.

What can people and corporations do to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, not just during Pride month?
Set examples where you can make an impact: create intentional policies and practices to support all employees, including people that identify as LGBTQ+—and especially LGBTQ+ people of color that often face multiple layers of discrimination. Have diverse hiring boards to ensure representation reflects the public and audience you are serving. Use your voice to ensure your organization is working with other companies or people—financially or otherwise—that are fully supportive of inclusive policies. And do what you can to elevate voices—in your company or in your own circle—that may not feel heard.

Admiral Rachel Levine is the 17th HHS assistant secretary for health and head of the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. She fights to improve the health and well-being of all Americans. She’s working to help our nation overcome COVID-19 and build a stronger foundation for a healthier future. Her storied career, first as a physician in academic medicine, focused on the intersection between mental and physical health; then as Pennsylvania’s physician general and later as Pennsylvania’s secretary of health, she addressed COVID-19, the opioid crisis, and other health challenges.

Jonathan Lovitz (he/him) is a nationally recognized advocate and public policy leader. At the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, he helped write and pass more than 25 laws opening economic opportunity to minority small business owners, including veterans, those with disabilities, and LGBTQ+-owned businesses. He has led advocacy initiatives across America on voting rights, nondiscrimination, healthcare access, gun safety, and more. Jonathan is a regular guest on MSNBC, CNBC, and NPR, and has served as a keynote speaker for the US Department of Defense, the Department of Treasury, the UN, and many more.

What is your favorite Pride month event or celebration?
Pride is a powerful, positive act of civil disobedience. Simply being out, proud, and demanding your most basic rights is a profound statement. We should never take that for granted or treat the importance of it lightly. And most importantly, we can not—we must not—ever hide. Long before politics, when I was touring with Broadway shows, I loved finding Pride celebrations in places like Alabama and Wyoming where I met people who would drive 50 or 100 miles for a sense of community. Their Pride in themselves and their community drove me to fight harder.

What LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
I’m so grateful that my work in advocacy has turned some of my heroes to close friends. I once got to thank Harvey Fierstein backstage for helping me find myself through his plays when I was a teenager. The same goes for Wilson Cruz and B.D. Wong, who save young lives through representation on stage and on screen. Jim Obergefell, the winning plaintiff in the SCOTUS marriage equality case, did me the incredible honor of marrying my husband Steve and me; and introduced us to equality champion Edie Windsor, a Philadelphia girl who left us far too soon.

What can people and corporations do to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, not just during Pride month?
Money talks. And now, more than ever, the private sector is listening to the collective voice of our community. Our dollar is as strong as our votes at the ballot box. We spend over $917 billion as consumers, and contribute more than $1.7 trillion as business owners; make sure they hear you with every purchase and every contribution all year long. When shopping and seeking a job, look for proof the company is an LGBTQ+-inclusive corporation or a certified LGBTQ+-owned shop. It’s never been easier to go online and make sure you support the brands that have our community’s back.

How can businesses create more inclusive environments for their employees and patrons?
Diversity and inclusion aren’t just corporate buzzwords or academic talking points, they are the difference between innovation and failure in a modern, diverse, and globalized economy. A company must lead with its values, and reflect the diversity of the world around it within its workforce, supply chain, and community engagements. Inclusion is a competitive advantage for hiring the best, attracting customers, and earning community loyalty.

Micah Mahjoubian (he/him) is the policy director and chief advisor for State Senator Sharif Street, who serves part of Philadelphia County. Micah manages legislative affairs, grant awards, committee work, communications, budget development, and strategy. He has been a member of the Liberty City Democratic Club for 25 years, and previously served as co-chair. From 2010 to 2014, Micah worked with Mark Segal and the DMH Fund to raise money and build the John C. Anderson Apartments, an affordable housing complex for LGBTQ+ seniors. 

Miguel Martinez-Valle (he/him) is a Mexican-American Emmy Award-winning bilingual reporter for NBC10 and Telemundo62, whose love for broadcast started when he read the announcements in middle school. Miguel graduated from Michigan State University and worked in Las Vegas for his first TV job as a reporter before coming to NBC10 and Telemundo62 as their first bilingual reporter. Miguel has traveled the world reporting on major events, such as the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Miguel is also the president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Philadelphia Chapter and co-lead of NBC OUT Philadelphia.

What is your favorite Pride month event or celebration?
I love a Pride rally or parade. This year, Philadelphia saw a massive Pride march bring together hundreds of people. Before then I was also able to participate in the New Hope Pride parade as a part of NBC Out.

What LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
From global super star Ricky Martin, to fellow broadcaster Gio Benitez, those who have chosen to live their lives out loud and share their love proudly with the world have inspired me to be 100 percent myself.

What can people and corporations do to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, not just during Pride month?
I believe creating safe and welcoming spaces for LGBTQ+ people is crucial for those looking to be allies. 

How can businesses create more inclusive environments for their employees and patrons?
Businesses should offer sensitivity training to help create a positive understanding and dialogue between employees.

Brian McGinnis (he/him) is an employment law attorney. His practice includes advising employers on making workplaces more inclusive for LGBTQ+ employees. Brian is board president of the Independence Business Alliance, the LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, including Philadelphia’s suburbs and parts of South Jersey and Delaware. Prior to practicing law, Brian helmed LGBTQ+ public policy issues as communications director for New Jersey Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald and Assemblywoman Pam Lampitt.

What is your favorite Pride month event or celebration?
I really enjoyed this year’s reimagined Pride events organized by the Philadelphia Pride Collective. It brought together the best elements of activism and inclusivity together with the joy and celebration of events like OutFest. A brilliant job for the first year!

What LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
Lately, I’m inspired by Chase Strangio and Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, who are attorneys with the ACLU and Lambda Legal, respectively. They both litigate civil rights cases on behalf of LGBTQ+ people–including some of the most important fights to defend transgender, gender non-binary, and gender non-conforming people from attack by bigots. I’m also inspired by Amber Hikes with the ACLU, who had previously done amazing work in Philadelphia with the Mayor’s Office of LGBT Affairs, and is now bringing that vision to the national stage.

What can people and corporations do to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, not just during Pride month? 
LGBTQ+ people are currently facing a significant backlash in politics and culture. Our community is quite literally under attack from violent and bigoted rhetoric and public policy efforts to deny our humanity and existence. Transgender adults and kids have been particularly targeted. Our current moment is desperate and alarming. We need our allies to stand up, speak out, and fight back forcefully, every day, against this vicious bigotry. It is literally a matter of life and death.

How can businesses create more inclusive environments for their employees and patrons?
True inclusion requires commitment 12 months out of the year. It requires businesses to not just use a “checkbox” approach regarding inclusion, but to have it be a core principle that is the DNA of the organization. It requires seriously scrutinizing business as usual and asking hard questions about how to meaningfully improve. Ultimately, it’s not just the right choice from a morality and justice perspective, it’s also great for business.

Darius McLean’s (he/him) work consists of acting as a passionate advocate for increased access to culturally significant healthcare both locally and nationally. Notably, his professional leadership in the LGBTQ+ community grows from a lifetime of lived experience. Darius’ experiences continually motivate him to provide the highest standards of care, empathy, and respect in his work for and with the LGBTQ+ community. In 2020, Darius earned his master’s degree in Organizational Development and Leadership from Saint Joseph’s University. Darius is currently a 2025 doctoral candidate at Saint Joseph’s University’s Educational Leadership program.  

What is your favorite Pride month event or celebration?
The Pride fun run and walk stole my heart this year!

What LGBTQ+ icons or activists have inspired you?
The people around me are the ones who continue to inspire and motivate me.

What can people and corporations do to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, not just during Pride month?
Give us the same platform and support you do in the month of June year-round. 

How can businesses create more inclusive environments for their employees and patrons?
Businesses can do this by creating more inclusive policies, having inclusive healthcare plans, and by shifting the organization’s culture.